As usual, Mecum’s huge auction in Indianapolis provided much interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the at least fairly stock 1980s vehicles that sold (remember that Mecum auctions are not “no reserve” auctions—a Rossa Corsa 1984 Ferrari 512 BBi coupe with tan leather bucket seats and 8,400 miles was a no-sale bid up to $250,000) and add some of my opinions. Eighties vehicles were about 8% of the 1,191 vehicle lots sold in this auction—this post covers the first four days of automotive sales, and another will follow with the rest.
Friday, July 10th:
- 1987 Silver Metallic Chevrolet Corvette convertible with graphite bucket seats, a black convertible top, an L98 240 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci V8 with fuel injection, and an automatic—$5,000 hammer price
- 1984 black Ford Mustang SVO hatchback coupe with charcoal cloth bucket seats, a Lima 175 bhp 2.3 liter/140 ci inline four with turbocharger, intercooler, and fuel injection, and a five-speed manual—$8,500
- 1989 blue Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce convertible with a black top, tan leather bucket seats, a 115 bhp 2.0 liter/120 ci inline four with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 31,000 miles—$1,500 for this beat-up looking Alfa.
- 1985 Medium Sand Beige Metallic Mercury Cougar coupe with a sand beige vinyl top, a sand beige interior, an Essex 120 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with throttle-body fuel injection, an automatic, and 40,000 miles—$5,000 for this base (non-XR7) sixth-generation Cougar. How many are left?
- 1980 Platinum Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with black vinyl bucket seats, a W72 150 bhp 4.9 liter/301 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$14,500
- 1983 cream Zimmer Golden Spirit coupe with tan leather bucket seats, a Windsor 4.9 liter/302 ci V8, an automatic, and 14,000 miles—$15,500 for this Mustang-based “neo-classic.”
- 1981 Astral Silver Metallic Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with bucket seats, a 155 bhp 3.8 liter/234 ci V8 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 69,000 miles—$8,000
- 1985 Anthracite Gray Metallic Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with gray bucket seats, a 155 bhp 3.8 liter/234 ci V8 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 27,000 miles—$27,000 made this the highest eighties vehicles sale of July 10th.
- 1983 brown Zimmer Golden Spirit coupe with tan leather bucket seats, a Windsor 4.2 liter/255 ci V8, an automatic, and 8,000 miles—$17,000
- 1984 blue Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with brown bucket seats, a 155 bhp 3.8 liter/234 ci V8 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 70,000 miles—$18,000
- 1985 red Toyota Celica convertible with a black convertible top, a gray interior, a 22R-E 112 bhp 2.4 liter/144 ci inline four with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 69,000 miles—$10,500
- 1987 Doeskin Tan/Apple Red two-tone Chevrolet K5 Blazer Silverado SUV with tan cloth bucket seats, an L05 210 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci V8, and 64,000 miles—at $15,000 the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
- 1983 maroon Pontiac Firebird Trans Am hatchback coupe with tan cloth bucket seats, an unknown 5.0 liter/305 ci V8, an automatic, and 99,000 miles—$5,000
- 1980 white Chevrolet El Camino custom (paint) pickup truck with maroon vinyl bucket seats, an LG4 155 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$10,000
- 1984 Black Ford Mustang GT convertible with a black convertible top, canyon red bucket seats, an unknown Windsor 4.9 liter/302 ci V8, a five-speed manual transmission, and 87,000 miles—$7,000
Saturday, July 11th:
- 1985 Apple Red Chevrolet K5 Blazer custom (engine) SUV with gray cloth bucket seats, a 7.4 liter/454 ci V8, and an automatic—$18,000
- 1987 black/gold two-tone Dodge Ramcharger SUV with tan cloth bucket seats, an LA 143 bhp 5.2 liter/318 ci V8 with a two-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$15,000
- 1985 charcoal Ford Bronco II SUV with red cloth bucket seats, a Cologne 115 bhp 2.8 liter/170 ci V6 with a two-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$8,500
- 1989 blue Ford Ranger custom (exterior, engine, wheels/tires) pickup truck with tan cloth bucket seats, a 4.9 liter/302 ci V8, and a five-speed manual—$8,000
- 1984 silver Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with gray bucket seats, a 155 bhp 3.8 liter/234 ci V8 with fuel injection, and an automatic—$5,250. Bidders evidently saw a wide variety in the quality of SLs available at Mecum Indy.
