Lots of Muscle and Much More at Mecum’s Spring Classic 2019
For over three decades Dana Mecum’s annual Spring Classic has attracted some of the best muscle cars and classics from across the county, and this year was no exception. Now, in its 32d year, Mecum kept the party going strong throughout the entire six-day event by assembling a lineup of more than 2,000 vehicles.
The headliners consisted of some real super cars, such as:
- The Shelby Cobras in Steven Juliano Estate Collection, which consisted of a 1967 427 S/C Roadster, a 1964 289 Roadster, a 1966 427 Roadster, and a 1965 Factory Stage III 289 Dragonsnake.
- The T-Birds brought by Amos and Justin Minter, which included nine F-Code 1957 Thunderbirds and two E-Code versions.
Other star cars included a 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible, which is the only 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger R/T factory-equipped with a sunroof, a 1971 Plymouth Road Runner Rapid Transit, a pair of L88 Corvettes, and some Shelbys.
With all these classics and exotic sports cars in the house, you never knew when two or more motivated bidders would find a vehicle they just couldn’t live without, and that’s when things really got interesting. So, whether you were a buyer, a seller, or a spectator, the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis was the place to be May 14-19.
Here, John Kraman, consignment manger at Mecum Auctions, gives us a rundown on some of the star cars at this year’s Spring Classic in Indianapolis.
Super Star Cars
These are the headliners everyone was waiting to see cross the auction block. Most sold for big money, with many exceeding $1 million, certainly the most 7-figure sales ever at a Spring Indy auction. The top sale was the 1967 Cobra S/C at $2,860,000.
Amos Minter’s F-Bird Collection
Four of the nine F-Birds from the Amos Minter collection sold, with the highest sale going to the Sun Gold Yellow Bird at $297,000. Although each of these Thunderbirds were nearly equal in quality, it came down to rarity of color – the Sun Gold Yellow car is the only known supercharged bird with this factory paint.
Auction Surprises
Everyone comes to collector car auctions to see the advertised Super Star Cars cross the auction block, but sometimes an unexpected sale happens that surprises everyone watching the show. This year there were several jaw-dropping sales that left even veteran auction goers surprised.
The first was the sale of a 1969 Mod Top Barracuda from the Steven Juliano Collection. Typically this would not be a very collectible car, but it is one of the very few factory optioned Barracudas with flower print vinyl top and seat covers. Pre-show estimates was $70,000 tops, but bidding blew by this all the way to $440,000. The second surprise was the sale of three promotional visible display Mopar engines, also from the Steven Juliano Collection. Combined these engines sold for a staggering $555,500, almost doubling what was estimated. A third shocker (at least to us) was the sale of a 1940 Crocker Motorcycle for $550,000. In this last case, the pre-show estimate was on target, but someone could have purchased seven Z28s for the price of this one motorcycle. Just proves that highly collectible rides are not limited to the 4-wheel variety.
More Eyecatching Cars
Shelby GT350
Not all 1967 Shelby GT350s are equal – the most desirable cars are the early production examples. This Dark Moss Green Shelby was one of the first 10 built and was used by Carroll Shelby as a public relations show car. In the following video, the restorer, Marty Finlan, points out many of the unique GT 350 features due to its early build status. The Shelby sold for a premium of $189,750, not only because of its history but also because of the quality of the restoration.
All prices include buyers commission, where applicable.
