With the crowd on its feet and attendees cheering with excitement, Mecum dropped the hammer on the historically significant 1963 Gulf Oil Corvette Z06 Race Car as it crossed the block at the Mecum Auction at Osceola Heritage Park, Jan. 22-24, 2009.As the leader of the pack, the “Gulf One” topped the auction’s sales and sold for $1,050,000. “We’re declining to participate in this recession,” said Dana Mecum, president, Mecum Auctions, noting the significant sales and strong attendance at the Kissimmee event.  “The collector car market has stabilized and it’s now getting back to the levels seen in 2004 and 2005.”       

Excitement surrounding the million-dollar Corvette Z06 was enhanced by the presence of legendary driver Dr. Dick Thompson, who was on site signing autographs and taking pictures next to the race car he originally drove in 1963.  Known as the “Flying Dentist,” Thompson contended for national championships during the ‘50s and ‘60s and was a mainstay in SCCA racing.

While the Gulf One was the main attraction of 750 collector cars, lots of muscle cars and other rare Corvettes were offered at the auction, which reported a 58% sold rate.  Auction attendance grew 51% over 2008.  Total gross sales for the three-day auction were $16.5 million, up from $15.2 million last year.  Starting with this auction, Mecum has begun reporting the hammer prices for all vehicles sold – not including buyer’s premiums.

Kissimmee’s Top 10 Corvette Sales were:

1.    1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Gulf Oil Race Car - $1,050,000
2.    1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible Race Car, 1 of 1 COPO - $305,000
3.    1957 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 283/283 HP Fuelie 4-Speed - $250,000
4.    1966 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe - $125, 000
5.    1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 427/400 HP Tri Power - $112,500
6.    1957 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 283/283 HP 3-Speed - $102,500
7.    1966 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe 427/390 HP 4-Speed - $100,000
8.    1954 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 235/150 HP 3-Carb Blue Flame - $80,000
9.    1966 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 425 HP - $78,500
10.    1961 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible - $75,000

While a series of records were broken by Mecum at their Kissimmee, Fla., auction – attendance, sales and Web site viewers were higher than any numbers from last year’s event – it was also the auction company’s first live broadcast from Osceola Heritage Park, which aired on the television series “Mecum Auto Auction: Muscle Cars & More” on HD Theater, Discovery Communication’s premier high-definition network.  Viewers can catch all the action in encore performances of “Mecum Auto Auction: Muscle Cars & More” on HD Theater starting Saturday, February 7, 2009, from 7-11 p.m. EST.  In addition, “Mecum Auto Auctions: Behind-The-Scenes”, a new three-part special following Dana Mecum throughout the Kissimmee event, will premiere on Tuesdays starting February 3, 2009, from 8-9 p.m. EST on HD Theater.

Full results of the Kissimmee, Fla., auction are available to Mecum InfoNet members, which is free to join at http://www.mecum.com/infonet/infonet.cfm.  Mecum InfoNet members can log in to see car-by-car results by visiting the Consignments Page. The Mecum Auction Company has been specializing in the sale of collector cars, muscle cars and Corvettes for more than 20 years.  In spring 2008, the company sold its 50,000th car. 

Consignment, Bidder, event and accommodation information is available online at www.Mecum.com or by calling (815) 568-8888.