- 1988 red Pontiac Firebird Trans Am hatchback coupe with gray cloth bucket seats, a 5.0 liter/305 ci V8, an automatic, and 38,000 miles—$9,500
- 1985 Walnut Metallic/Polar White two-tone Ford Bronco SUV with tan cloth/vinyl bucket seats, a Windsor 210 bhp 5.8 liter/352 ci V8 with a two-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$18,000
- 1985 Apple Red/Frost White Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with a burgundy cloth bench seat, an L05 210 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci v8 with fuel injection, and an automatic—$44,000 made this the highest eighties vehicles sale of July 11th.
- 1989 Black Ford Mustang LX convertible with a tan convertible top, beige bucket seats, a Windsor 225 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 32,000 miles—$14,000
- 1989 Black Ford Mustang ASC/McLaren convertible with gray bucket seats, a 225 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection, and a five-speed manual—$11,500
- 1980 Red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with oyster leather bucket seats, an L82 230 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$10,000
- 1989 gray/white two-tone Dodge Ram W250 very custom (just about everything) pickup truck with a gray cloth bench seat and a 5.9 liter Cummins diesel V8 with a turbocharger and an intercooler—$25,000
- 1985 gunmetal Land Rover Defender custom (exterior, interior, wheels/tires) SUV with a 2.5 liter/152 ci diesel inline four and a five-speed manual—$23,000
Sunday, July 12th:
- 1986 Black Ford Mustang SVO hatchback coupe with charcoal/gray leather bucket seats, a Lima 200 bhp 2.3 liter/140 ci inline four with turbocharger, intercooler, and fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 31,000 miles—$12,500
- 1985 Black Mercury Capri ASC/McLaren convertible with a tan convertible top, tan leather bucket seats, a 180 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 33,000 miles—$10,500
- 1987 black Buick Regal Grand National coupe with black/silver cloth bucket seats, an LC2 235 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with fuel injection, turbocharger, and intercooler, an automatic, and 74,000 miles—$22,000 made this the highest eighties vehicles sale of July 12th.
- 1980 yellow with flames Chevrolet C10 custom (paint, exterior, engine) pickup truck with a tan cloth bench seat, an unknown V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, and a four-speed manual—$13,500
Tuesday, July 14th:
- 1982 White Buick Riviera convertible with a white convertible top, maple 45/45 leather seats, an unknown engine, and an automatic—$6,500
- 1984 black GMC mild custom (suspension) pickup truck with maroon cloth bucket seats, a 5.7 liter/350 ci V8, and an automatic—$15,000
- 1985 white GMC S15 Jimmy mild custom (exterior, wheels/tires) SUV with gray cloth bucket seats, a 2.8 liter V6, and an automatic—$3,000
- 1985 gray Dodge W150 pickup truck with gray bucket seats, an unknown engine, and an unknown manual transmission—$10,000
- 1989 Oxford White Ford Mustang GT hatchback coupe with scarlet red cloth bucket seats, a Windsor 225 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 23,000 miles—$11,000
- 1989 light blue/medium blue two-tone Dodge Dakota pickup truck with a blue cloth bench seat, an LA 3.9 liter/239 ci V6 with throttle-body fuel injection, an automatic, and 56,000 miles—$5,500
- 1981 blue Cadillac Sedan DeVille with blue cloth seats, an L62 140 bhp 6.0 liter/368 ci V8-6-4, an automatic, and 25,000 miles—$9,500
- 1984 red Chevrolet K10 mild custom (engine, suspension) pickup truck with a black interior, a 5.7 liter/350 ci V8, and an automatic—$14,500
- 1987 Lemon Yellow Porsche 944 hatchback coupe with black bucket seats, a 150 bhp 2.5 liter/151 ci inline four with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 43,000 miles—$20,000 for the only eighties Porsche that actually sold at this auction. This is almost exactly #2/Excellent condition money, according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
- 1981 red Chevrolet Camaro custom (engine, wheels/tires) coupe with red bucket seats, a 383 ci V8, and a four-speed manual—$18,500
- 1987 Light Brown Metallic Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon with beige cloth 50/50 seats, a 140 bhp 5.0 liter/307 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, an automatic, and 75,000 miles—$7,000
- 1987 silver Monte Carlo SS custom (engine, suspension) coupe with gray cloth bucket seats, a 5.0 liter/305 ci V8, and an automatic—$8,000
- 1983 Rosso Corsa Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole coupe with tan leather bucket seats, a 230 bhp 2.9 liter/173 ci V8 with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 28,000 miles—$50,000 made this the highest eighties vehicles sale of July 14th.
- 1982 Silver Beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition hatchback coupe with silver beige leather bucket seats, an L83 Cross-Fire 200 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci V8 with throttle body fuel injection, an automatic, and 23,000 miles—$17,500
Eighties Cars 