As usual Mecum’s huge May auction in Indianapolis provided much interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the at least fairly stock 1980s cars (and a few trucks) that sold (remember that Mecum auctions are not a no reserve auctions—a gold, green, and white 1989 Porsche 962 race car was a no sale bid up to $2,000,000) and add some of my opinions. Eighties vehicles were about 7% of the 963 vehicle lots sold in this auction.
Tuesday, May 16th:
- 1980 silver metallic Chevrolet Corvette coupe with oyster interior, a 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch V8 with Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$6,500 hammer price.
- 1980 white GMC K10 custom pickup truck with a red/white interior, a 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch V8, and a four-speed manual—$5,000
- 1989 blue Lotus Esprit Turbo coupe with a blue interior, a 215 bhp 2.2 liter/123 cubic inch turbocharged inline four with Bosch KE-Jetronic fuel injection, and a five-speed manual—$6,900
- 1984 silver Pontiac Fiero coupe with gray cloth seats, a 92 bhp Iron Duke 2.5 liter/151 cubic inch inline four with fuel injection, a four-speed manual, and 80,000 miles—$4,000
- 1987 maroon Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe with maroon cloth seats, a B4V 180 bhp 5.0 liter/305 cubic inch “H.O.” V8 with Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$8,000
- 1985 maroon Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe with maroon bench seat, a B4V 180 bhp 5.0 liter/305 cubic inch “H.O.” V8 with Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$7,000 indicates that the bench seat takes $1,000 out of the value of an SS.
- 1988 red Dodge D150 pickup truck with a red interior and an automatic—$3,250
- 1982 red Porsche 928 coupe with a black interior and a 231 bhp 4.5 liter/273 cubic inch V8 with fuel injection—$1,750 for this barn find.
- 1981 bright blue metallic Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with blue cloth seats, a 150 bhp 4.9 liter/301 cubic inch V8 with 4-barrel carburetor, and an automatic—$8,500 for this T/A not in its original color.
- 1987 white Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a black convertible top, a white hard top, a red interior, a 227 bhp 5.5 liter/338 cubic inch V8 with Bosch KE-Jetronic fuel injection, and an automatic—$10,000
- 1981 black and gold Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with black interior, a 150 bhp 4.9 liter/301 cubic inch V8 with 4-barrel carburetor, an automatic, and 39,000 miles—at $19,000 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.
- 1989 black Jaguar XJS convertible with tan leather seats, a 262 bhp 5.3 liter/326 cubic inch HE V12 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 41,000 miles—$9,250
- 1985 red Porsche 944 coupe with black cloth seats, a 150 bhp 2.5 liter/151 cubic inch inline four, and a five-speed manual—$6,500
- 1985 black Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz coupe with red tufted leather seats, a 135 bhp 4.1 liter/249 cubic inch V8 with fuel injection, and an automatic—$5,000
- 1985 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with red leather seats, a 230 bhp L98 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch V8 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 51,000 miles—$7,500
- 1985 white Lincoln Town Car limousine with a blue interior, a 4.9 liter V8, and an automatic—$7,000
- 1982 metallic blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo custom coupe with blue cloth seats, a 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$6,000
- 1985 white Buick Riviera coupe with red cloth seats, a 140 bhp 5.0 liter/307 cubic inch V8 with Rochester 4-barrel carburetor, an automatic, and 55,000 miles—$4,750
- 1981 red Mercedes-Benz 380SLC coupe with a tan interior, a 155 bhp 3.8 liter/234 cubic inch V8 with Bosch Jetronic fuel injection, and an automatic—an ouch! at $1,250.
- 1981 white Jeep CJ-7 Renegade SUV with tan seats, a 11o bhp 4.2 liter/258 cubic inch inline six with Carter 2-barrel carburetor, a four-speed manual, and 94,000 miles—$12,000
- 1983 red Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with both tops, a tan interior, a 155 bhp 3.8 liter/234 cubic inch V8 with Bosch Jetronic fuel injection, and an automatic—$3,500
Wednesday, May 17th:
- 1984 black/silver two-tone Chevrolet Silverado custom pickup truck with a gray interior, a 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch V8, and an automatic —$13,500
- 1986 silver Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2 Aerocoupe with gray cloth seats, an LG4 165 bhp 5.0 liter/305 cubic inch V8 with 4-barrel carburetor, an automatic, and 400 miles—$21,000 is all the money for one of these NASCAR specials.
