Mecum Auctions returned to Harrisburg, PA, this year, scheduling their four-day auction to run from Wednesday, July 23 through Saturday, July 26, 2025. Mecum’s first Harrisburg outing was in 2014, and the event has only grown in size and stature since then. As is typical at most multi-day auctions, Day One is considered “bargain day,” while the final day (in this case, Saturday) is reserved for the vehicles predicted to bring the big bucks.

I’ve been in attendance most years since that inaugural event. The location is ideal for me: Harrisburg is halfway between Hershey and Carlisle, and is only a two-hour car ride. The location is ideal for Mecum as well, as this part of PA is chock full of classic car enthusiasts. I was in attendance both Wednesday and Thursday and sat through much of the live auction. One big improvement: there are now padded chairs and tables provided for registered bidders, and they’ve added this 21^st century perk: the tables have a QR code which you can scan, allowing you to place a food and drink order to be delivered to your seat. I didn’t take advantage of the delivery service, but it was nice to know that it was there.

During my two day visit, I watched 171 cars cross the block, and observed 106 of them declared “sold”, for a two-say sell-through rate of 62%, respectable, but not great. Breaking it down further, Wednesday’s performance was weak: 44 of 81 observed lots were declared sold, for a sell-through of 54%. Thursday’s number was better at 69% sold, and closer to what I typically see at Mecum. The relatively large number of no-reserve lots helped these results, but it is obvious that many sellers still set unrealistic reserves for their cars. As has been the trend, groups of no-reserve cars were announced to be “from so-and-so’s estate,” indicating that the ol’ collector has either departed or has decided to relinquish his horde, whereupon the family ships it off to be sold at auction for whatever they can get.

Whether the sell-through rate is 50% or 95%, someone needs to tackle the job of setting up, and it’s a huge job. As I entered the Farm Show Complex early on Wednesday, I was struck by how much effort and manpower it must take to run this show. The podiums, stage, TV screens, lights, cameras, and signs must all be carried in and precisely arranged. Hundreds of chairs and tables are placed in rows for bidders. A tent large enough to provide shade for hundreds of cars at a time is set up outside behind the main hall. A crew of drivers, pushers, detailers, and the like is on hand for the entire time that the event is open to the public. I’ve heard griping through the years about the amount of money Mecum rakes in with its 10% buyer’s commission, and of course this is a profitable undertaking. At the same time, their overhead costs must be considerable.

The bread and butter at a Mecum auction consists of the most popular and collectible American-made cars and trucks of the last seventy years or so. Muscle cars, restomods, pickups, and everyone’s favorite models from the Big Three are in plentiful supply. However, my interests lean toward the orphans, oddballs, imports, and other rarely-seen automobiles. To my happy surprise, there was enough of that to keep me entertained, and I’ve reported on many of those lots below, whether they sold or not. I mentioned above that Day One is bargain day, and if you wanted to buy a car at auction and spend less than $5,000, you could do so here. To cite three examples: a 1995 Buick Roadmaster wagon with 175k on the clock hammered for $2,500; a 1999 Chevy Tahoe with 185k miles went for $3,500; and a 2007 Pontiac Solstice convertible (with an automatic) with 167k on it sold for $4,500. I did not personally inspect any of these, and make no promises that they were without issues. However, someone bought them and presumably, someone will find a way to make them useful.

Auction lots below are broken out into SOLD units first, then NOTABLE NO SALES. As always on Richard’s Car Blog, lots are listed in SOLD PRICE order, the better for you to gauge what your dollars will get you. All numbers below are the hammer prices, and do NOT include the 10% buyer’s premium owed to Mecum.

SOLD LOTS

Lot T81, 1949 Packard Eight Club Sedan, two-door fastback, metallic blue paint, brown and grey interior, 327 straight-eight engine, three-speed manual transmission, large sunvisor on exterior above windshield. Paint looked just ok (not sure how correct the metallic was) but much of the chrome was pitted. A rarely-seen two-door bathtub Packard.

SOLD at no reserve for $6,500. In this condition, what do you do with it? It would need thousands to become any kind of show car. You could maintain it as is and drive it to cruise nights, where it might be the only Packard there. A car for the hardcore Packard enthusiast.

Lot T5, 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce, red paint, tan top and tan leather interior, 2.0L four-cylinder, five-speed manual, factory A/C, power steering, factory “phone dial” wheels. Paint looked ok, but strangely, much of the exterior chrome, such as the door handles, was very pitted. Underhood was not detailed. Spare tire well looked rusty from an undercar inspection.

SOLD at no reserve for $8,000. This Series 4 Alfa Spider was the model’s final iteration. To me, by this time, the car had gone soft. Items like the A/C and PS added weight and complexity, and detracted from performance. Of the four different series of Spiders, the styling on these is my least favorite. There were a few red flags on this one, but the price was fair if someone just wants a fair weather driver to use for a few thousand miles a year.

Lot W115, 1969 Oldsmobile Toronado, 455 V-8, automatic transmission, FWD (natch), silver paint, black vinyl roof, black interior. Odometer reads 11,000 miles, very likely on its second go-round. Front bumper dented, most of engine compartment has been sprayed flat black. A weekend detail would have done wonders for its presentation.

