13 Cars That Caught Our Eye at Mecum Indy 2024

Mecum’s annual mega-auction in Kissimmee, FL each January gets a lot of attention for its size and its “world’s largest” designation, but the auction house’s Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis is only slightly less monumental. Case in point: over 2500 vehicles crossed the block from May 10-18 this year.

Total sales were a few percent down from the $100M-plus Indy auctions in the more frenzied markets of Indy 2022 and 2023, but sell-thru rate was still a decent 72 percent. Indy is also an auction that, by virtue of its massive volume, truly has something for everyone. There were top-tier muscle cars, Japanese oddballs, prewar greats and European sports cars on offer, and the median sale price was a reasonable $31,900. Below and outlined in detail are some of our favorites from Mecum Indy 2024.

Lot F315: 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30

Sold for $110,000

Chassis no. 344870M179685. Platinum Poly and black over black vinyl. Concours restoration, #1- condition.

Equipment: 455/370hp, M21 4-speed, 3.42 Positraction, Firestone Wide Oval tires, power steering, tilt steering column, tinted glass, Rally Pac, bucket seats, console.

Condition: No penny spared on the restoration of this Olds 442, which just wrapped up in 2022. MCACN Concours Gold award the same year. Paint and body are excellent. Panel fit is right on. Brightwork is beautiful. Interior looks new with no wear. Engine bay is immaculate, with only slight paint discoloration on the heads at the exhaust. Underneath looks spotless like the rest of the car. Pretty much perfect.

Bottom line: This spectacular 442 W-30 sold here one year ago for $145,750, but the collector car market, including for muscle cars, has continued to soften since then. That, plus the second auction appearance in just 12 months, explains the lower but still strong price here.

Lot S231: 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Super Duty

Sold for $286,000

Chassis no. 2V87X3N138639. Brewster Green with Firebird graphics over black vinyl. Older restoration, #2+ condition.

Equipment: 455/310hp Super Duty, 4-speed with Hurst shifter, Rally wheels, Goodyear Polyglas GT Tires, radio, PHS documents.

Condition: Represented as one of seven Brewster Green Super Duty 4-speeds, and matching numbers. Fully restored in 2009. Paint looks very good with a few cracks on the front bumper. Brightwork looks very good. Weather stripping on the doors is cracked and torn. Interior looks very good with little wear showing. Engine bay is very clean, some discoloration on the heads at the exhaust manifold. Underneath is very clean. A rare muscle car with light but visible use on an older restoration.

Bottom line: This Trans Am, with the top-spec Super Duty engine and desirable rare color sold at Auburn Fall in 2018 for $231,000. That was a lot of money then and this is a lot of money now, but for Pontiac collectors this car ticks a lot of hard-to-find boxes, and the numerous high-spec Ponchos on offer in Indy this year brought them out in full force.

Lot S319: 1970 Chevrolet Nova SS

Sold for $115,500

Chassis no. 114270W396404. Forest Green with black vinyl roof over black vinyl. Visually maintained, largely original, #2- condition.

Equipment: 396/375hp L78, close-ratio 4-speed, Positraction, hub caps, Goodyear Polyglas tires, original manuals, Protect-O-Plate, column-mounted Sun tachometer, original AM radio, Soft Ray tinted glass.

Condition: Represented as matching numbers and largely original. Paint looks very good, with a few touch-ups in various places. Good panel fit. Brightwork looks very good other than some chrome bubbling up on the corner of the rear bumper. Interior looks very good with minimal wear. Engine bay is showing some age and wear with paint peeling off the engine block. Underneath is showing some age and wear, but holding up very well for its age.

Bottom line: The Nova was Chevrolet’s entry-level model in 1970 and most Novas were basic drivers, but the classic formula of small car plus big engine was available in the SS and it’s these tire-burners that get collectors’ attention today. This one had the winning combination of good colors, top-spec engine, 4-speed, and impressive preservation. Novas rarely crest six figures, but this one deserved to.

Lot F69: 1947 Hudson Super Six Pickup

Sold for $33,000

Chassis no. 17823103. Cream yellow over black vinyl. Truck restoration, #2- condition.

Equipment: 212cid six with Twin H-Power air cleaners, column shift 3-speed, hub caps and trim rings, amber fog lights, dual spares, dual mirrors, original radio, dash clock, Hudson Weathermaster cooler/warmer, wood bed.

