The Mecum Kissimmee 2015 auction was held January 16-25 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, resulting in $68,801,987 in total sales for the 10-day event. A total of 2,404 vehicles crossed the auction block at Mecum’s 2015 Kissimmee sale, with 1,772 hammering sold for a sell-through rate of 74 percent.
The Wellborn Muscle Car Museum Collection was among the headline offerings at the Mecum Kissimmee 2015 auction. The sale of the Collection kicked off when owners Tim and Pam Wellborn, of Alexander City, Alabama, rode onto the block in their 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona.After a brief introduction by Frank Mecum on the podium, the Wellborn Museum Collection collectively hammered at $4,228,000 in a span of less than 60 minutes, with multiple record-setting prices achieved in the process.
Mecum Consignment Director Frank Mecum commented, “This previously unobtainable collection, being offered to the public for the very first time in Kissimmee, served as an excellent way to help set the tone and take the pulse of the collector car market for 2015, as we predicted it would. I think it’s safe to let the enormous results speak for themselves.”
The first car from the Collection to go under the hammer was the 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona (Lot F180), the lowest-mile original engine 4-speed Hemi Daytona documented to exist. Featuring a Roger Gibson restoration, this Daytona was formerly part of the Otis Chandler Collection and was displayed at Amelia Island in 2006 and St. John’s in 2014. This one-of-one example achieved a record-setting $900,000.
The unrestored 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 (Lot F184) from the Wellborn Collection that sported a low 4,770 miles took the auction’s fifth-highest sale at $425,000 setting the benchmark for an original 1970-model Boss 429.
A phone bidder after the Wellborn Collection’s 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A (Lot F185) was relentless in his efforts to secure the car, determined to place the winning bid. Shortly after selling for a hammer price of $185,000, it was revealed that the phone bidder was the original owner who purchased the Challenger T/A new back in 1970. Mecum and the Wellborns were elated to reunite the car with its original owner more than 44 years later.
The antithesis to that occurred the following day as a 1971 Dodge Hemi Challenger R/T (Lot S136) crossed the block being sold by its original owner. With just 1,871 miles since new and presented in original and unrestored condition, this treasure for connoisseurs of the unrestored sold for $640,000.
The 1965 Shelby GT350 that sold for $445,000 at Mecum’s 2015 Kissimmee sale was one of the earliest production street-spec cars built, one of very few two digit serial number Shelby GT350 Fastbacks known to exist. The car resided in southern California for its first 40 years, passing through a chain of owners including Reggie Jackson.
Another notable moment came with the offering of Jerry Lee Lewis’ 1959 Harley-Davidson FLH (Lot S157) that the Rock ‘n’ Roll legend had owned since new, having received it as a gift from Harley-Davidson. Bidding quickly took the price to $300,000, and as the reserve was lifted, Lewis proceeded to sing his famous “Great Balls of Fire” before the standing-room-only crowd. Bidding continued and the hammer fell at $350,000.
“The people in the crowd and the energy they brought coupled with such an astounding lineup of vehicles this year made this one of the best Kissimmee auctions to date,” said Mecum President and Founder Dana Mecum. “Then you add to that a collection like the Wellborns’, a live performance by Jerry Lee Lewis, and all of the other once-in-a-lifetime auction moments, and you truly have the most memorable Kissimmee auction in its 15-year history.”
Mecum Kissimmee 2015 – Top Ten Auction Results (sales reflect hammer prices):
1. 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona (Lot F180) – $900,000
2. 1971 Dodge Hemi Challenger R/T (Lot S136) – $640,000
3. 2006 Prevost 45′ Country Coach Silver Falls Edition (Lot K11) – $600,000
4. 1965 Shelby GT350 Fastback (Lot S152) – $445,000
5. 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot F184) – $425,000
6. 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Tanker Coupe (Lot S164) – $415,000
7. 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Nova (Lot S146) – $380,000
8. 1959 Harley-Davidson FLH Duo-Glide (Lot S157) – $350,000
9. 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary (Lot S169) – $350,000
10. 2006 Ford GT (Lot S131) – $300,000
For complete auction results, visit Mecum.com.
Mecum’s next 2015 classic car auction will be the Rogers’ Classic Car Museum Auction in Las Vegas, February 27-28 with more than 230 cars to be offered at No Reserve; proceeds will benefit The Rogers Foundation. March 20-21 will see more than 200 American classic motorcycles from The E.J. Cole Collection offered in Las Vegas, followed by the Walker Sign Collection of more than 400 original double-sided porcelain neon signs to be offered March 27-28 in West Memphis, Arkansas. April will bring Mecum’s Houston auction with 1,000 classic cars set to cross the block at the NRG Center April 9-12.
For more details on an upcoming sale, to consign a vehicle or to register as a bidder, visit Mecum.com or call (262) 275-5050.
[Source: Mecum Auctions]
