The Mecum Auctions – the world leader in live auctions of collector and classic cars, antique motorcycles, and vintage tractors – made its way to Kissimmee, Florida from January 7-16. Many beautiful cars were sold during the live auction at Osceola Heritage Park, with prices ranging from the hundred-thousands all the way to the millions.

#1 1965 Shelby 427 Cobra

A 1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster, CSX3178, was the star of the show, as the car owned by Carroll Shelby from the day it was assembled in March 1966 until his passing in May 2012 sold for $5,940,000. One of only five 427 Cobras originally finished in charcoal gray, the crown jewel of Mr. Shelby’s collection arrived at his Los Angeles facility without an engine or transmission before later being shipped to his Dallas home with a 427 with dual quads and a 4-speed Toploader transmission. Mr. Shelby’s Cobra is the big brother of CSX2000, the original small-block Cobra which recently sold for almost $14 million.

#2 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible

Just behind the Cobra Roadster was a 1967 Corvette L88 Roadster, the very first L88 Corvette and only Tuxedo Black 1967 L88 Corvette built. A winner of multiple awards, the L88 Roadster – campaigned by Tony DeLorenzo – was auctioned off for $2,500,000. The car, which has the original 1967 title, won second place at the 1967 Daytona Beach SCCA Runoffs, made Bloomington Gold Special Collection appearances in 1985, ’88 and ’92 and won a NCRS American Heritage award in 2003.

#3 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

Originally owned by the Prince of Salm Salm, a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing with graphite grey paint and tan interior was the third-largest vehicle sold as the 4-speed manual brought $1,567,500. The Prince of Salm Salm owned the Gullwing until Dr. J. Theodore Luros, a neurosurgeon from Indianapolis, Indiana, acquired it in 1961. He had it until 2005, when he sold it to Rudi Koniczek of British Columbia, Canada, and the car has since had a fourth owner.

#4 1967 Shelby 427 Cobra

Another Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster – this one a 1967 model – brought $1,375,000 and was the fourth-highest sold car of the event. The rangoon red 4-speed with black interior has been featured on the cover of “American Supercars” by Richard Huntington and was recently restored in April 2018 to original as-delivered specifications by Drew Serb at the Cobra Experience in Martinez, California.

#5 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS

Rounding out the Top 5 at $1,347,500 was a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS, a 5-speed 3.3L Colombo V-12 engine with 260 horsepower and just one of only 200 produced over a two-year span. The GTS is one of the rarest and most desirable of the front-engined V-12-powered Ferraris and had been in the care of a former Skip Barber Midwest series physician since 1983.

Honorable Mention – 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C Bizzarrini

At the National Corvette Museum we will be hosting a Powered by Corvette exhibit this year. It is worth noting that this Iso Grifo would fit right into that display.

Just outside the Top 5 was a 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C Bizzarrini – which sports a Corvette engine and transmission but is an Italian coach-built car – as it brought $1,182,500. The car was completed in late 1964 and delivered new to Auto Becker in Germany in January 1965. It was owned by race car driver Pierre de Siebenthal from the 1970s to 1993 and was then sold to former Bizzarrini factory manager Salvatore Diomante. It underwent a ground-up restoration in 2012-13.

The next Mecum Auctions event will take place March 18-20 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Although we are located inside the National Corvette Museum we can insure any collector vehicle, like the ones above. Contact us for a quick quote to see how to protect your invest.

By Tyler Mansfield

Prior to coming on board with NCM Insurance, Joe served as a part-time associate in the National Corvette Museum’s Events and Conferencing Services Department, assisting with the coordination of rental events at the Museum, providing hands-on support and customer service to clients.

“Growing up, I always had an interest in cars,” shared Joe. “I played for a traveling soccer team, and my dad and I would always find car shows to go to between games. My dad always had older vehicles, and my aunt and uncle are Corvette owners. So, there’s always been some collector cars in my family.”

Joe shared that he has fond memories of visiting the Museum and Corvette Assembly Plant. “As a kid, we would come on field trips. One visit I remember, mom came with me on the school field trip to the Plant and they asked if anyone wanted to sit in the car and start it up. My mom sat in the car, turned it on, and it wouldn’t start. It was funny because that kind of thing always happens to my mom,” Joe laughs. “She was very embarrassed.”

Joe shared that a Museum employee, whom he grew up with and went to school and college with, referred him to his first role at NCM, knowing he’d be a great member of the team.

“Being a Bowling Green native, Corvette is a part of your life, and a part of the community. Even nationally people identify with the Corvette and Museum, so it’s nice having that recognition growing up here.”

Prior to his role at NCM, Joe worked as a Healthcare IT Recruiter and Director of Strategic Resourcing, and other past roles in sales and account management.

“I’ve had some sales and recruiting roles, so there are a lot of transferrable skills. Doing that for the last 4-5 years, customer facing, sales type role, that’s where the interest in joining NCM Insurance came from.”

The Museum, Motorsports Park and NCM Insurance Agency love the opportunity to promote from within and are excited to have Joe join the team in a full-time capacity. Joe said he’s looking forward to getting to know more of our friends and customers in 2021.