Condition: From the last year of Hudson pickup production, with 2917 made. Paint looks good with some cracks around the roof seam. Brightwork has some pitting on the grille. Interior is very good, with slight wear showing on the driver’s side seat. Engine bay is good with a little paint flaking off the head. Inside of the bed looks very good. Underneath looks good and is holding up well since restoration.

Bottom line: It’s not clear how many pickup-bodied Hudson Super Sixes are left, but it can’t be much more than a handful. This one looks great and needs nothing to go out and enjoy. Its good looks and rarity would make it a highlight of any gathering of vintage trucks anywhere in the world. Getting all that for 33 grand is not a bad deal at all.

Lot T50: 1998 Mitsubishi Pajero Jr. Flying Pug

Sold for $15,400

Chassis no. H57A5004101. Wine over gray. Unrestored original, #3- condition.

Equipment: RHD. 1094cc four-cylinder, automatic, fog lights, air conditioning.

Condition: Showing 116,044 km (72,106 miles). Lots of paint blemishes, chips, and clearcoat peeling. Paint does not match on a few panels. Interior looks very good with only slight wear showing on the driver’s seat. Engine bay looks good, with some age showing on rubber and plastic parts. Underneath is good as well, with small amount of surface rust on the rear axle. Used, but a charming oddball.

Bottom line: Built on Mitsubishi’s tried and true Pajero Junior platform, the Flying Pug (that’s not a nickname, Mitsubishi actually called it that) was a Japan-only model that aped the design of classic British cars, which were popular in Japan during the 1990s. Design-wise, though, it was a swing and a miss. Mitsubishi planned to build 1000 but only wound up selling 139. One look at it, and you’ll understand why. There can’t be more than a few in the United States, so in terms of rarity per dollar, this was a fun buy.

Lot T223: 1989 Ford Mustang Saleen SSC

Sold for $88,000

Chassis no. 1FABP41E0KF269238. White over gray leather. Original, #2- condition.

Equipment: 302, Saleen high-flow heads, Saleen-modified intake manifolds, Saleen rocker arms, 65mm throttle body, Saleen headers, Walker Dynomax exhaust, 5-speed with Hurst quick ratio shifter, 3.55 Traction-Lok, Racecraft suspension, power windows, cruise control, air conditioning, original window sticker.

Condition: From the Jason Dietsch Saleen collection. One of 161 Saleen SSCs built. Showing 906 miles. Paint looks very good with a few blemishes showing, and a small touch up on the front bumper. Interior is very good, some slight wear to the driver’s seat outer bolster. Engine bay is very clean, small amount of corrosion showing on the throttle body. Underneath is clean, with mild oxidation on the rear axle. Not as spotless as the three-digit odometer reading would suggest, but still a clean, barely used example of one of the rarest and hottest Fox-bodies of all.

Bottom line: 1989, Saleen was finally able to combine its effective handling improvements to the Fox-body Mustang with a much more potent engine. The new model, dubbed SSC, bumped power from 225hp in the base car to 290, and it got the other usual Saleen treatments of body kit, decals, seats, wheels, and Racecraft suspension. The window sticker on this one reads $36,500 (well over $90K adjusted for inflation), so its 161-car production run is very small batch stuff by Mustang standards. This one’s condition didn’t quite match its mileage, but the result is still surprisingly low. With buyer commission the price isn’t much more than half the car’s low estimate.

Lot T221: 1988 Ford Ranger Saleen Sportruck

Sold for $43,450

Chassis no. 1FTBR10T6JUC85019. Regatta Blue over two-tone gray cloth. Original, #2- condition.

Equipment: 2.9-liter V-6, 5-speed, Racecraft suspension, alloy wheels, bucket seats, Momo steering wheel, Saleen gauges, power steering, air conditioning, cruise control, original window sticker.

Condition: From the Jason Dietsch Saleen collection. The ninth of 24 Sportrucks built for 1988, and reportedly the only one finished in Regatta Blue (all the others were white). Also represented as a one-owner truck and showing 1678 miles. Paint is very good with a few small scratches and chips on the front. Interior still looks new with little to no wear. Engine bay is very clean with some age showing on rubber and plastic parts. Underneath is clean for the most part with some oxidation on the driveline and suspension parts. Window sticker reads $11,230 (about $30K today) as the original price. Barely used, and surely one of the world’s coolest Ford Rangers.

