An incredible 1994 Corvette Stretch Limousine was displayed on the lawn outside the auction hall on Sunday. This car was sold at the Friday auction in prime time. The sales price was $21,000. It has two TV's, dual air conditioning and seating for six. It certainly is unique.BLOOMINGTON GOLD
CORVETTE SHOW 2009
On Sunday, the final day of the Bloomington Gold Corvette Show the atmosphere was more laid back. One of the features of this show in recent years is the addition of a Survivor Car Show on Sunday. All of the big events, like the field judging, the Mecum Auction and the 600-Corvette cruise were over. Everybody had time to enjoy the sunshine, the food and maybe even poke around in the parts swap area to find that last elusive part you've been looking for for years.
The top sale this weekend at the Mecum Auction turned out to be a 1968 Corvette L88. The L88 is possibly the best performing and handling factory Corvette ever made. I've seen L-88 Corvettes in bone stock condition run low 10's in the quarter mile in competition, out-performing Hemi cars and other big blocks. The International blue 1968 Corvette came from the factory with an all aluminum L88 427 engine with transistorized ignition, an M22 “Rock Crusher” 4-speed, J50/J56 heavy-duty power disc brakes, N36 telescopic steering and N11 off-road exhaust. The Dark blue interior is in nice condition, and the car featured Rally wheels with correct Red Line tires. Among its credits are the Bloomington Gold Survivor Certificate and an NCRS judging sheet recording an amazing 95.5 percent originality. It comes with a window sticker and Protect-O-Plate. The winning bid on this car was $300,000.
A 1991 Callaway Speedster was one of the top cars in the Mecum Auction sale. This car came from the Otis Chandler Collection. Callaway made only ten of these Series 1 Speedsters. The base car itself was a rare RPO B2K which added twin intercooled turbochargers and revised engine management boosting performance by 150 horsepower to over 400 hp. The Callaway Aero-bodied speedster package included cut-down windshields, wraparound glass and twin integrated headrests. The O.Z. wheels are special to the car and distinquish it as a Callaway, as does the polished undercarriage. This car sold on Saturday in prime time for $115,000.
There were many '57s available in the Mecum Auction here at the Bloomington Gold Corvette Show. Many of them were fuelies. But there was one Onyx black 1957 Corvette Fuelie with silver coves that stood out for its originality and correctness. The Mecum website noted that this was a car that was "all numbers matching." In addition to the legendary 283/283 engine with Rochester Fuel Injection, it also has a Muncie 4-speed transmission and 4.11 posi rear end. It has a red interior with a Wonderbar radio. The seller states that it is probably one of the most original '57 Corvettes in the country. The winning bid on this car on Saturday was $122,000.
For a look at detailed results of many of the sales at the Mecum Auction in St. Charles this weekend click this link to the Mecum Auction report.
We got a chance to see some very rare Corvettes. For instance, in one of the featured areas, there sat a 1963 Corvette Grand Sport in racing trim with the Penske racing colors. This is an extemely accurate replica, one of 59 built by Mid America Industries. It has a built 427 engine, L88 4-barrel aluminum intake and custom built headers. The car had the Penske drivers name on it -- Dick Thompson. Notice the Hallibrand reproduction 15" wheels. In the upper right hand corner of the windshield was one of the yellow Mecum Auction stickers marked SOLD. This one went through the sale on Friday. The winning bid was $61,000.
In a featured area right outside the auction building stood a 1963 Corvette Roadster. On the billboard it said that this car had been the personal driver of Harley Earl back in the day. It even had a picture of Earl with the car. The '63 had custom side exhaust and wheels. Although this car was not sold at the auction, it did receive the highest bid: $985,000.
Under the same canopy we discovered this 1960 Corvette Convertible. The display board told us that this was serial No. 0001, the first Corvette produced in 1960. In fact, it was the first Corvette produced for a decade that would change the world. And it was a fuelie. It has the 283/290 hp engine and a 4-speed. Although it did not sell at the Mecum Auction on Satuday, we saw that the bidding on this car went up to $290,000 on this car. The owner said it will take more.
We talked with Roy Brotherhood from Elmira, New York who drove his slightly modified 1967Corvette Coupe all the way here to Illinois from back home. He said that was nothing. Last year, he and his wife Kathy drove their beloved classic Corvette on the Route 66 Cruise with his big block club buddies. Shoe horned into the engine compartment is a ZZ 454 crate engine producing 440 horsepower. He had the car updated with a Tremec 5-speed for better performance and has added updated modern a-arms to the front suspension. He says this car rides nice.
Of course, the love of everything Corvette was in full appeciation here this weekend. You might say, "Corvette is spoken here." Corvette apparel, Corvette parts, Corvette accessories, Corvette interiors, everything that is Corvette was for sale here today. Al Knoch, one of the great names in Corvette interiors in the U.S. was here, and even did some installations right on the grounds of the show. Saturday's sunny skies made the day a perfect celebration.
There was a 1999 Corvette Daytona Rolex 24 Pace Car special edition sitting on the grounds at the Bloomington Corvette show. There were a dozen or so special edition Corvettes, mostly at dealer displays. I'll get some shots for you tomorrow.
The judging for Bloomington Gold Certificates was held on Friday before we got here. We noticed a Rally red, one-owner, 1967 Corvette Big Block 427/390 Convertible that had just achieved Bloomington Gold Survivor/Benchmark status yesterday. The "Survivor" award means that the car is unrestored and within 95 to 100 percent original the way it came from the factory. The Benchmark award is a very prestigious award that has only been given to less than 100 cars up to this year. It is for the rarest of the rare. They say this car has only 31,500 miles. It has both tops, comes with Redline tires and actually has the original Redline spare. This car achieved Bloomington Gold certification as a Survivor and as a Benchmark Corvette on Friday and was sold already Saturday at the Mecum Auction. The winning bid was $90,000.
The Mecum Auction started Friday afternoon and Corvette enthusiasts packed the auction which was held inside the exhibition building this year. Everyone wanted to know what Corvettes were going for. The Mecum Auction is a good test for measuring the market because they always draw some top Corvettes for this sale. There were mostly big block Corvettes in the show, and a sprinkling of famous celebrity cars and even a few one-off designer Corvettes. The Mecum people told us that the soonest we will see the actual sales is Monday or Tuesday. They say there were many deals still in the works. Stay tuned to this page for a link to the results of the sale as soon as they are released.
A 1954 Corvette with the rare and original Pennent blue factory paint was described as a frame off restoration which won Bloomington Gold in 1994. It was part of the reknowned Paul Jones Collection. They say that every gauge, switch and light on this car work as new. It had the Blue Flame 235 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine. It was sold in the Saturday sale for $69,000.
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