2015 Mecum Auctions Top 10 Picks, Monterey Car Week

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.