Friday, June 24, 2011

Mecum Bloomington Gold Auction to sell Bill Mullis collection of black Corvettes from 1954-1969

You have to give Mecum Auctions some credit. It seems like no matter where they go, they manage to come up with some really great collection to run through their block. Whether it was Bob McDorman’s Bill Mitchell Corvettes, the 1953 GM dream cars, or just their visit to Kansas City, Mecum is definitely pulling in some cool stuff.

This weekend’s Bloomington Gold Corvette sale is no exception. I’ve always said that a black Corvette with red guts would be my dream combination. And on Saturday, Mecum will be offering a black Corvette from every year from 1954 (the first year you could get something other than white) through 1969; many with my coveted red interior, and all of them spectacular.

I remember watching a video a year or two ago that worked its way around the car forums about this collection. The cars belong to Bill Mullis from Bradenton, Fla. He had a real penchant for black cars, because in addition to all of these Corvettes, the video also featured his full-sized Chevy collection from the ‘50s and ‘60s, as well as a bunch of Harley Davidsons and hot rods—all black. His parting words in the video were, “I’m having too much fun to quit now.”

But, all good things must come to an end, and so it is true in this case. All of these Corvettes will cross the block at the big Indiana Corvette sale at no reserve, meaning they’ll all go to new homes. Actually, when I saw that video for the first time, I remember thinking how much I hated that guy. But jealousy notwithstanding, I always hate to see these amazing car collections broken up.

Amazing really is the right word for it, too. There are lots of highly desirable cars in this bunch. The ’55 is a V8. The ’62 is a big brake Fulie. The ’66 coupe is a “tanker” with a big fuel tank geared toward racing and a radio and heater delete. They almost all have the top engine options; many with rare factory fuel-injection or big blocks. The Midyear cars feature both coupes and convertibles. I think I’d still hate this guy if he weren’t selling off his collection.

We’re talking about cars like a 1954 235/150-h.p. ; a 1955 265/195-h.p. ; a 1956 265/210-h.p., 4-speed; a 1957 283/283-h.p., 4-speed; a 1958 283/270-h.p., 4-speed; a 1959 283/270-h.p., 4-speed; a 1960 283/270-h.p., 4-speed; a 1961; a 283/270-h.p., 4-speed; a 1962 327/360-h.p., 4-speed; a 1963 Roadster 327/360-h.p., 4-speed; a 1963 Coupe 327/360-h.p., 4-speed; a 1964 Roadster 327/375-h.p., 4-speed; a 1964 Coupe 327/375-h.p., 4-speed; a 1965 Roadster 327/375-h.p., 4-speed; a 1965 Coupe 327/375-h.p., 4-speed; a 1965 Coupe 396/425-h.p., 4-speed; a 1965 Roadster 396/425-h.p., 4-speed; a 1966 Coupe 427/450-h.p., 36 Gallon Fuel Tank; a 1966 Roadster 427/425-h.p., 4-speed; a 1967 Coupe 427/435-h.p., 4-speed; a 1967 Roadster 427/435-h.p., 4-speed; a 1968 Roadster 427/400-h.p.; and a 1969 Roadster 427/435-h.p., 4-speed. Ridiculous, huh?

You can learn all about the Mullis black Corvette collection, or any of the other great Corvettes and related memorabilia that will be sold this weekend, by visiting Mecum’s website.

In the meantime, the slideshow below provides pictures of all the Corvettes in this collection provided by Mecum Auctions. Try not to drool all over your kepboard.



14 comments:

  1. This is the proper thing to do. We must not let one greedy rich person have so much. They should be shared with the undeserving as has our tax money.

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  2. That previous comment was a joke..I hope!

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    1. Oh... its a sad joke alright, but I fear the poster meant it...

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  3. the 65 396 coupe is in my garage now

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    1. Do you know why the collection was sold off? Thank you.

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    2. There's another onr here in Sarasota, F.L. $48K

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  4. Beautiful cars.... WOW !

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  5. I've been trying to find out why he is selling this collection. Anyone?

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  6. Please take the website down. We weren't aware that the collection was gone and drove 100 miles to view the collection only to find an empty building for sale. The website indicates everything is there! NOT!!

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  7. The article was dated June 24, 2011, and the copy said the auction was "this week." I didn't even tell you where to go. I also provided a link to the Mecum auction website, which also gives the dates. I really am sorry you went there, but this is clearly an old story.

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  8. What an idiot to make such an irrelevant comment.

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  9. those who were asking why he sold them should look here, or do their own research like i did... google his name
    http://www.bradenton.com/2014/01/25/4954377/estate-sale-at-northwest-bradenton.html

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