- 1982 silver metallic/charcoal metallic two-tone Chevrolet Corvette coupe with silver gray interior, an L83 200 bhp 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch “Cross-Fire” V8 with throttle-body fuel-injection, an automatic, and 43,000 miles—$11,000
- 1981 silver metallic Chevrolet Corvette coupe with medium red leather seats, an L81 190 bhp 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch V8 with Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor, an automatic, and 60,000 miles—$14,000
- 1984 red Pontiac Fiero custom coupe with a tan interior, an unknown engine, and an automatic—$7,000 for this Fiero with a Lamborghini-esque body kit.
- 1981 silver metallic Chevrolet Corvette coupe with medium red leather seats, an L81 190 bhp 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch V8 with Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor, an automatic, and 60,000 miles—$14,000
- 1980 blue Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with a tan interior, an LM1 190 bhp 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch V8 with Rochester 4-barrel carburetor, a four-speed manual, and 36,000 miles—$24,000
- 1988 black/orange two-tone Ford Econoline Harley-Davidson Edition conversion van with charcoal cloth seats, a 4.9 liter/302 cubic inch V8 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 55,000 miles—$16,000
- 1980 bright silver metallic Chevrolet Camaro Z28 custom coupe with a black interior, a 383 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$14,000
- 1988 orange Volkswagen pickup truck with a black interior, a 75 bhp 1.7 liter diesel inline four, and a five-speed manual—$7,750
- 1989 maroon Volkswagen Westfalia camper van with gray cloth seats and a 2.1 liter inline four—$16,500
- 1987 red Porsche 944 coupe with a black interior and a 150 bhp 2.5 liter/151 cubic inch inline four with fuel injection—$5,500
- 1986 gray/blue two-tone Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with black leather seats, a 6.8 liter/412 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$15,000
- 1984 black Buick Regal Grand National coupe with black/silver cloth seats, a 200 bhp 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged V6 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 55,000 miles—$19,000
- 1989 white Pontiac 20th Anniversary Turbo Firebird Trans Am coupe with saddle leather seats, a 250 bhp (at least) 3.8 liter/231 cubic inch turbocharged V6 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 13,000 miles—$24,000
- 1980 black Chevrolet Camaro coupe with black interior, an LG4 155 bhp 5.0 liter/305 cubic inch V8 with 4-barrel carburetor, an automatic, and 62,000 miles—$8,500 for this sport coupe with the best engine available to it.
- 1983 black Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler Laredo pickup truck with a black interior, a 112 bhp 4.2 liter/258 cubic inch inline six with Carter 2-barrel carburetor, and a five-speed manual—$20,000
- 1987 flame red Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA coupe with camel cloth seats, an L98 210 bhp 5.7 liter/350 cubic inch V8 with fuel injection, an automatic, and 33,000 miles—$14,000
Thursday, May 18th:
Friday, May 19th:
Saturday, May 20th:
- 1980 beige Mercedes-Benz 450SL convertible with a hard top, brown leather seats, a 160 bhp 4.5 liter/276 cubic inch V8 with Bosch Jetronic fuel injection, an automatic, and 90,000 miles—$15,000 for this car originally owned by Kim Basinger.
- 1981 citrus green Chevrolet Camaro Z28 custom coupe with a black interior, a 6.2 liter V8 with fuel injection, and a six-speed manual—$50,000
- 1981 carbon flash metallic green Chevrolet Camaro Z28 custom coupe with a black/orange interior, a 5.3 liter V8 with fuel injection, and an automatic—$24,000

I found it striking how General Motors (especially Chevrolet) dominated the eighties vehicle sales at Mecum Indy—all told, GM vehicles marked 64% of eighties sales. What do you think of these results?
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save