Eclectic Collectibles: 2018 Mecum Chicago Auction Gallery

Tom Appel

6 years ago

Collector-car auctions sell plenty of high-dollar vehicles, but they also offer more-accessible classics. This 1963 Buick Riviera sold for less than the cost of the average 2018 Buick Encore subcompact crossover.

2018 Mecum Chicago Auction — Collector-car auctions sell plenty of high-dollar vehicles, but they also offer more-accessible classics. This 1963 Buick Riviera sold for less than the cost of the average 2018 Buick Encore subcompact crossover.

Every October, the Mecum Auctions road show rolls into Chicagoland for a weekend-long event that takes over the Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. Like any of the major-league televised auctions, the 2018 Mecum Chicago shindig had its share of big-ticket featured lots. A 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo originally owned by legendary Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton was the star of this year’s show—it sold for $324,500, topping the list of results for the event.

However, for every six-figure exotic or super-rare muscle car that crosses the block at an event like this, there are usually dozens of more-affordable vintage classics and special-interest vehicles that are also offered for sale. And even if you’re not intending to be a bidder, a Mecum auction ends up being a heck of a car show. You’d be hard pressed to find a more eclectic assemblage of vehicles and automobilia, and some of this stuff has rarely—if ever—been publically shown. Have a gander at a few of the machines that caught our eye at this year’s show.

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