Corvette Auction Preview: Mecum’s 2013 Bloomington Gold Auction

It’s the last full weekend in June which means one thing to Corvette enthusiasts – It’s Bloomington Gold weekend. That also means it’s time for the annual Mecum auction at Bloomington Gold. At last check there were just over 100 Corvettes consigned for this weekend’s sale in Champaign, Illinois. Mecum Bloomington Gold will take place this Saturday, June 29th on the Assembly Hall grounds on the University of Illinois campus as part of the Bloomington Gold Corvette show.

The Bloomington all-Corvette sale offers cars from the 1954 through 2010 model years. The breakdown by year looks like this: 15 C1’s, 34 C2’s, 31 C3’s, 12 C4’s, 4 C5’s, and 6 C6’s. Some of our favorite Corvettes rolling across the red carpet this weekend include the entombed 1954, a mean 1963 Drag Car, a green/saddle 1965 fuelie, and a Daytona Yellow 427/435 1969 convertible.

Some other significant offerings are a 1969 L89 coupe as well as 1967 VIN 007 which is being offered as a pair with an unrestored 1967 327/350 A/C coupe. There’s also Gus Grissom’s 1967 427/435 convertible.

It’s hard to pick our top 3 (or 4) Corvettes when we want to buy essentially all of the available cars this weekend, but here are a few more worthy of a closer look.

Lot S76 – 1957 Silver/Red 283/245 Convertible:
This stunning C1 is 1 of 65 Inca Silver Corvettes produced in 1957. In addition to the red interior it features a 283/245hp dual quad engine, 4-speed transmission, and a 3.55 rear gear. Other options include a heater, Wonderbar radio, emergency brake warning light, and the Y-50 mirror. A 3 ring binder full of documentation from the previous owner of 37 years is included in the sale.

Lot S50 – 1967 427/390 COPO Convertible:
Here’s a color combo you don’t see every day: Elkhart Blue paint with a Goodwood Green stinger and green interior. The NCRS Top Flight winner is documented with the tank sticker, an original journal from selling dealer (Smith Brothers of Hammond, IN) and owner history. The drivetrain consists of the L36 427/390hp engine attached to a M21 4-speed transmission with a 3.36 rear end. Other options include bolt-on wheels wrapped in Coker redline tires, AM/FM radio, and tinted glass.

Lot S87 – 1967 Yellow / Black 427/435 Convertible:
This NCRS Top Flight 1967 roadster was built March 29, 1967 and sold new by Clements Chevrolet in Rochester, MN. Power comes courtesy of the matching number 427/435 Tri-Power engine which is backed by a M21 4-speed manual transmission. Other options on the car include F41 suspension, hardtop, off-road exhaust, rally wheels with redline tires, AM/FM radio, and tinted glass.

Lot S84 – 1984 Coupe with Tri Coat Paint:
We don’t often feature 1984 Corvettes in our auction previews, but this one is truly unique. It’s 1 of 2 cars that we used to help develop tri-coat paint technology. The special hue, called Tri-Celeste, is documented with a 3 page plant trial report and R-M paint repair source contact. The build sheet also shows a hand written note for the special paint. The window sticker and copy of the original title go along with the sale.

Mecum’s Bloomington Gold auction begins at 12 noon central time on Saturday June 29th. There is no TV coverage, but you can catch all the action live via webcast on Mecum’s website. Stay tuned here for a full wrap up of the auction as well as the entire Bloomington Gold show coming next week.

Source:
Mecum Auctions

Related:
Entombed 1954 Corvette to be Auctioned at Mecum Kissimmee
Gus Grissom’s 1967 427 Corvette Sells at Russo & Steele
Gus Grissom’s 1967 Corvette Listed on eBay