[Baron Von Zeppelin]

I don't trust anything done at Mecum.
But if someone bought the car for 74,800 they had a damn good day and can celebrate.

[KS circutguy]

I was bored.lol
Beautiful Goat

[Tedd930]

Thank you as well … It’s definitely been an experience
I realize bot or eBay would have been a better option but what’s done is done .. it really was a cool original car. Thanks everyone for the great information and picture editing!!

[Tedd930]

Guys , 3 things, they wouldn’t let me put the top down because it was raining, second remember those rear springs were 60 yrs old!!! They were tired not to mention 5 grown men pushing down on the car getting it up to the lane didn’t help .. the springs didn’t respond as they should have and I wanted to keep it as original as possible … Now after I get our check in hand I found out who purchased the car !! I think everyone will be surprised ..

[1965gp]

Should be interesting to hear who it was!

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Dana Mecum
wild guess

It was aiming at the sky with no pushers on it.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Jim Mattison
wild guess #2

Steve Ames
wild guess #3

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

Jim Mattison
wild guess #2

Steve Ames
wild guess #3

Steve Ames? No, he has sadly left us. his Foundation? No room for it, but fits the theme.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

If I knew Steve was gone , I had completely forgotten it.
Sad sad info..

Is his car collection still intact - aka Foundation ?

[J GLASGO]

My guess is we haven’t seen the last of this car. Probably would have brought 20k more in January Mecum

[Tedd930]

J ,
I would say it’s 50/50 we see it or never see it again based on what I accidentally found out who now owns the car. Guys I am not a stupid guy, we took a chance and semi lost I agree it should have been a 80 to 100k car to a real Gto collector with multiple cars. It was super cool but it wasn’t brand new by any means! Most people spending that coin want shinny and new . The Mecum people were good my only complaint and now it does seem a little odd was the placement of the car at the end of the auction ??? The Mecum people knew what was coming there way 2 months ago ??🤷*♂️ why not a much better time on a Saturday before the place turned into a ghost town??? I was frustrated watching basic every days cars on dealer lots run hours before us!! However the car had exposure and I thought after Chris Jacob’s did that walk around and even had someone speak to my family member for 20 minutes about the car it would ring the bell via an internet buyer !!! But it didn’t and that’s it . No body forced me to sell it ! Were they aggressive maybe ? But a simple no and it would have been over . The guy is 86 he was done and so was I .. my biggest regret was spending thousands on basic mechanical stuff ! It should have been detailed and sold as is!

[Scarebird]

I understand your frustration: I felt my Lemans did not do as well as it should on BaT but it is what happened.

[J GLASGO]

We have sold at Mecum for several years. Maybe 20 cars. Good cars, no junk.. Last couple years have not been able to get a good number, while we watch junk run through at a good time and not sell.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Tedd930

J ,
I would say it’s 50/50 we see it or never see it again based on what I accidentally found out who now owns the car. Guys I am not a stupid guy, we took a chance and semi lost I agree it should have been a 80 to 100k car to a real Gto collector with multiple cars. It was super cool but it wasn’t brand new by any means! Most people spending that coin want shinny and new . The Mecum people were good my only complaint and now it does seem a little odd was the placement of the car at the end of the auction ??? The Mecum people knew what was coming there way 2 months ago ??��*♂️ why not a much better time on a Saturday before the place turned into a ghost town??? I was frustrated watching basic every days cars on dealer lots run hours before us!! However the car had exposure and I thought after Chris Jacob’s did that walk around and even had someone speak to my family member for 20 minutes about the car it would ring the bell via an internet buyer !!! But it didn’t and that’s it . No body forced me to sell it ! Were they aggressive maybe ? But a simple no and it would have been over . The guy is 86 he was done and so was I .. my biggest regret was spending thousands on basic mechanical stuff ! It should have been detailed and sold as is!

I think you have given a very honest and thoughtful assessment of the entire "Mecum Experience". In a nutshell, it's not much different from walking into a casino with a wallet full of cash. How are you going to walk out? 1. With an empty wallet and a bad attitude, 2. With an overflowing wallet, a big smile, and great satisfaction? 3. Something in between these two extremes?. One thing is always certain. The house always wins! Mecum gets their money from everyone, buyer, seller, vendors, advertisers, spectators. All feeding the Mecum machine. They make it easy for you with a smooth operation and helpful, smiling employees, just like the Casino.
I have prepared several cars for Mecum and Barret Jackson auctions, doing mechanical work for the sellers. The cars need to be able to start, idle decent, move under their own power, and not leak anything. That's it! A huge % of these auction cars could not make a 100 mile trip without major mechanical issues. If they can idle around the auction grounds and start a dozen times, that's good enough. Sellers could care a less about the quality of the mechanical parts in these cars. They want the cheapest junk installed that looks correct to maximize profit and get the car across the auction block. This has been my general experience, of course there are always exceptions. There is NO WAY to evaluate mechanical perfection at a collector car auction. Just like there is NO WAY to know if that slot machine in the casino is going to hit the jackpot.

[LastoftheThinkers]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

If I knew Steve was gone , I had completely forgotten it.
Sad sad info..

Is his car collection still intact - aka Foundation ?

The Foundation is still in tact. But you have to call ahead for appointments.

[Formulabruce]

POCI has tours of the Foundation in the spring and sometimes fall. The Nor'east chapter will have details.
I have been a few times, there are some amazing cars and amazing displays.
There is a Canadian built Oakland, thats a very nice and somewhat upscale for the 20's.
I have not asked but I am betting that Joan ( Steves wife), has a lot to do with the dream giveaway vehicles.

[indymanjoe]

tedd930 if your happy that's all that matters.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

I can leak a really neat small detail about the GTO .
An observer at Mecum located the date code tag still attached on the convertible top - it was indeed the born-with convertible top.

66 is my favorite year GTO and this car was a true blue surviving Princess

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

I can leak a really neat small detail about the GTO .
An observer at Mecum located the date code tag still attached on the convertible top - it was indeed the born-with convertible top.

66 is my favorite year GTO and this car was a true blue surviving Princess

And it was bought for much less than it would cost to bring an average worn out example up to snuff…….sold at truly a bargain price.

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

The auctions have been a mixed bag as of late, with some cars and events enjoying record sale prices, while in a more generalized perspective, prices have been starting to come down on a lot of cars, too. The white hot 2021-2023 days have ended for sure. I'm sorry you didn't get what you were expecting, it's a beautiful car. As a bit of consolation, I can totally relate on the misery of trying to enjoy a classic car in this weather. I live in Miami Dade County and my '79 T/A is black with black vinyl interior. It has AC that works okay, but I think it's undercharged/overcharged; binding; or something else, because when I have it on, it strains the motor real bad and as a result it will spike up the engine temp super quickly in a matter of minutes, and that's with a totally revamped cooling system that when not running AC, keeps the engine temp so cool that I often have trouble reaching operating temp. So needless to say, I don't use the AC and as a result, the car doesn't see many miles during the summer months, if for no other reason than all of the rain and inclement weather. If I do drive it, it's usually during the evening or twilight hours. It's truly miserable here at this time of year, but honestly it's hot everywhere. The issue with FL is that we deal with it year round, just about. Lived here all my life and anticipate moving in a few years.