Red 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Crashes Into Pole at Mecum Auction

Witnesses say that the throttle on this 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 became stuck, which resulted in a nasty-looking crash.

While automotive related crashes happen all the time on our roadways, in parking lots, race tracks, and various other places, they typically aren’t common at car auctions. In fact, we can’t recall a time when we saw a wreck of any kind occur at one of the big-time collector car auctions put on by the likes of Mecum or Barrett-Jackson, which makes this recent incident fairly shocking. It all went down at the Mecum Indy sale, as a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 crashed into a pole – luckily, not a crowd of bystanders.

The aftermath of this incident was captured on film and subsequently posted to TikTok, showing the 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 sitting stationary with a smashed-up front end in what is a truly painful scene. There aren’t really any concrete facts pertaining to how, exactly, this happened, but we do have some witness accounts and speculation that may provide clues into how this all went down.

According to most, the throttle of the pony car appears to have gotten stuck when it was being moved, at which point the driver attempted to slam on the brakes to stop it from lunging forward. Witnesses said that they could hear tires squealing as a result, but clearly, the Mustang was a bit too potent, and the brakes couldn’t quite keep it still – nor did the driver apparently have the time or wherewithal to try and shift it out of gear.

Regardless of how it happened, the aftermath is pretty gnarly, as the entire front clip of the 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 has suffered bad damage, as we get a better look at later in the video, when it’s shown being towed away from the scene. As for the actual cause and any potential resolution to this terrible crash, well, Mecum Auctions is investigating the matter, so it’s unclear how things will ultimately pan out.

@mopar_keithDISASTER AT THE AUCTION!!!♬ original sound – mopar_keith

In any event, we’re just glad that no one got hurt, because things could have obviously gone much worse, had the Mustang not hit that sturdy pole.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.