SOLD for $10,500. The ’69 Toro still used the original body shell from ’66, but with a massive front bumper replacing the initial design. Full-size American luxury for not a lot of money, and fingers crossed that the mechanicals are ok.

Lot T198, 1965 Ford Thunderbird two-door hardtop, rose beige paint, white vinyl upholstery with burgundy carpeting, 390 V-8, automatic transmission, factory A/C, power windows, power driver’s seat, wire wheels. Odometer reads 45,074. Aftermarket rub strips detract slightly from exterior styling. Body plugs imply that car received rustproofing at some point in its past.

SOLD for $13,000. A Polaroid found on the passenger sheet showed that the car received a complete repaint in 2004. According to my source books, “rose beige” was a T-Bird-only color for ’65, and was striking in person. The driver’s power seat would only move the seat about halfway back, and was very uncomfortable to sit in. Peering underneath, I saw the seat foam had turned to powder and would need replacement. This may have also been causing the restricted movement. Still, this was a very attractive car in person, and I don’t think my photos do complete justice to its appearance. At this price, I had some regrets about not bidding.

Lot T174, 1974 AMC Matador two-door fastback, copper paint, white stripe, tan interior (with seating areas covered by clear vinyl covers), 232 inline-six, automatic transmission. Windshield sign claims 68 miles, implying that is original, but … sign also states “mostly original copper paint.” Front bench seat is twisted and bent backwards on driver’s side, and driver’s door window rubber very deteriorated. Air cleaner looks to be repainted, and several radiator hose clamps are aftermarket.

SOLD at no reserve for $14,000. I clearly remember when these were new, Car and Driver magazine put one on the cover and declared, “the best-looking new car of the year.” I was twenty years old and thought they were nuts. In fact, the magazine later tried to take back the praise. I would need to see more documentation about the mileage to believe it. If this was truly a 68-mile car, it may have been poorly stored. I thought this was pricey with the six; the hammer price might have made more sense with a V-8.

W257, 1999 Ford Mustang 35^th Anniversary two-door coupe, 4.6L V-8, 5-speed manual, silver paint, silver and black interior, windshield sign claims 12,000 miles (unverified).

SOLD for $14,000. If the low miles are legit, this was a decent purchase that might retain some value as long as the owner isn’t adding another 10k a year.

W73, 1957 Hudson Hornet two-door hardtop, 327 V-8, automatic transmission, two-tone orange and white paint, black and white interior (clear covers on front seats), full wheel covers, whitewall tires, factory air conditioning, power steering and brakes. Windshield sign claims 57,000 miles (unverified).

SOLD for $18,000. I go to a lot of car shows and auctions, and I’ve seen 1957 Hudsons before, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ’57 Hudson two-door hardtop. My source books agree that only 266 “Super” two-door hardtops were built (as were 483 “Custom” models with slightly higher trim). Factory price was $2,911, with the following options available: automatic transmission for $232; power steering for $100; power brakes for $40; and air conditioning for $415. Together, that totals $3,698. The auction car was a good “ten-footer.” There was a lot of orange peel in the paint, the tires looked ancient, and one could only guess at the operating condition of the A/C. In its favor, the chrome looked decent, the engine compartment appeared to have been given some recent attention, and the interior was in very good shape. Definitely not a car for everyone, and I have no idea what Hudson values are, but for under 20 large, someone got one of the most interesting cars at this auction.

Lot W173, 1979 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds W30 two-door coupe, 350 V-8, automatic transmission, white/gold paint, tan cloth interior, five-digit odometer reads 16,000 miles which looks believable, T-tops, factory A/C, bucket seats with center console. Stainless band on C-pillar I’m told is not factory.

SOLD for $21,000. I was attracted to this car because of its overall size: it’s one of the smaller domestic cars from this era, yet doesn’t feel small to sit in, and in fact feels very comfortable from the driver’s seat (dare I say like an imported car?). I watched it cross the block where it was bid to $25,000 and declared a No Sale. Most of the time, Mecum will not announce the reserve, but in this case, the auctioneer said, “it will take $30,000.” That was on Wednesday. On Friday, while composing this blog post, I saw on Mecum’s website that the car was listed as “sold” for $23,100. Backing out the 10% buyer’s premium leaves us with a hammer price of $21,000. What’s up with this? I’m very suspicious, because I personally recorded a high bid of $25k. Was that a chandelier bid, since the house knew they were still $5k below the seller’s reserve? And I didn’t know that one could approach the Bid Goes On desk and bid an amount BELOW the previous high bid (but now I do). Caveat emptor indeed.

Lot T55, 1982 Datsun 280ZX two-door coupe, brown metallic, tan cloth interior, 2.8L inline-six engine, five-speed manual transmission, six-digit odometer shows 59,874 miles, T-tops, analog gauges, factory A/C, raised white-letter tires, factory sound system. Underhood shows “normal” accumulation of dirt; it’s the only area of the car, including underside, that does not present extremely well. A very attractive car overall, as long as one is ok with brown (which I am).

