The huge January auction at Mecum Kissimmee provided some interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the at least fairly stock 1980s cars (and a few trucks) that sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a red 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition coupe with an ivory leather interior with 6,600 miles was a no sale bid up to $275,000) and add some of my opinions. Mecum Kissemmee is a huge event, so I’m going to separate it into two posts—this second covers the eighties vehicles sold from Thursday to Sunday.
Thursday, January 12th:
- 1989 gold Johnson Phantom coupe with a tan leather interior, an L98 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch fuel injected V8, an automatic, and 2,700 miles—$27,000 hammer price for this Pontiac Firebird-based “neo-classic.”
- 1988 gray AM General Hummer SUV with a gray interior, a 6.2 liter diesel, and an automatic—$16,000
- 1985 yellow Chevrolet C10 custom pickup truck with a black leather interior and a 300 bhp 307 cubic inch V8—$20,000
- 1987 red Porsche 928S4 with a red leather interior, a 316 bhp 5.0 liter/302 cubic inch V8 with Bosch fuel injection, and an automatic—$16,000
- 1988 arctic white Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a blue leather interior, a 227 bhp 5.5 liter/339 cubic inch fuel injected V8, and an automatic, and 27,000 miles—$35,000
- 1986 red Porsche 911 Carrera coupe with a black leather interior, a 207 bhp 3.2 liter/193 cubic inch fuel injected flat six, a five-speed, and 92,000 miles—$31,000
- 1984 red Porsche 944 custom coupe with a black interior, a LS 5.3 liter liter fuel injected V8, and a five-speed—$27,000
- 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a black/gray cloth interior, a 245 bhp LC2 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected V6, an automatic, and 15,000 miles—at $41,000 the first car in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these cars in bold green.
- 1988 red Chevrolet K30 dually pickup truck with a tan vinyl interior, a 230 bhp 7.4 liter V8, and a four-speed—$25,000
- 1987 black Buick GNX coupe with a black/gray cloth interior, a 276 bhp LC2 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected V6, an automatic, and 290 miles—$100,000
- 1989 silver Ferrari Testarossa coupe with a gray leather interior, a 380 bhp 4.9 liter/302 cubic inch V12 with Bosch fuel injection, a five-speed, and 15,000 miles—$110,000 for this car that was originally gifted to Don Johnson by Ferrari.
Friday, January 13th:
- 1980 blue Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans Am coupe with a blue interior, a 210 bhp 4.9 liter/301 cubic inch turbocharged V8 with Rochester four-barrel carburetor, an automatic, and 23,000 miles—$13,000
- 1981 guards black Porsche 911SC Targa coupe with a black leather interior, a 180 bhp 3.0 liter/183 cubic inch fuel-injected flat six, and a five-speed—$22,000
- 1986 black Buick Grand National coupe with a black/gray cloth interior, a 245 bhp LC2 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected V6, and an automatic—$15,000
- 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a black/gray cloth interior, a 245 bhp LC2 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected V6, and an automatic—$12,000
- 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a black/gray cloth interior, a 245 bhp LC2 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected V6, and an automatic—$13,000
- 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a black/gray cloth interior, a 245 bhp LC2 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected V6, and an automatic—$10,000
- 1989 white Pontiac 20th Anniversary Turbo Firebird Trans Am coupe with T-tops, a beige leather interior, a (at least) 250 bhp LC2 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected V6, an automatic, and 994 miles—$37,000 for this documented Indianapolis 500 festival car.
- 1984 red Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole convertible with a black top, a black leather interior, a 235 bhp 2.9 liter/179 cubic inch V8 with Bosch fuel injection, and a five-speed—$33,000
- 1987 black Buick GNX coupe with a black/gray cloth interior, a 276 bhp LC2 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected V6, an automatic, and 68 miles—$220,000 for the last GNX built.
- 1989 black Porsche Speedster convertible with a black leather interior, a 214 bhp 3.2 liter/193 cubic inch fuel injected flat six, a five-speed, and 2,900 hard miles—$145,000 for this car that was stolen from Nicholas Cage and ended up in lake.
- 1986 black Porsche 911 Turbo coupe with a red leather interior, a 282 bhp 3.3 liter/201 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected flat six, a four-speed, and 5,900 miles—$165,000
- 1988 silver Ferrari Testarossa coupe with a 380 bhp 4.9 liter/302 cubic inch V12 with Bosch fuel injection, and a five-speed—$87,500
- 1982 black Porsche 911 Turbo coupe with a red leather interior, a 3.3 liter/201 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected flat six, a four-speed, and 59,000 miles—$47,000
Saturday, January 14th:
- 1985 white Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Collector Edition coupe with a blue and white leather interior, a 135 bhp 4.1 liter/249 cubic inch fuel injected V8, an automatic, and 16,000 miles—$9,000
- 1985 red Porsche 911 Carrera coupe with a black leather interior, a 207 bhp 3.2 liter/193 cubic inch fuel injected flat six, and a five-speed—$39,000
- 1982 black Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz coupe with a red leather interior, a 125 bhp 4.1 liter/249 cubic inch fuel injected V8, an automatic, and 10,000 miles—$25,000
- 1984 black Lamborghini Countach 5000S coupe with a black leather interior, a 325 bhp 4.8 liter/290 cubic inch V12 with six Weber two-barrel carburetors, and a five-speed—$225,000
- 1980 orange BMW M1 coupe with a black cloth and leather interior, a 277 bhp 3.5 liter fuel injected inline six, a five-speed, and 22,000 miles—$400,000 is about $100,000 short of #4 money according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
- 1981 silver Porsche 911 Turbo coupe with a tan leather interior, a 3.3 liter/201 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected flat six, a four-speed, and 33,000 miles—$77,500
- 1987 red Porsche 911 Turbo coupe with a tan leather interior, a 282 bhp 3.3 liter/201 cubic inch turbocharged and fuel injected flat six, a four-speed, and 5,900 miles—$94,500
Sunday, January 15th:
- 1984 red Jeep J10 Laredo pickup truck with a black vinyl interior, a 360 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$5,750
- 1988 red/white two-tone Ford Thunderbird Bill Elliott Signature Edition coupe with a red leather interior, a 155 bhp 5.0 liter/302 cubic inch fuel injected V8, and an automatic—$5,000
1988 Ford Thunderbird, courtesy of Mecum Auctions. - 1980 white Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans Am Pace Car Edition coupe with a gray cloth interior, a 210 bhp 4.9 liter/301 cubic inch turbocharged V8 with Rochester four-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$17,500
- 1987 blue with woodgrain sides Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV with a 5.9 liter V8—$8,000
- 1987 white Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a tan cloth interior, a 5.0 liter fuel injected V8, an automatic, the GTA package, and 44,000 miles—$9,000
- 1989 white Chevrolet Corvette convertible with a black top, a gray leather interior, a 230 bhp L98 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch fuel injected V8, and a six-speed—$5,000
- 1989 green Jeep Wrangler Sahara custom SUV with a white top, a tan interior, a 305 bhp 5.3 liter Vortec V8, and an automatic—$17,500
- 1989 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z custom convertible with a tan interior, a 5.0 liter V8, an automatic, 77,000 miles, and a salvage title—$4,250
- 1981 light cashmere Chrysler LeBaron sedan with a heather interior, a 5.2 liter/318 cubic inch carbureted V8, an automatic, and 24,000 miles—$1,000
Eighties Cars 