12 Cars That Caught Our Eye at Mecum Houston 2025

Mecum Auctions has been coming to Houston since 2012, and the sale has since become a fixture of the spring auction season. While not as big Mecum’s spring mega-sale in Indianapolis, the H-town auction always brings a solid mix of classic and modern, sports cars and trucks, domestic and foreign.

The timing this year wasn’t exactly great, as the April 3-5 auction came right in the middle of tariff announcements and the widespread confusion and stock market chaos that followed. Bidding seemed noticeably softer in years past. There were some bargains as well as big no-sales throughout the weekend, but strong prices for some Ferraris, modern Corvettes and classic muscle cars stood out as well. We look at the most interesting and significant sales from Mecum Houston 2025 in detail below.

Lot F102: 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Lingenfelter Commemorative Edition Convertible

Sold for $39,600

Chassis no. 1G1YY36U365101030. Velocity Yellow over tan leather. Original, #2 condition.

Equipment: 427-cid/725hp twin-turbo V-8, six-speed, body kit, Brembo brakes, Michelin Pilot Sport tires, dual-zone climate control.

Condition: Represented as number two of 25 built, and with 4786 miles. Clean from top to bottom. Even the tan interior shows no real sign of use or age.

Bottom line: What. A. Deal. Including conversion and car, this package would have cost well over $100,000 … in 2006 money. And in 2006 performance, 725hp/730 lb-ft was an insane figure. It’s still insane in today’s world of Hellcats and GT500s, so getting that much speed in a bright yellow, limited-production sports car with negligible miles is remarkable. For reference, this isn’t much more than a base C6 convertible in this condition sells for, and it’s about 10 grand less than a Z06 (with “just” 505 hp) is worth.

Lot S139: 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429

Sold for $275,000

Chassis no. 0F02Z108228. Grabber Blue over white vinyl. Recent restoration, #2 condition.

Equipment: 429-cid/375hp V-8, four-speed with Hurst T-handle shifter, 3.91 Traction-Lok axle, Magnum 500 wheels, Goodyear Polyglas GT tires, front spoiler, power steering, power front disc brakes, Philco radio, dash clock.

Condition: Represented with 455 miles since restoration. The paint, chrome, interior, engine, and trunk all look fresh and clean, and nothing looks overdone.

Bottom line: Ford sold just 499 Boss Mustangs with its NASCAR-homologated 429 engine for 1970, but Boss 429s pop up with enough frequency at auction that they seem more common than that. This one, for example, sold a little over a year ago at Mecum Glendale. It brought $330,000. That was a strong but fair number in 2024, but the market is a little softer this year, and there wasn’t much enthusiastic bidding in Houston. This lower result, while surely disappointing for the seller, isn’t too surprising.

Lot F222: 1969 Nissan Patrol

Sold for $24,200

Chassis no. L6027606. Gray with white roof over black vinyl. Truck restoration, #3+ condition.

Equipment: 4.0-liter six-cylinder, floor shift three-speed manual, white wheels, Goodyear Wrangler tires, winch, two sets of fog lights on the bumper, dual mirrors, rear-mounted spare.

Condition: Not much history represented, but reportedly sold new in California, making it a fairly rare U.S. market Patrol. Older paint with some runs and orange peel. Cracked rubber around the rear windows. Tidy and looks restored underneath. Good, restored interior, other than a missing cover for the interior light and a missing cover for the steering column. A truck restoration for folks who like an FJ40 but want to be a little bit different.

Bottom line: Nissan sold the Patrol in the United States during the 1960s with a Nissan badge. That was probably a bit confusing since everything else Nissan sold in this country had a Datsun badge up until the mid-1980s. Patrols are a much rarer sight than their Toyota, Rover, and Jeep contemporaries, but not necessarily more valuable. This is a fair, if slightly high result given the condition and American specs.

Lot F230.1: 2005 Dodge Ram SRT-10 Yellow Fever Edition

Sold for $68,200

Chassis no. 3D3HA16H05G740080. Solar Yellow with black hood scoop over dark gray leather. Original, #2 condition.

Equipment: 506-cid/500hp Viper V-10, six-speed manual, alloy wheels, red calipers, Pirelli tires, fog lights, rear spoiler, factory CD stereo, window sticker.

Condition: Number 138 of 500 Yellow Fever Editions built, one of 200 in standard cab configuration, and showing 1506 miles. Clearly treated as a collectible since new.

Bottom line: Why Dodge decided to name a special edition of its V-10-powered “Viper truck” after a mosquito-borne virus and one of the deadliest diseases in human history isn’t really clear, but the Yellow Fever Edition is indeed very yellow, with a yellow center stack bezel, door spears, and interior stitching and embroidery. Other special editions of the SRT-10 included the VCA Edition (52 built), Commemorative Edition (200 built), and Night Runner (400 built). These typically command a premium of about 10 percent over a normal SRT-10, but the bidders went a little further on this one. It last sold at Mecum Monterey in 2018 for $56,100, and has accumulated just 57 miles since then.

