The Mustang Source Enters the Ring at Mecum Louisville
Get an exclusive look at all the action on the auction block, plus see some cool Mustangs that were up for grabs.
Recently, The Mustang Source headed to Louisville, Kentucky, to check out the latest event by Mecum Auctions. Of course, we were primarily interested in seeing what sorts of Mustangs would be rolling across the long red carpet. So, on a cool late summer weekend, we rolled up to the Kentucky Exposition Center and into the magic and excitement of the Mecum Auctions event.
One of the first Mustangs we happened upon was this 2007 Saleen Mustang GT Parnelli Jones Edition. The Grabber Orange and black pony is a rare breed, with just 500 examples assembled for the 2007 model year.
Aside from resembling its namesake’s own SCCA Trans Am ride, a Boss 302 that dominated the 1970 season to snag another championship for the racing legend, the Saleen gets its power from a rebuilt three-valve 4.6-liter Modular V8, bumped up to 302 cubic inches. Power output is 400 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque to the rears, which have carried this example over 3,000 miles. We can only wonder how many of those miles were on the track.
Near the Saleen was a practically new 2018 Shelby GT350 with just 115 miles on its 5.2-liter V8 and six-speed manual. This and the PJ were just two of a handful of new ponies set to hit the Mecum block under the lights and TV cameras that weekend.
Speaking of, the whole experience of Mecum Louisville was astounding. The auctions may take days to complete on TV, but the whole thing lasted a little over 10 hours total over those two days, with Saturday’s set running for four and a half hours! Every car to hit the block would either be driven or towed into position, then mixed into a single line with the help of the house’s staff guiding and pushing them toward the bright lights.
Once ready for its closeup, a given car would receive a wipedown before being set in front of the bidders. The auctioneers kicked off the bidding while the ringmen helped pump up the excitement to get those numbers climbing. Cameras on booms and towers swept over the seated crowds to capture every angle of each car’s time in the spotlight.
About 90 seconds later, the car would either go to a new home or, like the aforementioned GT350, wait for the right bid to come through. Either way, the car would be driven or towed back into its respective side of the expo floor for everyone to gaze upon.
The Louisville auction presented some 500 lots up for bid, one of Mecum’s smallest auctions; locales like Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and Kissimmee, Florida attract anywhere from 1,000 to 3,500 lots, for comparison. Yet, it felt just like all of Mecum’s big auctions, with plenty of cool Mustangs and other cars pulling in the big bucks.
Photos for The Mustang Source by Cameron Aubernon
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