Mecum Monthly March

MARCH 2011

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Best Classic Car Auction

by About.com, a New York Times Company

MAY 17-18-19-20-21-22 Indiana State Fairgrounds • Indianapolis, IN

2000 VEHICLES

LOT F228 1957 Ford Thunderbird Phase 1 Supercharged D/F The most documented of only eight known to exist

PRE-REGISTER TO BID TODAY! Pre-Register to Bid by May 2nd to receive 2 advance tickets* to the auction. All Pre-Registered bidders will receive all INDY2011 Auction catalogs and brochures. Download bidder forms at www.MECUM.com and fax to 815-568-6615 today! *Non-Pre-Registered Bidders are charged admission fee.

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Auction Company: Mecum Auction, Inc - IN License # AC30800088 Principal Auctioneer: Mark G. Delzell - IN License # AU09100124

www.MECUM.com

MARCH 2011

Collector Car Auction News from MECUM AUCTIONS

CONTACT

MECUM AUCTION?

Via Mail, E-mail, Phone or Fax: Mecum Collector Car Auctioneers 950 Greenlee Street Marengo, Illinois 60152 Website: www.MECUM.com Office: (815) 568-8888 Fax: (815) 568-6615 E-mail: info@mecum.com

SELL A VEHICLE

AT A MECUM AUCTION?

Download a “Request for Position” form today. Visit www.MECUM.com. Click on the Seller info tab at the top of the home page to download all forms. Print out and fax completed forms to 815-568-6615.

Be sure to fill out separate forms for each vehicle when requesting positions.

BUY A VEHICLE

AT A MECUM AUCTION?

Mecum provides three ways to become a registered bidder and purchase vehicles at our auctions. In addition to conventional onsite bidding (recommended), we also offer absentee services to bid online or via the telephone. For complete bidder registration information, visit www.MECUM.com, click on the Bidder info tab at the top of the home page. For any questions contact the bidder department at 815-568-8888.

Mecum Auctions has been specializing in the sale of collector cars for 24 years, and has become America’s largest Collector Car Auction Company offering over 7,500 vehicles per year. With auctions spanning coast to coast, Mecum is able to provide the utmost in customer service while giving both buyers and sellers the greatest of options.

Copyright © 2011 Mecum Auction, Inc. All rights reserved.

DANA SAYS Indianapolis has a host of well known nicknames: “Indy”, “Circle City”, “Crossroads of America”, “The Racing Capital of the World” and “Home to the Indy 500”.

From May 17 and through the 22nd, Indianapolis will also be known as host city to “The World’s Largest Collector Car Auction”!

The Mecum Team is now in high gear preparing for the 24th annual Original Spring Classic Auction. Headquartered at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, this year’s extravaganza has been expanded to six days of auction action, an offering of 2000 cars, and 21 hours of live television coverage on Discovery’s HD Theater.

Over 1300 cars have already been consigned for Mecum’s Spring Classic, and at the time of this writing we are still more than two months away. Included in this huge mix of eclectic classics are CSX2096 – “The Shelby Demonstrator”, The Paul Dehnert Estate Collection, the Mike Guarise Nickey Collection, the greatest collection of Ram Air IV Pontiacs (Zeb Morris Estate), an array of Vintage Motorcycles, and a re-creation of the 1953 Motorama display!

Folks, if you’d like a position to sell your car(s) at Indy, I strongly suggest giving our office a call right away or you may simply be left out. The last 60 days prior to our sale dates are historically the busiest for new consignment placement and the Consignment Team is already at full throttle.

Ladies and Gentlemen, get ready to Start Your Engines!

REAL RESULTS Desirable Corvettes Rule at KC2011 A 1965 Big Block Corvette Convertible with coveted Bloomington Gold Benchmark status sold for $188,000 (hammer price) during the Mecum Kansas City 2011 Spring Auction.

The well-preserved Rally Red survivor joined a crop of Corvettes that sold to eager bidders during the two-day auction, which reported total gross sales (excluding buyer’s premium) of $6.6 million.

Mecum offered a variety of classic, muscle and luxury cars during the Kansas City Auction, where a strong crowd led to a 64% sell-through rate. Desirable Corvettes lead the auction’s top 10 sales helping to make the Spring KC event another great success. M

Top 10 Kansas City 2011 Spring Sales (hammer prices)

1. 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (Lot S65) at .............$188,000 2. 2006 Ford GT (Lot S108) at ................................................$157,500 3. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe (Lot F111.1) at ..................$78,000 4. 2000 Bentley Azure Convertible (Lot S121.1) at . ................$62,000 5. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (Lot S64) at ...............$60,000 6. 1937 Ford Coupe (Lot S146) at ............................................$60,000 7. 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (Lot S130) at . ...........$56,000 8. 2010 Chevrolet Nickey Super Camaro (Lot F175) at . .........$53,000 9. 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (Lot S82) at ...............$53,000 10. 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (Lot S51) at ...............$51,000

Florida Event Results Over $40 Million After five days of high-energy crowds and eager bidding, Mecum Auctions announces total gross sales (excluding buyer’s premium) for its 2011 Kissimmee Auction reached an impressive $40 million.

