Mecum’s Kissimmee sale returns to kickstart the 2025 auction year with 4500 vehicles and 12 days of bidding action in Florida – from European exotica to spectacularly rare US muscle, plus everything (and we really do mean everything) in between.
Just getting through the enormous lot list is one of the highlights of the festive season (well, we all need a break from family gatherings once in a while) but this year’s ex-Le Mans film Porsche 917K has added even more glamour to the proceedings. You can read more about that car here – we’re focusing on ten other lots that have caught our eye. What’s piquing your interest this year?
1966 Ford GT40 MkI
This 1966 Ford GT40 Mk1 (no. 1034) is the first of 31 MkI GT40 road cars delivered to a private owner – James Fielding, the chairman of Heenan & Froude. The company manufactured the dynamometers used by Shelby for testing GT40s; Fielding had the car delivered personally by Ford ambassador Jackie Stewart.
Five years later, Paul Weldon acquired the GT40 in exchange for a Rolls-Royce, who raced the car throughout the early 1970s. It then headed to Australia for its new owner George Parlby, and raced at Amaroo Park in 1980. It was repainted in the Gulf Le Mans colour scheme in the mid-1980s, and raced at the Adelaide Grand Prix Support Historic Race in 1985 and 1986.
It then headed to Germany in 1995 under the stewardship of Peter Rössler, who then sold the car back to Australia under the care of David Bowden, who used it on the road and in Historic racing. In 2001 it was repainted in the original colour scheme of Pine Green with added silver stripes. It was then sold to a Californian collector in 2012, and headed back to Europe, where it was acquired from DK Engineering in 2021. It’s been shown at the Brands Hatch Concours and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and won the Chairman’s Award at Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace. Restored to its original specification, it retains its original panels, tub and transaxle, and comes with a spare engine that has accompanied the car since new.
Other mid-engined highlights at the Mecum sale include two Lamborghini Miuras (chassis no. 3685, one of six P400 S models built in Verde Miura) and chassis no. 3919, a 1969 P400 S.
1966 Porsche 910-001
Mecum’s Kissimmee sale plays host to the first Porsche 910 ever produced. One of 12 produced in short-tail form, it was originally built for hillclimb competition. After starring in Porsche’s internal magazine with Dr Ferry Porsche, Ferdinand Piëch and Hans Mezger, its creators, it was handed to Hans Herrmann to drive on Switzerland’s Sierre Montagne Hill Climb, part of the Swiss Mountain Grand Prix, where it finished third. It was then sold to Rudi Lins, who alongside Karl Foitek, drove in the 1968 Sebring 12 Hours (DNF). It then finished fourth overall and first in class (P2.0) at the Monza 1000km with Lins and co-driver Gerhard Koch. The duo would then finish fifth overall and first in class at the Spa 1000km. It would continue racing throughout 1968, but results would tail off, with fourth at Wunstorf for Koch being the highlight.
There would be even less success in 1969, but it did provide a one-off drive for Niki Lauda alongside then-owner Otto Stuppacher at Österreichring. It was then acquired by Lambert Hofer, before passing through several owners who continued to race it. The current owner acquired the car in 1994 and has had it restored.
Other Porsche highlights in Mecum’s Kissimmee 2025 sale include another chance to buy a 1959 Porsche 718 RSK (one of six with the centre seat configuration) and the last 914 produced at Zuffenhausen.
1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Spyder
This Ferrari 365 GTS/4 is believed to be the first factory-built, US-specification Daytona Spyder. Chassis 14813 has an early manufacturing date, and it was ordered by Dr Baldhard Falk via Modern Classic Motors in Reno, Nevada, very early in the production schedule – it’s the 33rd Spyder out of 122 produced.
Originally finished in red, it was first restored in the late 1970s before being sold to the current owner by Falk in 2004. It’s not been seen in public since then, although it retained its red finish when displayed by Fantasy Junction in 2023; it is now finished in Nero but there are few details regarding its colour change.
