Mecum Auctions broke records at this year’s big Kissimmee event, declaring it “the most successful auction in collector car history.”
This claim comes after a 13-day auction held at Osceola Heritage Park that attracted 140,000 attendees and generated a staggering $441 million in total sales. The company sold more than 2,700 cars representing more than a century of automotive history, with some selling for thousands of dollars and others soaring into the millions.
The highlight of this year’s auction was the only 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO finished in white, which was sold to Ferrari collector David Lee for a staggering $38.5 million. This makes this one of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction.
In what was the year of Ferrari for Mecum Kissimmee, a collection of 46 rare Ferraris previously owned by the late Phil and Martha Bachman sold for $125 million. A yellow 2003 Ferrari Enzo from the collection sold for $17.8 million, followed by a red 1995 Ferrari F50 for $12.2 million and a yellow 2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta for $11 million.
Other high-sale items include a 1966 Ford GT40 that sold for $12.3 million. They included a MkII Factory Lightweight, a red 2003 Ferrari Enzo that sold for $11.1 million, and a 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro prototype that sold for $1.8 million, making it the most valuable Camaro ever sold at auction.
Mecum Auctions’ post-auction statement said: “Great cars from important estates and long-standing private collections always command a premium, especially those that have never been offered to the public.” “The results at Kissimmee reflect these dynamics, as seen in collections such as Bachman Ferrari and Yenkos at Cliff Ernst Estate.”
The first Mecum auction, held at Osceola Heritage Park in January 2006, was a two-day event that attracted just two tents and thousands of visitors. Now, the 200-acre site has been transformed into a giant automotive showcase with a 900,000-square-foot tent to house the thousands of vehicles up for auction.
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