Lot T75: 1931 Willys Whippet Sedan

Sold for $4400

Chassis no. 96A467900. Gray with black fenders and roof over brown interior. Visually maintained, largely original, #4- condition.

Equipment: 146-cid four-cylinder, floor shift three-speed, wood-spoke artillery wheels, pop-out windshield, woodrim steering wheel, suicide rear doors, interior courtesy light. 

Condition: In barn-find condition with little history represented other than a “tune-up” in 2023. Dilapidated, tired, and rusty, but not rotten, and it does look complete. This is not a noteworthy car in terms of style, equipment, performance, or design, but it is interesting in its obscurity and its rarity, demonstrating just how many different types of domestic cars there were in the United States in this period.

Bottom line: John North Willys’ take on a more European-style motorcar for the American public, the Whippet was smaller than a similar Ford or Chevy but also well-equipped and priced attractively. It even helped Willys-Overland briefly hit the number three spot in the U.S. sales charts in the late ’20s. “A year ahead—in style, safety, comfort,” boasted one ad from 1927. It failed to anticipate the Ford Model A, however, and by 1931, the Whippet brand was no more. Despite strong sales in period, Whippets are a very rare sight today. Restoring this one won’t be easy, and the seller here appears to have been eager to wash their hands of it. It sold at Mecum Houston last year for a surprising $15,950 but went at no reserve in the same place 12 months later for a fraction of that.

Lot S52: 1984 Datsun 300ZX Turbo 50th Anniversary

Sold for $26,400

Chassis no. JN1CZ14S8EX011091. Light Pewter and Thunder Black with gold graphics over black leather. Unrestored original, #3+ condition.

Equipment: 2960-cc/200hp V-6, 5-speed, alloy and gold wheels, Nitto tires, T-tops, factory cassette, power windows, air conditioning.

Condition: Represented with 33,320 miles. Original paint with some chips in the hood. Some scuffs on the wheels. Tidy underneath. Lightly worn leather and some dull interior plastic. A lightly used and mostly pampered late Datsun. One of a few different gimmicky limited edition Z-cars, but it’s cool and very of the period.

Bottom line: Known internally as the Z31 and powered by Japan’s first mass-produced V-6, the initial Nissan 300ZX lasted until 1989. Most wore Nissan badges, but this car sold as a Datsun during the gradual phaseout of the Datsun name, which lasted until 1986. The 50th Anniversary package, meanwhile, included embroidered seats and floor mats, ancillary gauges, an upgraded stereo, and in-car adjustable shocks in addition to the paint and body kit. About 5500 sold in North America, and today it’s comfortably the most valuable production Z31. A $26,400 final price is a fair number in this market, though the seller was probably hoping for a lot closer to $30K.

Lot T262.1: 1937 MG TA Midget

Sold for $27,500

Chassis no. TA1998. Red with black cloth top over red leather. Enthusiast restoration, #3 condition.

Equipment: RHD. 1292-cc/50hp four-cylinder, four-speed, painted wire wheels, Firestone tires, badge bar, banjo steering wheel, Jaeger gauges, rear-mounted spare.

Condition: Same owner from 1965 until last year. One of about 3000 built. Dull paint and chrome. Sound wheels and tires. Tidy maintained engine. Upholstery, door panels, dash, and gauges all look newer. Cracked leather around the handbrake boot. It’s unusual to see a British market prewar T-Series on this side of the pond, and this one is used but charming.

Bottom line: The MG TC of 1947 was the first MG most Americans ever laid eyes on, and it deservedly gets a lot of credit for getting this country interested in sports cars and road racing. That said, many U.S. servicemen would have seen earlier TAs and TBs while stationed in England during the ’40s, which is likely how this one made it here. The prewar T-Series are a bit narrower and slower than the postwar ones, but they’re quite similar in looks and performance. Price, too, it seems, as $27,500 is roughly what a later TC in this condition would normally bring.

Lot F27: 1988 Mazda RX-7 Convertible

Sold for $8250

Chassis no. JM1FC3513J0100826. Blue over blue leather. Unrestored original, #3 condition.

Equipment: 1308-cc/146hp rotary, five-speed, original BBS alloy wheels, BF Goodrich Advantage T/A tires, boot cover, factory cassette, power windows, air conditioning.

Condition: Showing 82,079 miles, represented with regular servicing and as a California car until ‘15. Original paint is holding up well but has some inevitable chips and blemishes in a few spots. Small chips in the windshield as well. Clean wheels. Brakes look newer. Impressively preserved interior other than the outer bolster on the driver’s seat, which is heavily worn. A used second-gen RX-7, but a well-kept one.