Other Ferrari highlights in Mecum’s Kissimmee 2025 sale include a 1973 365 GTB/4 (chassis 16961, one of 30 originally finished in Nero), a 1967 275 GTB/4 (chassis 10583), a 1992 F40 (chassis ZFFGJ34B000094528), a 1963 400 Superamerica Aerodinamico (chassis 4651, one of 22 LWB cars), a 1963 250 GT/L (chassis 4595), a 1967 330 GTC (chassis 10889), a 1968 330 GTC (chassis 10761), one of four four-passenger 212 Inter 2+2 Berlinas bodied by Ghia (chassis 0185EL) and a 1965 275 GTS Convertible (chassis 06809, the sixth built).
1956 Talbot-Lago T14LS
One of 45 T14LS models built, chassis 140029 was first supplied to Spaniard Jose Simo, who at the time of purchase lived in the Paris suburb of Aubervillers. He kept the car for five years before selling it to M Pierre Damiron via Roger Loyer’s Sport Service in Levallois, France.
Damiron brought the Talbot-Lago with him when he came to Harvard University to study. Subsequent owners include EG Grover, Marvin Newman, Edsel Phabe and Henry Adamson, the latter of whom owned the car between 1981 and 2015. The current owner has had the T14LS restored since then.
Other European highlights in Mecum’s Kissimmee 2025 sale include two Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwings (one silver, one green), two Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadsters (one black, one grey), a 1970 Jaguar E-type Series II gifted by Steve McQueen to chef Alfred Zurbrügg for his efforts during filming Le Mans, and the Shaguar – the 1967 Jaguar E-type Series I Roadster used in all three Austin Powers movies and Madonna’s Beautiful Stranger music video.
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra Roadster
The Essex Wire Cobra is described as “arguably the winningest Cobra of all time”, and is better known as Ollie the Dragon due to its fire-shooting antics through the hood scoop courtesy of the carburettor.
Chassis CSX3009 was test driven by Ken Miles at Riverside, before being campaigned throughout the 1965 season by Robert ‘Skip’ Scott under the sponsorship of Essex Wire, with Dick Thompson as a relief driver. The car took three championship wins: the 1966 SCCA A Production Championship with Ed Lowther as driver, and two SCCA National Championships in 1973 and 1974 with Sam Feinstein as driver. After Feinstein’s tenure it was owned by George Stauffer between 1982 and 1995, who then sold it to David Trueman.
He had the car restored by Racing Restorations; it would then go through several owners’ hands before ending up with former racing driver André Ahrlé. He had Mike McCluskey restore the car to Essex Wire livery, with Carroll Shelby providing advice on the restoration process.
It’s since been a regular on the show circuit. CSX3009 is currently equipped with an original 427ci competition side-oiler V8 that was delivered on a crate with the Cobra in 1965 to the Essex Wire team and Skip Scott as a back-up engine. The original engine that the car raced with has been restored, is on a display stand and contains the original 427 competition block, aluminium heads, magnesium manifold, valvetrain and other special parts.
Other notable Cobras in Mecum’s Kissimmee 2025 sale include CSX2105, the 105th of 126 Mk1 Cobras produced, an original 1967 427 Cobra with 18,035 miles, CSX2242 and the ‘hero car’ Kellison Stallion Cobra replica used in the Bad Boys film (that is, not the one that ended up in a barrier).
1936 Chrysler Airflow
One of 110 C9 coupes built, this particular example has history dating back to 1958, and counts Airflow devotees such as Chuck Cochran, Joseph Klim and Chris Sacko among its prior owners. It was restored in the early 2000s, and again between 2016 and 2017. It was then displayed at the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance in 2018 and again in 2021, when it won the Palmetto Award. It’s also received First in Class honours at the 2022 Chattanooga Motorcar Festival and Best in Show at the 2022 Airflow Club of America National meet.
