World’s largest collector car auction: to be held in Florida

13 January, 2014


The world’s largest collector car auction will see the hammer flying non-stop for ten days straight.

Mecum Collector Car Auction will be held at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, January 17-26, 2014.

With 3000 vehicles and 3000 items of road art and memorabilia, the auction will feature everything from high-performance muscle cars, 50s era car, vintage racers, European sports and exotics, and a vast offering of Corvettes.

There is sure to be something for everyone as there will be investment grade collector cars through to entry level vehicles, with prices looking to range from several thousands of dollars to several millions of dollars.

Just one of the 3000 vehicles up for auction is the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Dick Land Race Car. Piloted by driver Dick Lang, this Corvette has been restored by the Naber Brothers to its glory day configurations and has become a multiple-award winner securing even the National Corvette Restorers Society American Heritage Award “for the preservation of a historically significant piece of Corvette history”.


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If a trip to Florida is not quite possible within the auction time frame, Octopus Motors could be your on-site alternative so you still stand a chance at bidding on the collector cars featured at the sale.

Octopus Motors will be representing interested buyers at the auction. The company prides itself on its ability to advise, communicate, and represent its clients’ best interests, at the sale location.

It has an international team of experts who will provide professional evaluations on the vehicles you are interested in. On top of this, if you desire customization, restoration, or refurbishment be carried out on your vehicle, Octopus Motors can do this prior to shipping. Worldwide shipping is available.

To find out which collector cars will be auctioned each day, and for more details on each lot, visit www.mecum.com.

The Great River Road

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.

A diamond in the rough

Two years ago, Lew finished a thorough restoration and the impressive ute has taken on a new life and colour. Lew plays down the amount of effort required but, despite his protestations, I suspect he put a lot of time into the project. A few unwanted tenants were evicted along the way.
“It didn’t take me long. There had been mice living in the firewall, which had caused a bit of damage. It apparently broke down and was pushed into a shed. It was 20 years to the day when I pulled it out and it sat in my other shed for 3 years before I started on it. That’s why it’s in such good order — it’s been kept in a shed for so long and still is.”