Bottom line: While Saleen is better known for modifying Mustangs, Ford’s compact pickup was getting the Saleen treatment as early as 1987, when Saleen entered the SCCA Coors Race Truck Challenge with ‘roided up Rangers. The Ranger-based Sportruck came out in 1988, and in 1991 Saleen won the SCCA Race Truck title with five wins in six races. The last one of these ultra-rare Rangers to sell at auction that we could find was in Scottsdale way back in 2009, for just $6050. This one’s $75K-$90K estimate proved ambitious, but $43,450 is still probably the most anyone has ever paid for a first-gen Ford Ranger.

Lot S211: 1969 Chevrolet Berger COPO Camaro RS

Sold for $181,500

Chassis no. 124379N613366. Fathom Green with green vinyl roof over Midnight Green vinyl. Older restoration, #2+ condition.

Equipment: 427/425hp L72, automatic, horseshoe shifter, power front disc brakes, 4.10 Positraction, cowl induction hood, Endura front bumper.

Condition: Represented as one of fewer than 60 COPO Camaros built with the RS package. Ordered new by one of Berger’s top salesmen with both the COPO L72 high-performance engine package and the Sports Car Conversion Package, which included heavy-duty springs, power front disc brakes, bigger sway bars, and 4.10 Posi. Fully restored and has been kept in a museum since. Paint looks great, with a few very light swirl marks. Very good panel fit. Brightwork looks new. Interior looks new with no wear. Engine bay is spotless, with slight discoloration on the intake. Underneath looks great with no wear as expected. A beautiful, high-spec Camaro.

Bottom line: Grand Rapids, Michigan-based dealer Berger Chevrolet established a High-Performance Parts department in 1967, with the slogan “Prescribed Power.” High-performance COPO Camaros were commonly ordered there, and Berger is nearly as associated with special big-block Camaros as Yenko. This one has been to auction a few times, selling for $170,500 in Scottsdale in 2011, $170,500 again at Mecum Dallas last year, and once more in Kissimmee this January for $220,000. While this result is lower than in Kissimmee, three trips across the auction block in less than a year didn’t turn off the Indy bidders too much—this is still a strong price for a well-restored and well-equipped Berger Camaro.

Lot S238: 1953 Chevrolet Corvette

Sold for $137,500

Chassis no. E53F001115. Polo White over red. Unrestored original, #4+ condition.

Equipment: 235-cubic inch I-6/150hp, Powerglide automatic, AM radio, heater, wide whitewall tires.

Condition: An unrestored 1953 car, and one of the first 300 production Corvettes made. With the second owner for 56 years. Lots of cracks and discoloration to the paint. Fiberglass texture can be seen on the body, but that is a feature on these early cars, as are the uneven panels everywhere. Brightwork is faded, scratched, and pitted. The grille looks very good, though. The interior is showing wear and faded. Engine bay showing age as the rest of the car. Underneath has some surface rust on suspension parts, and signs of fluid leaks. A little rough around the edges, but as a preserved first-year Corvette, it’s also a piece of history.

Bottom line: The first-year 1953 Corvette was famously an unremarkable performer, and the only real reason to seek one out is to round out a comprehensive Corvette collection. Even if you love the looks, a ’54 is nearly identical, far easier to find, and significantly cheaper. On this car, though, originality didn’t inspire much bidding and this is a surprisingly low price for what it bought. Mecum has brought six ’53 Corvettes to auction so far this year, and after a freshly restored one brought $352K in Kissimmee, the other five have sold low, so it may be that everybody who really wants a ’53 right now already has one.

Lot F185: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

Sold for $396,000

Chassis no. XX29L9B400585. Hemi Orange and white over white vinyl. Older restoration, #3+ condition.

Equipment: 440/375hp, 4-speed with Hurst shifter, power steering, power brakes, broadcast sheet, A33 Track Pak with 3.55 gears, original radio

Condition: One of only 505 Daytonas produced, and represented with the original drivetrain, body, and interior. Also represented as one of two known cars in these colors. Paint and body are good, with some paint chips on panel edges, and the door fit is a little uneven. Interior is in good condition, though the driver’s seat and door armrests are showing some wear. Some age showing in the engine bay, with paint starting to bake off of the intake. Underneath is showing age/wear as well, including some surface rust on the exhaust and rear axle.