1966 Lola T90 Ford Indy Car
Mecum’s Kissimmee sale plays host to a large selection of Indy Cars, such as the 1959 Kurtis-Epperly Offenhauser that AJ Foyt drove to his first championship in 1960, Janet Guthrie’s 1979 Lola T500 Cosworth driven at the Indy 500 that year, plus a couple of winning Mario Andretti Lolas – a 1986 T186-00 and a 1983 T700 – among many others.
The above car, however, is the 1966 Lola T90 Ford driven to sixth place at the 1966 Indy 500 by Jackie Stewart – a feat that earned him Rookie of the Year over winning team-mate Graham Hill. Stewart would later take pole and the win at the 1966 Fuji 200 in Japan. Prepared by chief mechanic George Bignotti and Jimmy Dilamarter, and campaigned by John Mecom, it’s one of three Lola T-90s built, and comes with the nose cone and front section from Hill’s sister car.
1976 Porsche 934
This Porsche 934, chassis 0060022, was driven by Bob Wollek, Jean-Pierre Wielemans (entered as ‘Steve’) and Philippe Gurdjian to a Group 4 Class Victory in the 1977 Le Mans 24 Hours. The trio finished seventh overall in the Kremer-entered car, despite an incident-packed race that involved replacing the universal joint, alongside steering and suspension issues.
Other 2025 Mecum Kissimmee sale Porsche highlights from this era include the 1982 Porsche 935/84 driven to fifth place in the 1985 Daytona 24 Hours by Bob Akin, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Paul Miller, and one of 44 Sonderwunsch 930 Turbos produced in 1985 with a flat nose.
1998 Renault Sport Spider
A rare opportunity (anywhere, let alone in the US) further back in the lot list – this 1998 Renault Sport Spider has to be one of a handful of the breed Stateside. Just 1640 were built around an aluminium chassis, with a composite plastic body. Power comes from the Clio Williams’ 2.0-litre F7R engine, and produces 148bhp. Built by Alpine in Dieppe, it was the first RenaultSport car and weighed just 965kg. This particular car has covered 9651 miles; the last one for sale in the US sold for $62,500 in October this year.
Other modern classic rarities in Mecum’s Kissimmee 2025 sale that have only just become available to the US market include two Nissan Skyline GT-Rs (one R33 and one R34).
1980 Ford M81 McLaren Mustang Prototype
Mecum’s Kissimmee sale always brings out the rare and the weird – and, most fascinating of all, there’s usually a prototype among the lots. Competition for the 2025 event is fierce in terms of weird from the custom car scene, and this 1954 International Harvester R140 Woody Wagon specially ordered by the Army Corps of Engineers for chief engineers of the Minuteman Missile system in South Dakota looks fascinating, but we’ve gone with this 1980 McLaren Ford.
McLaren Engines, owned by Bruce McLaren, helped develop the M81 McLaren Mustang alongside Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO). It used a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that, due to the Mustang V8’s drop in displacement to 4.2 litres, was more powerful with half the cylinder count. In order to give the four-pot Mustang extra cred, it was sent to McLaren for engine refinements – the cylinder head was ported, polished and blueprinted, and fitted with a variable turbocharger. At the lowest boost setting it could produce 175bhp and 155lb ft of torque at 3000rpm.
On the outside it received a meaty bodykit, wider BBS wheels and rubber, functional rear brake ducts, stiffer springs, adjustable Koni dampers, thicker anti-roll bars front and rear, and beefier brakes. The cost of all this meant the car would cost $10,000 shy of a Ferrari 308, with the result that, out of a planned run of 250, only ten were built. This example is believed to be the sole car finished in black. This car wears serial number 08, and returned to the US in 2024 after a spell in Europe.
Further details
Mecum’s Kissimmee sale takes place on January 7-19, 2025 at the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida. You can view the auction via MotorTrend or Max, and more details on the sale itself can be found here.
