2018 Mecum Indy Auction goes Corvette Crazy

The 2019 Corvette ZR1 is the official Pace Car for the 2018 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 27 for the 102nd running of the legendary race. The 2018 Mecum Indianapolis Car Auction is scheduled just before the big race on May 15-20, and it will feature a dazzling display of collector Chevrolet Corvettes to help fans get ready for the big event.

Nine Pristine Classic Corvettes

This 1967 classic Chevrolet Corvette is one of nine pristine Corvettes that will be going up for auction. The Mecum brochure describes this big-engined beauty as one of the stars of the event. “This NCRS Top Flight-winning 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible is among the rarest of the breed. Produced on January 20, 1967, and purchased new from Harp Chevrolet, Inc., in Staunton, Virginia, it was factory-equipped with the vaunted L71 427 CI Tri-Power big-block V-8 engine, and it was carefully maintained in its original as-delivered condition by its second owner of 37 years from 1968 until 2005. In 2008 it underwent an extensive body-off restoration; its frame remains rust-free and the no-hit body retains the original bonding strips.” This rare, fully restored 1967 Corvette is expected to sell for up to $200,000.

The other classic Corvettes, including two more 1967 beauties and a 1963 split-window are expected to fetch a little less.

There are also two 1960 Corvettes that are expected to draw top dollar, as well as three from the 1950’s.

Rare Pace Car Set up for Auction

This year will be the 15th time that a Chevrolet Corvette serves as the pace car for the Indy 500. Because of that Mecum is also offering a once-in-a-life time set of Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car editions for sale. The vehicles comes from the private collection of Keith Busse, a well-known businessman in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Busse has collected Corvettes for decades.

According to Mecum, “Keith Busse’s assemblage of Corvette Indianapolis Pace Car editions has the distinction of being the only privately owned complete set of its kind in the world.”

This set is especially rare because many of these pace car editions were never sold to the general public. The grouping features at least one example from every year that a Corvette paced the Indianapolis 500 dating back to the first time in 1978.

Mecum says “What makes this collection so assuredly singular in its existence are Busse’s 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 examples, as the pace car editions from those four years were never offered for sale to the public. Rather, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Chevrolet gave Busse special authorization to duplicate the pace cars from those years using the officially licensed paint schemes and pace car graphics. The official Indianapolis 500 graphics were sent directly from the decal manufacturer to Fort Wayne, where they were applied to the cars at Tom Kelley Chevrolet before Busse took delivery.”

Examples of the pace cars are stored at the Indianapolis 500 museum and also at GM’s Heritage Center, in the Detroit area. Busse’s assemblage stands as the only complete set of Corvette pace car editions in private hands, and the opportunity it presents to bidders in Indianapolis is incredibly rare.

The collection will first be offered together as one complete set, however, if an acceptable offer of purchase is not received, each car will then be offered individually without reserve.

These are just some of the hundreds of vehicles that will be auctioned in Indianapolis, May 15-20, 2018. For more information check out Mecum.com.