Bottom line: Chrysler sold several times as many Plymouth Superbirds as they did the similar Charger Daytona for NASCAR homologation, but with 505 built, the Daytona is only rare by muscle car standards. They pop up for sale semi-regularly. Engine, transmission and colors make a difference, so this car’s colors and 4-speed are big items even if it doesn’t have the coveted Hemi. And despite its unexceptional condition, it sold near the top of the range for a 440 Magnum-powered Daytona.

Lot S260: 1972 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Sold for $159,500

Chassis no. 1Z37L2S526397. Ontario Orange over black vinyl. Older restoration, #3 condition.

Equipment: 350/255hp LT1, M22 4-speed, heavy duty power brakes, transistor ignition, aluminum radiator, Rally wheels, Firestone Wide Oval tires, power steering.

Condition: One of only 20 ZR1s built for 1972. Bloomington Gold certified and multiple NCRS awards. Paint looks good with a few flat spots and some chipping on hood edge. Panel fit is a little uneven. Interior looks very good with a little wear showing on the driver’s seat. Engine bay is showing age and wear. Underneath showing age as well, with a little surface rust on metal parts and exhaust.

Bottom line: Big-block Corvettes boasted higher numbers, but the small-block, solid-lifter LT1 engine available from 1970-72 packed a lot into a 350cid package, and handled better, too. GM further built on that with a special “ZR1” package that added to the LT1 engine upgraded suspension and brakes, stabilizer bars, and close ratio M22 gearbox. ZR1 was an expensive box to tick as it cost about $1K, so just 25 sold in 1970, eight in 1971, and 20 in 1972. Although another 1972 ZR1 did sell at auction earlier this year for $220K, the typical going rate for these at auction over the past several years is in the mid-$100K range, so this car sold right where it should have.

Lot S245: 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB

Sold for $1,237,500

Chassis no. 06943. Rosso Corsa over black leather. Older restoration, #3+ condition.

Equipment: 3286-cc V-12/280hp, triple Weber carburetors, 5-speed, Borrani wire wheels (set of Campagnolo starburst wheels included), Michelin WXW tires, Tubi exhaust, books and tools.

Condition: North American model. With the same owner, the car’s second, for 54 years. Originally a short nose car but converted to more desirable long-nose appearance in the early 1980s, and has received restoration work over the years. The paint is showing some age, with chips on the nose and very light scratches throughout. The brightwork looks good, but the driver’s side vent window has a little pitting and looks worn thin. The interior looks very good with slight wear to the driver’s seat. Engine bay looks very good. Underneath looks good as well, with just a little wear and use showing.

Bottom line: Despite the long-term ownership, the generally good condition and the somewhat modest estimate, this car sold at the very bottom of the range for a 275 GTB. Mecum Indy isn’t just an auction for muscle cars, but it isn’t exactly heavy on 1960s Ferraris, either. Also, the altered bodywork is a big knock to this one’s value even if most people think it looks better with the long nose. It was reportedly bid to $1.6M at Mecum Monterey in 2017 and to $1.5M there a year later, both missed opportunities. Then again, if the seller had owned this car since 1970, $1.24M is still a hell of a lot more than he paid for it.

Lot F152: 1966 Shelby Cobra 427

Sold for $2,145,000

Chassis no. CSX3200. Red over black leather. Recent restoration, #1 condition.

Equipment: Center oiler 427/425hp, dual quads, Toploader 4-speed, sunburst wheels, wood-rim steering wheel, wind wings, Smiths gauges.

Condition: The last car in the initial run of 100 Cobra 427 street cars before Shelby switched to the cheaper, less powerful 428. Original purchase price was $6183. It suffered damage in transit to its first owner but was repaired and carefully kept by subsequent owners, who never modified it. By 1995 it still had just 16,000 miles and today shows barely 18K. More recently restored to incredibly high standards with an eye to originality, keeping the original leather in place and reusing original rivets. A gleaming, correct, gorgeous car that is essentially perfect.

Bottom line: Mecum is a nine-day auction, but CSX3200 took less than four minutes on the block to become the most expensive car of the week. That it’s a genuine 427 Cobra (not a 428) with its original engine, body that has never been cut up or modified, and a no-expense-spared restoration make the $2.145M price easy to justify.

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