Nearly 1,500 cars went up for bid during the auction, which took place Jan. 26-30 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Fla. and had a 73% sellthrough rate. Mecum’s top seller ($975,000) was a rare wooden boat known as “The Last Riva” – a 1996 Riva Aquarama Special Hull #774 that was the last Riva hand-built wooden boat sold to the public.

“Our Kissimmee Auction continues to evolve each year into a larger and larger event with increased sales, greater attendance and enthusiasm, and more collectible vehicles crossing the auction block,” said President Dana Mecum. “We offered a wide variety of classic cars, motorcycles, wooden boats as well as automotive memorabilia. The collector world has

definitely expanded into new markets, and the Mecum Auctions team is excited and prepared to lead the charge with our popular events that deliver something for everyone’s taste and budget.” M

Top 10 Kissimmee2011 Sales (hammer prices) 1. 1996 Riva Aquarama Special Hull #774 (Lot S182) at ....$975,000 2. 1963 Shelby Cobra DragonSnake (Lot S121.1) at ............$875,000 3. 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster (Lot F211.1) . ...............$550,000 4. 1970 Riva Aquarama Series III Hull #416 (Lot S183) at . .$325,000 5. 1957 Ford Thunderbird DF Phase 1 (Lot F209) at ............$250,000 6. 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible Ram Air III (Lot S233) at.. $225,000 7. 1940 Packard Darrin Convertible (Lot S97) at....................$205,000 8. 2007 Chevrolet Budweiser #8 NASCAR (Lot S201) at.......$200,000 9. 1932 Ford Hi Boy Roadster (Lot S228) at . ........................$180,000 10. 1964 Mercury A/FX Comet (Lot F163) at ...........................$175,000

SPRING CLASSIC In 1987 Marengo Illinois’ Dana Mecum had traded a fleet of used over-the-road tractor trailers for 25 collector cars. About the same time, just down the road a well known collector car auction in Rockford, IL had just gone out of business. With an open marketplace right in the heart of Mecum’s stomping grounds, Dana saw an opportunity, and in 1988 started his first auction with the simple intent of selling off his traded inventory.

But it would not be that simple. A tornado ripped

EVOLUTION through the Rockford Airport, site of the auction, knocking down trees and destroying auction tents in its path. Miraculously, there was no physical damage to any of the cars, and the event appeared on magazine and newspaper covers across the country creating what now could be considered, “The Perfect Storm.” The following year, a second event was held to recoup money and pay the bills from the first.

The addiction set in, and in 1990 Dana played host to his first auction success.

Mecum Auctions and Dana Mecum’s Original Spring Classic was born.

100 CARS

For the next 17 years, The Spring Classic continued to evolve and quickly became one of the top three collector car auctions in the country for dollar volume, bringing the best of the best to market. Unfortunately, as Mecum Auctions grew by leaps and bounds, they outgrew the local high school parking lot then the Boone County Fairgrounds in Belvidere, IL. Dana was faced with a decision!

500+ CARS

In 2008, after 20 years in the same area, the Mecum Auction’s cornerstone event moved to the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, IN. No major collector car auction had ever moved a main event across state lines, but “With the eminent launch of our new television series on HD Theater, “Mecum Auto Auction: Muscle Cars & More,” and the need for a much larger and more adaptable facility in the

1000 CARS

1250 CARS

event of inclement weather, there wasn’t much of a decision to make,” explained Dana.

The instantaneous success of the TV Show and the incredibly positive response from Mecum fans, and dedicated customers that instantly fell in love with the facilities at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, helped Mecum Auctions grow to its current prominence.

1750 CARS

2000 CARS

Dana Mecum’s Original Spring Classic, now in its 24th year, has stood the test of time and continues to evolve while maintaining Dana’s most significant objective….customer service! This year’s event, The World’s Largest Collector Car Auction, will present an extravaganza of 2,000 cars over six days of “auction action”. M

2000 VEHICLES

MECUM Awarded BEST Classic Car Auction After all the votes were tallied, About.com’s Classic Car Readers Choice Award Winner of Best Classic Car Auction for 2011 has been awarded to Mecum Auctions! Voters gave Mecum the heavy lead over Barrett-Jackson and RM as the Best Classic Car Auction. “We’ve covered a few events with Mecum and one thing we hear consistently from Mecum staff, bidders and sellers is what a nice guy owner Dana Mecum is. That is a huge ingredient for success and loyal followers”,

stated About.com directors Tony and Michele Hamer.

“It is very gratifying to have received nearly 70% of the vote,” said Dana Mecum, president of Mecum Auctions. “Auction companies are always jockeying for who’s the largest in dollars sold, or who sold more cars, and this poll was based upon a word that is typically not used: “The Best.” To be voted the best by such a large margin truly makes us appreciate all of our customers and fans, and proves that the public truly appreciates us.” M

Best Classic Car Auction Winner by About.com’s Readers’ Choice 2011

Barret-Jackson 11% Gooding & Company 2%

Mecum 69%

RM Auctions 11% Russo and Steele 5%

“To be voted the best by such a large margin truly makes us appreciate all of our customers and fans, and proves that the public truly appreciates us.”