Bottom line: Mazda introduced its second-gen (aka “FC”) RX-7 for 1986. The styling aped the Porsche 944, but the FC was a significant update for the company’s signature rotary sports car, and a turbocharged model made it even more appealing. Then, in 1988 the first RX-7 convertible debuted. It was only available with the naturally aspirated engine in the U.S., however, and was soon far outshined by the happy, smiley face of the new-for-1989 Miata. Production lasted only until 1991, with about 22,000 built.

If you want a convertible with a rotary engine, an FC RX-7 is pretty much the only place to turn. Yet they don’t have a big following, and they don’t command much money. This price is spot-on for a driver-quality example and shows that there are still fun, interesting vintage sports cars out there for cheap.

Lot F7: 1987 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe

Sold for $24,200

Chassis no. 1G1GZ11G0HP118101. Black with red side stripes and graphics over burgundy cloth. Unrestored original, #3+ condition.

Equipment: 305-cid/180hp V-8, floor shift automatic, alloy wheels, Cooper Cobra tires, bucket seats, console, power windows, air conditioning, factory cassette.

Condition: Showing 18,776 miles, but looks like it’s seen more use than that. Swirls and detail scratches in the paint all over, and severe crazing on the hood and rear spoiler. A few blemishes on the left rear wheel. Some mild oxidation underneath. The interior, however, looks nearly perfect other than some scratches on the trim around the shifter. If it really is such a low-mile car, it could have been stored a lot more carefully. 

Bottom line: 1986 introduced the interesting Aerocoupe model, which had a Monte Carlo SS body but added a sloping rear glass and a small trunk spoiler. Only 200 were sold in order to homologate the body style for NASCAR, where the elongated rear window had an aerodynamic advantage. The Aerocoupe proved to be a popular choice in 1987, however, as over 6000 sold out of just over 39,000 total Monte Carlo SSs sold that year.

This one looks nice in the photos, and its low mileage is appealing, but the bidders weren’t fooled and put up #3+ condition money for a #3+ condition car.

Lot S221: 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi

Sold for $82,500

Chassis no. ZFFAA02A7C0039245. Rosso Corsa over black leather. Unrestored original, #3 condition.

Equipment: 2927-cc/214hp V-8, five-speed, alloy wheels, Michelin TRX tires, power windows, air conditioning, aftermarket CD head unit. 

Condition: Represented with recent service, including timing belt and water pump totaling over $23K. Showing 43,617 believable miles. Dull bumpers and tired but presentable paint. A few blemishes on the wheels. Very clean engine bay (it better be for $23K). Worn leather but decent interior overall. A driver, but at least it’s one that was recently sorted.

Bottom line: In the 308 hierarchy, this car comes in at the bottom. The targa-roof GTSs are typically worth less than their GTB coupe cousins, and the early fuel-injected cars like this are typically worth less than the first carbureted ones and the later four-valve (Quattrovalvole) 308s. But it’s still a Ferrari, and although 308s were worth comfortably under 50 grand back in the early 2010s, there’s simply no truly cheap way to get into a Ferrari anymore. This price is strong for a 308 GTSi in this condition, so the bidders were no doubt encouraged by that hefty recent service bill.

Lot S122: 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Convertible

Sold for $233,750

Chassis no. 1G1Y43D99K5801932. Black with black top over Kalahari leather. Original, #2 condition.

Equipment: 376-cid/755hp supercharged V-8, seven-speed manual, polished aluminum wheels, red calipers, ZTK Track Performance Package, 3ZR Premium Equipment Group, heated/ventilated power seats, dual-zone climate control, curb view cameras.

Condition: Represented with 3049 miles. Nothing to nitpick.

Bottom line: The colors and the wheels might not be to everyone’s liking, but as C7 ZR1s go, this car has pretty much everything going for it. It’s a rarer, more valuable convertible. It has the seven-speed manual and is well-optioned. It has very few miles. There were five C7 ZR1s on offer at Mecum Houston this year and this was deservedly the most expensive. As the top-spec version of the last front-engined, stick-shift Corvette, the long-term collectability of these ZR1s is essentially guaranteed.

Lot F164: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

Sold for $324,500

Chassis no. XX29L9B386563. Bright Red with black tail stripe over black vinyl. Recent restoration, #2- condition.

Equipment: 440-cid/375hp V-8, four-speed with Hurst shifter, Firestone red line tires, console, AM radio, A33 Track Pack, original broadcast sheet and owner’s manual. 

Condition: Restoration finished in 2022. Good paint. Uneven rubber around the windshield. Pitting on the front quarter window frames. Good interior with a few marks on the console. A solid but not quite perfect Daytona.

Bottom line: A far cry from the new EV Chargery Daytona, the original Charger Daytona (503 built) is significantly rarer than the Road Runner Superbird (about 2000 built) and worth a fair bit more as a result. Designed for the 1969 NASCAR season, it was only sold to the public out of necessity, but Daytonas and later Superbirds have since become high-tier pieces of collectible muscle. A handful of Hemi-powered Daytonas have even sold for seven figures in recent years, but for a four-speed 440-powered car in 2025, this result is about right.