By every measure, Mecum had a record-shattering experience at its just-concluded winter auction blowout down the road in Kissimmee, Florida. The 11-day sale broke dollar records each day it was conducted, and when the final hammer dropped, Mecum had rung up $217 million in total sales, a world record for a single auction event involving historic vehicles, representing a sell-through rate of a stunning 90 percent, another Mecum record. Full disclosure, I’ve been known to write for Mecum every so often. Yet another Mecum record was the 2,974 vehicles that crossed the block in Florida – plus another $2.66 million worth of road art.
The biggest sale was the Shelby G.T.350R prototype once personally driven by the great Ken Miles of Ford v Ferrari fame, which commanded $3.75 million. This, however, was our fave: The most acclaimed fully customized car ever created. The Hirohata Mercury, as it’s been forever known, was a new 1951 model when the Barris brothers, George and Sam, wielded their torches and lead paddles to craft the chopped, pillarless hardtop that you see here. This landmark element of automotive styling history rang up a total of $2.15 million.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 