The Mecum Auctions Kissimmee 2014 sale will be staged January 17-26 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida. The ten-day Kissimmee auction will see more than 3,000 vehicles and 3,000 items of automotive memorabilia cross the auction block in Florida.
The line-up at the 2014 Mecum Kissimmee Auction offers everything from muscle cars to 1950s-era cars as well as vintage racers, European sports and exotics and, similar to previous years, a vast number of Corvettes.
Mecum’s Kissimmee sale has become a must-attend event for collectors of America’s Sports Car and the 2014 auction is again overflowing with important Corvettes, including the 1956 Chevrolet Corvette SR Prototype; ex-Dick Lang 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Race Car; 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Styling Car; 1988 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway Sledgehammer; 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Tanker; 1997 Callaway C7R-GT1 and 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible, among many others.
The 1956 Chevrolet Corvette SR Prototype (estimate unavailable) came into fruition at a time when the Corvette brand was in jeopardy of dying off due to lagging sales and fierce competition. Driven by Zora Duntov to a new two-way Flying Mile Speed Record at Daytona Speed Week, this 1956 Chevrolet Corvette SR Sebring Racer was engineered specifically to race. The goal was to win the 12 Hours of Sebring in an attempt to gain credentials with buyers looking for a true champion sports car. Piloted by John Fitch and emerging as the race’s class winner, this Corvette quickly became known as the car that saved the brand. Chevrolet immediately launched an advertising campaign following the race dubbing the car “The Real McCoy,” a moniker it has retained ever since. As a 2012 Bloomington Gold Great Hall Inductee, this car is a pioneer in Corvette’s racing history. (See Full Profile).
With a storied racing history piloted by driver Dick Lang, this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (Est: $900,000 – $1,200,000) has been restored by the Naber Brothers to its glory day configurations and has become a multiple-award winner securing even the National Corvette Restorers Society American Heritage Award. Finishing 4th in 1963 and 3rd in ’64 in National SCCA A/Production standings with Lang at the wheel, the car competed in nearly two-dozen documented races throughout the two-year period. With its N03 36 gallon fuel tank, this Z06-equipped car is one of 63 big tank coupes built in 1963. (See Full Profile).
When it comes to Corvettes with great stories, this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Styling Car certainly makes the grade. Originally ordered for the wife of Harley J. Earl — founder of General Motors’ Styling and Design — this pink lady is Shop Order 10324, in direct sequence one number after Mr. Earl’s 1963 styling car that recently sold at Mecum’s Chicago auction for $1.5 million. Featuring just 27,457 miles, this car’s ownership history is known since new, having been in the same hands and stored away since 1976. Finally back in the public eye, this one-of-a-kind factory creation is offered unrestored with just one repaint in its correct Pink Pearl shade and accompanied by documentation stating this car belonged to Chevrolet Motor Division Engineering Center (est: $500,000 – $750,000).
This 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Tanker was produced on Valentine’s Day, 1963 and delivered to Atzenhoffer Chevrolet in Victoria, Texas. This Sebring Silver and Red Z06 big tank split window coupe (Est: $600,000 – $800,000) was sold to its original owner in Grand Prairie, Texas. The owner campaigned the car extensively throughout the Midwest in SCCA competition and it was rediscovered in Salt Lake City in 1976. A frame-off restoration was completed in 1984. The interior, chassis and drivetrain remain original to the car, which was painted with original factory-supplied Sebring Silver paint, and only original parts were used in the restoration. This Z06 has been inducted to the Bloomington Gold Hall of Fame in addition to garnering Gold Certification, Special Collection honors and the NCRS Top Flight award. Documented with warranty booklet, owner’s packet with contents and previous owner search, the car also comes with all award certificates.
Based on a 1988 Chevrolet Corvette, the famous Callaway Sledgehammer (Est: $750,000 – $1,000,000) was built by Callaway to exceed all existing top speed records and as a showcase for Callaway’s engineering expertise. For years the Sledgehammer claimed the title of the fastest street-driven car in the world, having set the mark on October 26, 1988 when John Lingenfelter drove it to an incredible 254.76 mph. In 2013 the Sledgehammer was inducted into the Bloomington Gold Great Hall, which “recognizes 50 people and 50 Corvettes that significantly influenced the Corvette Phenomenon”.
Corvettes play a prominent role in Mecum’s Kissimmee sale, but, with a total of 3,000 vehicles on offer, they are by no means the only focus. Other notable consignments at the 2014 auction include the 1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra; 1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Berline Convertible; 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Touring; 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429; 1955 Austin-Healey 100 BN1; 1959 Porsche 356A 1600S Cabriolet; 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda; 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro and 1970 Porsche 911S Coupe.
One of just 23 factory Competition Cobras, the 1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra CSX3016 (Est: $1,900,000 – $2,400,000) made a name for itself by becoming class winner at the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring with Bob Grossman driving and breaking the track record at Watkins Glen in the same year. Restored by H.R.E. Motorcars, Inc. of Freeport, New York, this racer is finished in its original livery as raced by Grossman and presents as a showcase factory Competition Cobra.
Judged as an ACD-Certified Category 1 Original with its original engine, chassis and body, the 1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Berline Convertible 2315/J-391 was completed by Walter M. Murphy Coachbuilders of Pasadena, California, as a demonstrator for Duesenberg’s Los Angeles sales branch. It was originally sold to Hollywood screen writer Gene Markey, who later became a highly decorated Rear Admiral after World War II. A series of owners in the 1940s included James Talmadge (son of Buster Keaton and Norma Talmadge), who in 1952 traded the car to actor Tyrone Power for a new MG. Power owned the car until his death after which it was sold to J.B. Nethercutt and then to Bill Harrah’s Auto Museum in Reno, Nevada. In 1986, it was purchased and restored by Joseph Folladori of Indianapolis and later became part of the Imperial Palace Auto Collection in Las Vegas before eventually joining the John O’Quinn Collection. J-391 also participated in March of 1998 as one of six Duesenbergs invited to the Geneva Automobile Show in Switzerland, was featured in the November 1952 issue of Road & Track, and was more recently immortalized by Beverly Rae Kimes in “A Duesie’s Dozen, The Ownership Ancestry of J-391.” The Duesenberg is estimated to sell for $1,500,000 – $2,000,000.
The 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Touring, number 1222, retains its numbers-matching engine according to the included Porsche Certificate of Authenticity. Research shows 1222 was delivered to Italy in the Light Ivory over black leatherette scheme it wears today. Collectible almost from new, it has been in collections in Japan and more recently Mexico, before joining a Porsche collection in the United States (Est: $500,000 – $600,000).
The 2014 Mecum Mecum Kissimmee Auction will take place on January 17-26 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida with tickets available in advance or at the door for $15. Nine days and more than 48 hours of Mecum’s Kissimmee Auction will be broadcast on the NBC Sports and Esquire networks followed by a one-hour special broadcast on NBC.
For more information, to consign a vehicle or to register as a bidder, visit Mecum.com or call 262.275.5050.
[Source: Mecum Auctions]
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