- Dana Mecum

JUNE 17-18

@ MSRA 38th Back to the 50’s Minnesota State Fairgrounds St.Paul, MN

400 VEHICLES

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www.MECUM.com Previous Lot Shown. Not Available at this Auction.

MECUM101 What is the best day to sell my car? number of buyers for each segment. Below are There was a time when everyone thought the best results from our very successful Florida auction in day to sell a car was Saturday. That is clearly not January so you can see the difference first hand by the case today. Our statistics show that we have day, time and value: a higher sell percentage on the days leading up to Equally important to the sale day, is putting a Saturday….and there is a reason.

K I S S I M M E E 2 0 1 1 A U C T I O N S A L E R E S U L T S

Day Time Value Time Value % Sold

Wednesday to 6 pm Any after 6 pm Minimum $25,000 74.1%

Thursday to 6 pm Min. $25,000 after 6 pm Minimum $50,000 78.3%

Friday to 6 pm Min. $50,000 after 6 pm Minimum $100,000 79.1%

Saturday to 2 pm Min. $75,000 after 2 pm Minimum $150,000 66.0%

Mecum has developed a formula for matching cars and buyers by assigning vehicle values to each day segment. We find by putting like-valued cars in groups, we get a higher percentage of buyers looking for that value of car – and that results in higher sale day percentages for each day leading up to Saturday. We do our best to maximize the

realistic value on your car. Auction after auction we see that cars bring their fair market value.

There is no advantage to saying your car is worth twice what it will bring, to run on a certain auction day. Put the car on the “real” money, and we’ll have the buyers there on your auction day to get your car sold! M

MEET THE MECUM TEAM MIKE O’BRIEN, a twenty year veteran of Mecum’s Vehicle Check-In crew, served the Illinois State Police Auto Theft Division alongside Bob King before offering to lend a hand at the auction. When cars arrive at the auction site, Mike helps crosscheck VIN Tags with titles, locates frame and engine numbers, and does whatever it takes to ensure that all vehicles running across the auction block are legitimately identified. A car and motorcycle enthusiast since birth, Mike told us, “I have enjoyed every auction over the years because of the people and good times that we have shared together.” M

DANIELLE DELZELL has been working the crowd as a bidders assistant for Mecum Auctions since the Indy Spring Classic in 2009. After attending auctioneering school, Danielle came on board to help bidders enjoy their experience with Mecum. As a member of a four generation car family, Danielle thrives on the excitement of working the auction floor. Her tireless work ethic doesn’t stop after the auction is over though. At home in Iowa, Danielle is a licensed real estate agent and sells cars at her family’s Chrysler dealership. Full of optimism, Danielle mentioned, “I look forward to Mecum continuing to be the best collector car auction in the industry.” M

WADE SOUTER developed Mecum’s line of merchandise known as Mecum Gear after joining the team in the Fall of 2008. Besides supervising the Mecum Gear operation, Wade enjoys talking cars all day long as a listing agent in the Mecum consignment department.

Helping consignors place, promote and sell their vehicles is rewarding for Wade because of his respect for collector cars and what makes them special. Always focused on the future, Wade anticipates the growth of both Mecum Auctions and Mecum Gear. So the next time you see Wade running the Mecum Gear store at the auction, feel free to stop by and say hello. M

MARCH 26

T H E T r a c to r Auc t i o n 150 TRACTORS

445 S. Main Street Walworth, WI

MAY 17-18-19-20-21-22 2000 VEHICLES

@ MSRA 38th Back to the 50’s 400 VEHICLES

@ Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA 400 CORVETTES

Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, IN

JUNE 17-18

Minnesota State Fairgrounds St.Paul, MN

JUNE 24-25

Pheasant Run Resort St.Charles, IL (NON-AUCTION EVENT)

JULY 8-9

Vintage Indy Car Event

Hosted by

Rather Bring Your Lodging Along with You to Indy?

Mecum MotorhomE CITY

The Harry A. Miller Club

Milwaukee Mile West Allis, WI

JULY 15-16

500 VEHICLES

Iowa State Fairgrounds Des Moines, IA

AUGUST 5-6

300 TRACTORS

445 S. Main Street Walworth, WI

AUGUST 18-19-20

750 VEHICLES

On Del Monte Golf Course Monterey, CA

SEPTEMBER 15-16-17-18 1000 VEHICLES

Pheasant Run Resort St.Charles, IL

DECEMBER 1-2-3

Kansas City Convention Center - Bartle Hall Kansas City, MO 750 VEHICLES

Hundreds of Sites Available Indiana State Fairgrounds 1202 E 38th Street Indianapolis, IN 46205 Information: (317) 927-7510 Connections Available, Water/Electric/Sewer Rate: Hook-Up $30.00 or Non Hook-Up $20.00 *Reservations Not Required*

950 Greenlee St. Marengo, IL 60152

JUNE 24-25 @ Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA Pheasant Run Resort, St.Charles, IL

400 CORVETTES

LOT S88

1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe 427/400 HP, 4-Speed Restored as Unrestored by David Burroughs

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Nobody Sells More Corvettes Than Mecum. Nobody.