Photography by: ©2015 Ron Avery
Auctions are a huge part of the Monterey Car Week. From RM to Mecum, if you are looking to buy or sell, Monterey is one of the best places all year round to be.
This year, 2015, I was granted access to Mecum auctions where some seriously high sellers and enthusiast favorites stretched across the lawn at Hyatt Regency Monterey. On Tuesday at the Concours on the Avenue car show I interviewed Dana Mecum via Periscope (see bottom of post) and also met commentator Bill Stephens while at the auction.
Below are my top 10 selections I wanted to highlight. I’ve included my condition ratings for each car. Condition ranges from 1-5 with 1 being flawless and 5 being a complete basket case.
1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S (Condition 2-)
Lot # S66
Auction Estimate: $1,5000,000-1,750,000
Sold for $2,3000,000
What makes this car special:
- V12 engine 0-62 in 6.7 seconds
- Mostly unrestored (reason for 2- condition rating)
- Matching numbers engine with original paint and interior
- Delivered new to first owner in Italy
1976 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera (Condition 1)
Lot # S71
Auction Estimate: Not listed
Sold for $1,950,000
What makes this car special:
- 3.0L Turbo
- Steve McQueen’s last special-order Porsche
- Special order color Slate Gray
- Dash switch added by McQueen to kill rear lights in case he was being chased on Mulholland Drive
1963 Shelby 289 Cobra Roadster (Condition 1)
Lot #S80
Auction Estimate: $1,000,000-1,250,000
Sold for $1,000,000
What makes this car special:
- 347 Ci engine installed in 2006
- Original 289 V8 and set of 5.5” Shelby wire wheels included
- California car until 1999
- Early rack and pinion Cobra Demonstrator
1967 Toyota 2000GT (Condition 1)
Lot # S59
Auction Estimate: $1,250,000-1,500,000
Sold for $925,000
What makes this car special:
- 2000cc Yamaha inline six cyl engine (150 hp)
- One of 62 US market cars built
- Four owners since new
2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition (Condition 1)
Lot #S69
Auction Estimate: $550,000-650,000
Sold for $460,000
What makes this car special:
- Supercharged V8 engine (550 hp)
- 264 total miles
- One of 70 Heritage Edition GTs with optional red-painted brakes
- One of 343 Heritage Editions made for 2006
1957 Porsche 356 Speedster (Condition 1)
Lot #S117
Auction Estimate: $250,000-300,000
Sold for $235,000
What makes this car special:
- 1600cc 4 cyl engine
- Same longtime owner from the Pacific Northwest
- Original numbered hood
- Optional chrome wheels
1968 Ferrari 330 GTS (Condition 1)
Lot #S101
Auction Estimate: $3,000,000-3,500,000
The Bid Goes on at $2,500,000
What makes this car special:
- First owned by Bill Harrah who gifted the car to wife Bobby Gentry
- Formerly fitted with specially designed Targa top
- Original factory exhaust and red upholstery
- 27,000 miles since new with matching numbers engine
1980 BMW M1 (Condition 2)
Lot #S65
Auction Estimate: $6000,000-750,000
The Bid Goes on at $450,000
What makes this car special:
- 3.5L BMW twin cam dry sump (273 hp)
- One of 98 road cars painted Orange
- Original 22,400 miles
- Original 5-speed transmission and Campagnolo wheels
1965 Shelby GT350 Fastback (Condition 1)
Lot #S79
Auction Estimate: $350,000-450,000
The Bid Goes on at $310,000
What makes this car special:
- Original Shelby modified 289/306 hp engine
- Early production car no. 199 of 562
- Ford VIN and Shelby number match as verified by SAAC
1964 Jaguar E-Type FHC (Condition 1-)
Lot #S72
Auction Estimate: $225,000-$250,000
The Bid Goes on at $200,000
What makes this car special:
- 4.2 L straight 6 engine
- Matching numbers car
- Original tools and Jack
- Various fit issue problems, rear hatch didn’t open and some other minor issues (reason for 1- condition)
Below is a short Periscope of my interview with Dana Mecum, president of Mecum Auctions. Periscope is a social media platform where you can shoot live video content to anyone in the world. Viewers can “like” and “comment” while filming and the raw footage can be saved to your camera roll. Only disadvantage is the app requires you to shoot vertical.