Buyers paid more than $21 million for cars and motorcycles at Mecum Auctions’ inaugural sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the company’s first foray into the Northeast collector-car market.
A total of 735 cars and bikes went to new owners out of 1,056 offered, for a solid 70-percent sell-through rate, especially strong for a first-time event. Sales of automobiles totaled 596 of the 868 offered, and 139 of the 188 motorcycles rode off with new owners. Mecum said more than 20,000 people attended the three-day auction.
The top-selling car was a one-of-four 1970 Dodge Hemi Coronet R/T coupe, equipped with 426/425hp Hemi engine and four-speed manual transmission, which reached a stellar $305,000.
One of the auction’s signature cars, a rare 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 454 convertible, did not make reserve when bidding stopped at $265,000.
The rest of the top-10 sales were:
2. 2012 Cadillac CTS-VR Hennessey Twin-Turbo coupe at $165,000,
3. 1968 Shelby GT350 convertible at $145,000,
4. 2006 Ferrari F430 Spider at $130,000,
5. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette coupe at $125,000,
6. 1941 Ford Convertible resto mod at $125,000,
7. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette resto mod at $120,000,
8. 1964 Chevrolet Corvette resto mod at $105,000,
9. 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL roadster at $105,000,
10. 1993 Ferrari Testarossa 512 TR at $102,000.
The Harrisburg auction also included a wide range of entry-level collector cars, with a number selling for four- and low-five-figure totals.
The Top-5 motorcycles sales, an auction dominated by the Mike Quinn collection of more than 100 Harley-Davidsons, were:
1. 1920 Harley-Davidson J-L20 T at $58,000,
2. 1911 Harley-Davidson 7-A single cylinder at $45,000,
3. 1947 Harley-Davidson FL with sidecar at $43,000,
4. 1956 Harley-Davidson FLH at $41,000,
5. 1957 Harley-Davidson FLH at $33,000.
Auction founder and president Dana Mecum said the Harrisburg results reflect those of another successful new auction, the one held in Dallas that has nearly doubled in sales during its first three years.
“With the instant success we witnessed at our inaugural event in Harrisburg, we’re anticipating similar trends in the Northeast to those achieved in the Dallas market,” Mecum said.
Mecum’s next sale, the annual Daytime Auction in Monterey, California, takes place Aug. 14-16.
