Chevys Dominate the Top Ten Sales at Mecum Spring Classic Auction

While eyes were on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 this weekend, the Chevy brand dominated at more than one venue. In addition to the most famous IndyCar race held on Saturday, Indianapolis also played host to the Mecum Spring Classic Auction last week where a ton of collectable Chevys crossed the block, dominating the top ten sales of the event. Included in those sales was the first ever ‘69 Gibb-Harrell Camaro ZL1 we told you about in March and one of just 13 known ‘68 L88 Corvette convertibles we told you about in last week’s Mecum preview. According to Hemmings Blog ^[3], it was these two Chevys, as well as a ’69 Yenko Nova, that stole the show at the 25th annual collector car auction.

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She may not be all original, but few enthusiasts would pass up the chance to have this VIN #001 '69 ZL1 in their garage for the right price.

The original ‘69 Camaro ZL1s are hard to come by and highly sought after by collectors, so for one to cross an auction block in general is quite rare. But as you may remember, the Gibb-Harrell Camaro ^[5] is more than just one of the original all-aluminum 427cui-weilding ZL1s. It is the FIRST ZL1 made, complete with VIN #001, as well as the first ZL1 to post track passes. While this car is extremely rare and oozing with automotive history, even without its original engine, the car only sold for $400,000.

Now, in the realm of things, that’s enough to buy a decent sized house with but when talking about the original ZL1s, that’s quite the bargain. In fact, other ‘69 ZL1s have been known to sell for somewhere in the neighborhood of $800k. We’re guessing that the reproduction engine rather than the original matching numbers unit is what did this car in for a lower selling bid.

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Just as rare as the ‘69 Camaro ZL1, was a fully restored ‘68 L88 Corvette convertible ^[8] that also crossed the auction block at Mecum last week. This car, one of only 13 documented ‘68 L88 convertibles, was sold with its original drivetrain comprised of the factory L88 427cui engine and M22 four-speed transmission. As if that weren’t enough, the car also boasted a Bloomington Gold score of 98.2, National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) Top Flight designation and original factory invoice. Collectors seemed to be interested in this car than the Camaro, with the winning bid hitting $800,000, the highest selling bid of the auction.

In a fairly distant second highest sale came the ‘69 Yenko Nova, one of only 37 made and only six known to exist today. According to the Mecum listing, the fully restored Nova came equipped with its Yenko-transplanted 427cui engine still in tact. This car sold for $475,000, pushing the total sale of the top three Chevys to over $1.6 million.

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These four rare Chevys helped push the sales of the top ten cars well over $3 million.

Other notable Chevys that crossed the auction block and made it into the top ten sales at the Mecum Spring Classic Auction include a ‘67 Yenko Camaro, a ‘57 Corvette, and a ‘70 LS6 Chevelle convertible. In total, the Chevys in the top ten accounted for $2,582,500. Looks like Chevy took the latest Mecum auction to the bank!