Auction Preview: Mecum Monterey 2016

Mecum hosted their first ever Monterey sale back in 2009 with $14 million in total sales and has since become a fixture of Monterey car week. Held during the daylight hours from August 18-20, Mecum will be one of the few spots to find cars priced under $100,000. Don’t worry, though; there are plenty of top-shelf collectibles as well. Mecum auctions are typically heavy on muscle cars, but given the crowd in Monterey, Mecum often consigns a greater number of rare and unusual cars. This year in particular, they’ve really stepped it up in terms of newer exotics. Here are 10 cars that we’ll be watching out for.

2014 Ferrari LaFerrari
Presale estimate: $3,900,000 – $4,500,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A

Mecum was the first to consign a LaFerrari for Monterey and it was to be the first example ever offered at public auction, but Bonhams consigned a red one at the last minute and theirs will actually cross the block first. Even so, this example is one of just three in this black “Nero Opaco” (opaque black) paint and has less than 300 miles on it. Buying a LaFerrari brand new was a drawn out process reserved for Ferrari-approved clients. Anybody with a few million in his bank account couldn’t just show up and buy one of these things, but the beauty of public auctions is that now he or she can.

2014 McLaren P1
Presale estimate: $2,500,000 – $3,000,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A

Despite only being introduced in 2014, a handful of examples of McLaren’s P1 hybrid hypercar have already sold at collector car auctions, and $2 million seems like a typical price. Mecum’s example is serial number 2 and has less than 600 miles on it, making ideal for a collector. After looking at the paint, wheels and interior, though, that collector better really like the color green.

2015 Porsche 918 Spyder
Presale estimate: $1,900,000 – $2,300,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A

Mecum has covered all the bases in the McLaren-Ferrari-Porsche hybrid hypercar rivalry this year. Porsche built 918 examples of the 918, making it quite a bit less rare than both the McLaren and the Ferrari, which explains the lower presale estimate despite the Porsche’s comparable performance.  Mecum’s example is reportedly the only 918 ordered without paint, leaving only black plastic covering the bare carbon fiber. It also has the Weissach Package that lightens the standard car by 90 pounds with special wheels, titanium bolts and lightened brakes.

2016 Aston Martin Vulcan
Presale estimate: $2,300,000 – $3,300,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A

Only 24 Aston Martin Vulcans were built and the original purchase price was quoted at $2.3 million. Under the hood is an 800-hp V-12 and the rest of the car is packed with the kind of technology ordinarily found in top-tier racing sports cars. Mecum’s example, car number 11, will be the first Vulcan to come up for public auction. You can’t register it for the road and there are no major series for it to race in, but it’s arguably the most extreme Aston Martin ever and given Monterey’s clientele, the premium reflected in Mecum’s estimate looks realistic.

1989 Porsche 962
Presale estimate: $1,800,000 – $2,500,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A

Porsche’s turbocharged 956 and 962 prototype racers were dominant in 1980s endurance racing, with six overall wins at Le Mans between them over the course of that decade as well as dozens of other victories. Mecum has two 962s available in Monterey, but the more significant of the two is the 1989 car that won the Daytona 24 Hours overall. It also checkered at the Palm Beach Grand Prix in ‘89 and had five other podium finishes that year too. The roster of drivers who piloted this 962 includes such greats as Derek Bell, Jochen Mass and Brian Redman. Mecum tried to sell this car earlier this year at Kissimmee, where it hammered not sold at a high bid of $2.3 million, well short of the $2.5 million low estimate.  This time around, it looks like the seller’s expectations have adjusted.

1966 Ford GT40 MkI Road Car
Presale estimate: $4,000,000 – $5,000,000
Hagerty Price Guide: $3,000,000 – $5,250,000

Three original GT40s are available in Monterey, but Mecum’s is arguably the most desirable. It was the first street legal GT40 delivered in North America after being built in England, and Ford used it for PR purposes. It also has unusual convenience features like leather upholstery and air conditioning, and is apparently the only GT40 so equipped. It then went into long-term ownership and a full restoration was only finished earlier this year.

1996 Porsche 911 GT2 Evo
Presale estimate: $1,250,000 – $1,750,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A

Arguably the ultimate air-cooled 911, the GT2 Evo combined a 600-hp version of the 993 turbo’s engine with rear-wheel drive and race-proven technology that Porsche had developed rigorously over the previous few years. The GT2 Evo didn’t last long since the mid-engine 911 GT1 soon replaced it, but it was a successful car in the 1996 and ‘97 seasons, scoring a class win at Le Mans in the process. Mecum’s example is one of 11 built, and while it has no significant race history, it’s a one-owner car and almost looks brand new.

2008 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
Presale estiamate: $300,000 – $400,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A

When new, the 8C started at $300,000. That was a lot of money for a car that was outperformed by much cheaper competition and the 8C wasn’t universally liked in the automotive press, but its fantastic looks and exhaust note from its Maserati V-8 made it all worth it. Although only a few dozen of the 500 total 8Cs produced made it to the United States, they have popped up for sale. Back in June, Auctions America sold one at their Santa Monica sale for $319,000. Mecum’s example is a one-owner, 500-mile car.

2004 Maserati MC12
Presale estimate: $1,800,000 – $2,200,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A

The MC12 is largely based on the Ferrari Enzo, but it’s longer, lighter, more aerodynamic and quicker, plus it has a removable roof panel for open air motoring. A mere 50 of these cars were built to homologate the MC12 for FIA GT racing, in which it won the championship in 2005. Mecum’s example is a street legal car represented with 1,200 km. Mecum sold another MC12 in Monterey last year for $1,575,000, so it’s reasonable to expect this car to bring at least that much.

2003 Ferrari Enzo
Presale estimate: $2,500,000 – $3,500,000
Hagerty Price Guide: $2,000,000 – $2,900,000

Mecum has consigned not one but two Enzos along with a 288 GTO and an F40 (no F50, though, unfortunately) for Monterey, and it’s a one-owner car with just 2,050 miles. As with the LaFerrari, buying an Enzo when new was a selective process so this auction setting simplifies the process.