Mecum Houston 2024
Mecum Auctions will return to Houston April 4-6 at the NRG Center to hold their Houston 2024 auction. It’s estimated that 1,000 vehicles will cross the block over the three days and collections such as the Plendl Brothers Bowtie Classics will be on offer along with multiple collections of automobilia. It’s going to be an exciting weekend in Houston for sure, so let’s take a look at a few cars ready to hit the block.
The 1998 Toyota Supra Turbo represents the peak of an automotive era and a high point for Japanese performance cars. As the final model year of the legendary fourth-generation Supra before Toyota put the nameplate on hiatus, the 1998 Turbo encapsulated everything that made this sports car an icon.
Under the hood was the fabled 2JZ-GTE twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder engine. In 1998 guise, it produced an impressive 320 horsepower and 315 lb-ft of torque from the factory. But what really made the 2JZ special was its stout iron block construction and advanced sequential twin-turbo setup that allowed for immense tuning potential. The Supra’s 2JZ became renowned in the tuning world for its ability to reliably make big power numbers with bolt-on modifications.
The 1998 Supra Turbo set to be offered by Mecum in Houston benefits from the facelift the model received as it’s equipped with the three-spoke steering wheel rather than the wheel that was installed on earlier examples of the A80 Supra.
It’s estimated that Toyota built fewer than 700 examples of the Supra Turbo for the US market for 1998 making it a fairly low-production newer collectible. The A80 is definitely the most desirable generation of the Toyota Supra these days and the car that Mecum will sell in Houston comes from its first and only owner and shows just over 45,000 miles since new. Considering the condition of the car and the increasing interest from collectors, we expect this to sell for $73,000.
Chevrolet offered COPO Camaros in 1969 and 1970 that offered additional options compared with the standard Camaro. Many of them were equipped for use on the drag strip.
The ZL-1 V8 is perhaps the most legendary engine option available on a COPO Camaro, but the L72 427 cubic inch V8 that this car is equipped with still puts out plenty of power – 425 HP to be exact.
While Chevrolet built a bit over 300 COPO Camaros in 1969, the one to be sold by Mecum in Houston is one of only 193 that were equipped with an automatic transmission. This car is believed to be one of the last COPOs built for the year and features a date-coded correct engine with an aluminum intake.
It’s equipped with power steering and power brakes with front discs as well as a 4.10 geared Positraction rear end. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity as a Camaro Hi-Performance model and is listed in the COPO registry.
This example appears to be in excellent condition and we expect bidding to approach $185,000.
This E-Type Series I Roadster is equipped with its matching-numbers 4.2L inline six-cylinder engine that produces 265 horsepower, paired with a four-speed manual transmission. It includes both the factory hardtop, with a stand, as well as the convertible soft top.
As it’s an earlier example of the E-Type it stuns with its chrome bumper that contrasts nicely with the Carmen Red paint. It includes the original tool roll and jack, original knock-off hammer, a copy of the original invoice, and even a note from its first owner in the service manual.
This car took the Corinthian Award at the Keels and Wheels Concours d’Elegance in 2014 and has a Jaguar Heritage Trust Certificate.
We’ve seen values of E-Types increasing recently and one in this condition should be expected to bring north of $200,000.
Built between 1962 and 1963, the Austin-Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 was the successor to the 3000 series “Big Healey.” It retained the straight-six cylinder engine from the Mk I but featured a revised front grille along with modified bodywork and badging.
Other notable improvements over the Mk I include newer instrumentation, modified gearing to assist with acceleration, and front disc brakes. It also included a larger fuel tank.
While it retained the classic, very British styling of the Mk I cars, it still managed to carry a somewhat more modern look and the manually-operated windows that replaced the side curtains on the previous model certainly helped with that.
This should bring somewhere north of $60,000.
The Porsche 930 Turbo Slantnose was the ultimate evolution of the 911 prior to the 964 generation. It paired the rocket-like performance of the 930 Turbo with the distinctive front-end styling of the 935 race car.
The car is powered by the 3.3L turbocharged flat-six cylinder engine that produces 282 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque. This car is equipped with the G50 five-speed manual transmission and also boasts an electric sunroof and a thorough service history. It still retains its original engine.
It’s stunning in Guards Red with a black interior and shows just over 39,000 miles since new. It includes a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity and is one of only 34 examples of the M505 Slantnose produced by the factory for North America in 1989.
Normally this could be a $450,000 car on a good day, but there’s once catch. This particular example has a salvage title as it was stole from the dealership when it was new and the insurance paid out before it was recovered. We’re unsure what the timeframe was for its recovery but bidders should keep that in mind. Although, if someone’s looking for a 930 Turbo Slantnose to drive in anger, this might be the perfect one!