Long holding status as the world’s largest classic and collector car auction company, Mecum has been crushing its own auction sales records for years, and Indy 2022 continued the noteworthy trend with $126.5 million total overall sales achieved May 13-21—an 18% increase over the past Indy auction record of $107 million achieved at last year’s event. The Indy 2022 auction saw more than 90% of all offerings hammer sold throughout its nine days of non-stop auction action, including a total of 81% of all 2,504 vehicles offered. Dana Mecum’s Original Spring Classic auction, held annually at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, this year marked Mecum Auctions’ 35th year in business, and the unparalleled results from the anniversary event speak volumes about the remarkable growth and success that the company has achieved since its inception in 1988.
Top individual sales at the 2022 event were led by an impressive variety of vehicles, including two of the historic race cars from the headlining Ray Evernham Collection, along with a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster (Lot S124) and the most valuable Dodge Hemi Daytona (Lot F111) ever sold at auction, all of which achieved individual sale prices far exceeding the million-dollar mark. In total, nine vehicles in Indianapolis sold for more than $1 million.
The No. 1 top seller was Evernham’s 1965 Brawner Hawk Ford “Dean Van Lines Special” Indy Car (Lot S166), driven by Mario Andretti, which brought $2.2 million as an offering that crossed the auction block with no reserve. The aforementioned 300SL became the auction’s second-highest seller with a $1.375 million sale, which was matched in price by Evernham’s 1965 Eagle Weslake Ford “Santa Ana” Indy Car (Lot S167), driven by Dan Gurney, and the 18-car, single-lot offering of Corvettes (Lot S159) from Dr. Richard Foster.
The 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona (Lot F111) that landed the position as the auction’s fourth-highest seller and earned honors as the most valuable Hemi Daytona ever sold at auction was offered from the Motor City Muscle Collection. The car boasted a final selling price of $1.32 million, adding to the Motor City Muscle Collection’s impressive overall total of $3.8 million achieved for all 11 of the cars sold from the group’s jaw-dropping selection of classic muscle cars and more.
The Indy 2022 top 10 sales list was rounded out nicely by a 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra Roadster (Lot S136) from The Dr. J. Christian and Jennifer McCarter Collection that sold for $1.1 million and a one-of-two 1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2 Convertible (Lot S127) that sold for $962,500.
Private vehicle collections were responsible for nearly $47 million of the record-setting auction total, with the headlining Ray Evernham collection of 32 no-reserve race cars and more achieving an impressive total of $6.4 million. The main-attraction Asi and Lisa Sheikh Collection realized sales for all 33 of its rare and top-shelf classic and collector car offerings, reaching $6.7 million in total. The Dr. J. Christian and Jennifer McCarter Collection was also exceptionally well received with 20 cars hammering sold for an overall total of $7.6 million in sales.
Road Art in Indianapolis was a resounding success with $2.5 million added to the $126.5 million auction total, and individual Road Art sales were led by the $147,500 sale of a 1950s Ford Jubilee animated single-sided porcelain neon sign (Lot Z817).
The complete top 10 collector car sales at the Mecum Indy 2022 auction include:
- 1965 Brawner Hawk Ford “Dean Van Lines Special” Indy Car (Lot S166) at $2,200,000
- 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster (Lot S124) at $1,375,000
- 1969 Eagle Weslake Ford “Santa Ana” Indy Car (Lot S167) at $1,375,000
- The Dr. Richard Foster Corvette Pace Car Collection (Lot S159) at $1,375,000
- 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona (Lot F111) at $1,320,000
- 2019 Ford GT Carbon Series (Lot S151) at $1,210,000
- 2020 Ford GT MkII (Lot S152) at $1,210,000
- 2020 Ford GT (Lot F132.1) at $1,210,000
- 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra Roadster (Lot S136) at $1,100,000
- 1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2 Convertible (Lot S127) at $962,500
For access to complete auction results, sign up for a free MyMecum account at Mecum.com. Mecum’s next live auction event will be held June 9-11 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and will feature approximately 1,000 classic and collector cars on offer, followed by Mecum’s Orlando Summer Special auction to be held July 6-9 in Orlando, Florida, with 1,500 vehicles on the docket. For more details on upcoming auctions, to consign a vehicle or to register as a bidder, visit Mecum.com, or call (262) 275-5050 for more information.
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