Mecum auction brought the national spotlight to Kansas City. More than 400 photos from the December 2010 event inside



Nice Bird, huh?  It sold for $186,000!

 Well, the weather outside might be frightful, but the convention center was pretty delightful. This weekend, the Mecum Collector Car Auction was held in downtown Kansas City, and after a month's dry spell of virtually no car shows, the inside of Bartle Hall was a welcome sight.

There was a real assortment of cars at this sale. You could pick up something for under $2,000 if you weren't too particular. But among the beaters and Saturday night cruisers, there were some real heavy hitters.

The top-selling vehicle was a supercharged '57 T-Bird that went for a breathtaking $186,000. A '66 "Big Tank" 427 Corvette traded hands at $141,000. And another '57 'Bird, this a dual-carb E-Code number dressed in yellow, sold for $132,000. There was also a real '65 Shelby GT350 Mustang that failed to sell after a high-bid of $185,000. So obviously, there were some real cars, and some real bidders in the house.

1970 C-10, with 81 original miles.

There was also a '70 Chevrolet C-10 long bed that I found pretty intriguing. This thing had 81 original miles. That's EIGHTY-ONE. And with the exception of a few unavoidable blemishes that are caused by 40-years of storage, it was amazingly well-preserved. It even sat on its original tires, although they were so weather-checked that you really couldn't use them.

Much of this event over the three days was televised on the Discovery Channel's HD Theatre. You definitely get a different perspective watching the wheeling-and-dealing up close on the tube, as opposed to the sensory overload you experience in person. Plus, you don't suck in any carbon monoxide fumes, and there's no danger of getting run over.


Keep your hands in your pockets.

 Yeah, watching it on TV may not be the preferred choice. I guess I included that because there are people that read this from out of town.

My dad and I went out to this auction today, while the rest of the family was out Christmas shopping. It was a fun time hanging out and critiquing all these old cars with dad, and I think he enjoyed it too. Of course, he should like going to these things with me--he brainwashed me when it comes to cars, so I usually agree with him!

Oh, and I also took more than--count 'em--400 pictures inside Bartle Hall. So if you're reading this in hindsight and thinking, "dang, I missed it," well, you'll get the next best thing here. Enjoy the slideshow below.