SOLD at no reserve for $22,000. Many prospective bidders were lingering around this car, including me. I happened to gain access to its Carfax report. The first entry is from 1982. Almost every entry cites either a registration renewal or a state inspection. There is almost no mention of any service or repair work. The car changed hands in 2006 at 57k miles (the owner from ’90 to ’06 added 36k miles in 16 years). This new owner sold it in 2024 with 59,600 miles on the clock, for a total of 2,374 miles over 19 years of ownership, working out to be 125 miles a year. As you know, that’s both good and bad; however, looking at the car, it was obvious that cosmetically, it was well-preserved. The hammer price was more than fair for condition, even if it might need come reconditioning of soft rubber parts.

Lot F112, 1970 Ford Ranchero Squire, metallic green, green vinyl roof, green interior, faux wood trim on exterior, 351 V-8, automatic on column, reported 62,000 miles (unverified). There were a lot of El Caminos at this auction but this was the only Ranchero I saw, and while the Country Squire look wouldn’t be my first choice, it fit the overall presentation very well. Vehicle was in strong #2 condition.

SOLD at no reserve for $23,000. This car sold on Friday and I got the hammer price from Mecum’s website. Perhaps slightly pricey for a Ranchero, but I found the period-correct look very appealing. This Ranchero was ready to hit the show circuit, it was that nice.

Lot T168, 1972 AMC Gremlin X, two-door hatchback, green paint, black interior, 4.2L inline-six, automatic transmission, claimed to be 13,000 original miles and looks it. Gold exterior trim, roof-mounted luggage rack, factory alloy wheels, raised white-letter tires. Offered at No Reserve.

SOLD at no reserve for $37,000. And who said Gremlins weren’t valuable or collectible?? The windshield sign said that this car was previously owned by Jeff Dunham, and I never heard of him, so that would not have influenced my bid any…. However, the car was featured on Jay Leno’s garage, which could account for a hammer price approximately three times what I would have guessed.

Lot T291, 1968 Olds 442 two-door hardtop, triple white, 400 V-8, automatic, windshield sign claims 10,000 miles (unverified), factory A/C, AM radio with 8-track player, sign states, “concours restoration,” yet hood hinges were so stiff that I was unable to lower the hood without fear of inflicting sheet metal damage.

SOLD for $43,000. All 1968 Cutlass models are special to me because of my Aunt Rita, who bought a new ’68 Cutlass S two-door hardtop, a car I loved. I don’t see too many ‘68s (but check my Spring Carlisle report from earlier this year where there were two). This one at Mecum was nice but not quite “concours”. The 442 model brought out the bidders.

NOTABLE NO-SALES

Lot W54, 1994 Jaguar XJS convertible, green paint, tan top and interior, 4.0L inline six cylinder, automatic. Six-digit odometer read 30,000 miles. Driver’s seat leather shows minor wear. An attractive car, especially with the six (as opposed to the V-12).

NOT SOLD at high bid of $8,000. I inquired at the “Bid Goes On” desk about the car, stating that I was unable to find it. The Mecum employee told me, “the guy checked out and took it home. I understand he’s not coming back.” I asked what his reserve was and was told, “$12,000.” Interesting marketing approach: Pay to enter the auction, and when the bidding doesn’t reach your reserve, take your ball and go home.

Lot W92, 1927 Cadillac 314 Imperial seven-passenger sedan, repainted black, yellow wood wheels with whitewall tires, interior is brown and allegedly original, 314 V-8, three-speed manual transmission. Three rows of seats: front bench seat, second row foldable jump seats, and third row bench with seat back against rear window. A stately-looking old thing with tons of presence.

NOT SOLD at high bid of $12,000. It’s very unusual to find any pre-war cars at a Mecum auction, and what a car this is! I did not get a chance to see or hear it run, so I can’t comment at all about that. From the outside, aside from two spare wheels without tires mounted at the rear, it appeared to be all there. The interior is a conundrum: it’s original enough that you might want to try to preserve it, but it’s deteriorated enough that it might deserve to be redone. The present owner left a notebook on the front seat, taking TWO pages to describe the procedure to start the engine and then drive the car. The auctioneer announced that at $12k, “it won’t take much more,” but I didn’t inquire. As of this writing, it’s still for sale on Mecum’s website.

Lot T73, 1953 MG-TD Inskip Tourer Roadster, black paint, red interior, black top with side curtains, red wheels with small hub caps, whitewall tires, 1250cc inline-four, four-speed manual, odometer reads 31,535 (not verified). Supposedly one of twelve produced by J.S. Inskip, the NYC-based MG importer. They took an MG-TD, lengthened the chassis by ten inches, and added a rear seat. I never heard of this particular variant before, although I have heard of J.S. Inskip.

NOT SOLD at high bid of $22,000. I approached this car from the rear and had no idea what it was. Even from the front, which was not changed from the original TD, it looked quite different. To my eye, the extended wheelbase improved the car’s looks. With only twelve produced, there’s no easy way to assign a market value, but I can’t imagine that we weren’t far off at $22k.

FINAL THOUGHTS

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