1956 Mercury XM-Turnpike Cruiser concept car at auction - January 14, 2023

[@DionicioThomas-qd6ns]

Thank you maruska for restoring this piece of art and history

[@tallboyyyy]

I remember your video of rescuing this car. It looked like a basket case. From where it was then to how it looks now in just a few short years is shocking. Hats off to Tom for a masterful restoration. This is the second video I've seen in a couple weeks of people having bad luck selling at Mecum. OsbornTramain had really bad luck selling his car there. He found them very unprofessional and turned down a higher bid so "their guy" could get the car cheap.

[@tomc8617]

Here's some news I just now found regarding the later selling of this car in Florida... "Four different parties contacted him, expressing interest in the Mercury concept car after the unsuccessful auction, and two made what he believed were acceptable offers. Maruska didn’t want to go into details, saying the vehicle sold for “an undisclosed amount” to the American Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne, Florida. When asked if the sale broke the $1 million mark, he said: “It didn’t make $1 million, but it got close enough that I was happy with it.” Maruska also expressed his pleasure that the car went to a museum, where it will be on public display, rather than sitting mostly out of sight in a private collection. Another plus is that a private sale not involving an auction house will save both the buyer and seller 10% commission fees, even as the vehicle makes a return trip to Florida in an enclosed trailer. ..." www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/minnesota/minnesota-man-sells-one-of-a-kind-1956-mercury-concept-car-to-florida-museum

[@AmusedDaffodils-mz5rw]

I love that car if i had the money i would have bid top dollar

[@leonardwalton6668]

I think the best way to sale this kind of car is. To sale it out West! Like California or Nevada etc. Because it’s a time period car that goes along with Mid century houses and designs. This car has a lot of class. One of kind car and not designed by a computer. Designed by human beings. If I had the money I would buy it. Because you will stand out in chic automotive design of the past future! 😎

[@Volterrific]

Agreed! Wrong auction, but it worked out after the auction. The car was sold to a museum in Florida.

[@kendelray9328]

That was an insult considering earlier in the day some guy gave 1.3 mil for a Nascar Superbird. Plus, they didn't present it well in my opinion. Its introduction was too short with no info to its history. Personally, Id still like to see Ford step up and buy it for display in The Henry Ford

[@Volterrific]

Agreed. Mecum fell way short. That car has historical significance, and deserved a more rousing introduction. I think it was not the right venue. 4,200 cars, heavy emphasis on muscle, European sports cars, customs, exotics. In other words, the wrong audience. Playing Beethoven to a country music crowd, oil and water don’t mix, etc. A more receptive crowd might be at the smaller and more chic Bonhams auction coming up in Scottsdale. This was a slap in the face to the seller, a bitter pill. He will find the right buyer.

[@caribman10]

Like anything, it is only "worth" what someone wil pay for it, period.

[@ziggyschumann5284]

Yes, that intro was pretty. pretty bad. She has a voice which pains my ears.

[@wwrunk5551]

Dang. Not nearly enough. I dream somehow that the car could show up at Auburn 2023 IMOA meet.

[@TairnKA]

It's ridiculous that the bidding dropped from 500K down to 300K, how is that possible (suspicious)?

[@EricSmith32505]

The bidding didn’t lower, they started out with a high opening offer and then lowered the amount until somebody actually made a legitimate opening bid

[@billsmetal]

The way the car was announced was just ridiculous.. The announcer had no idea about what she was reading off, or the significance of the car. I've followed the restoration of this car since I first heard Tom had bought it. This car is worth well over a Million Dollars.. How the bidding went from 500,000 then back to 300,000 was really weird.. As tallboyyy below said, I also noticed them "Steering the bid" on some of the other cars toward certain bidders.. Regardless of all of that, I'm still surprised that buyers who would know the significance of the XM-Turnpike Cruiser wouldn't have been in Kissimmee prepared to buy it. It did go to auction pretty quickly after it's restoration. So magazines like Hemmings didn't get to publish that it would be in Kissimmee, even though they had featured the restoration earlier. Tom's work is known around the world. Bonhams may be a better venue. With more lead time ahead of the sale..

[@Volterrific]

Even better if the car sells privately without auction shenanigans and fat commissions.

[@tomc8617]

Here's some news I just now found regarding the later selling of this car in Florida... "Four different parties contacted him, expressing interest in the Mercury concept car after the unsuccessful auction, and two made what he believed were acceptable offers. Maruska didn’t want to go into details, saying the vehicle sold for “an undisclosed amount” to the American Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne, Florida. When asked if the sale broke the $1 million mark, he said: “It didn’t make $1 million, but it got close enough that I was happy with it.” Maruska also expressed his pleasure that the car went to a museum, where it will be on public display, rather than sitting mostly out of sight in a private collection. Another plus is that a private sale not involving an auction house will save both the buyer and seller 10% commission fees, even as the vehicle makes a return trip to Florida in an enclosed trailer. ..." www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/minnesota/minnesota-man-sells-one-of-a-kind-1956-mercury-concept-car-to-florida-museum

[@KaroshiSalad2000s]

Auction Narrators Are Annoying Aren't They?

[@tomc8617]

Absolutely! But I suspect that it's intentional, as a means of screwing up people's concentration so that they'd do something they might not otherwise.

[@jathawk101]

There is no other and I would not let it go for less than 3 million…….

[@vanpenguin22]

Don't slow down the playback speed. The auctioneer sounds like he's suffering a heart attack 25% speed

[@etravix]

Owner sold it to the American Muscle Car museum in Florida. He said it did not present well at the auction. He got a much higher price price.

[@caribman10]

Yeah, how much was that?

[@devengudinas1649]

He has it on center display.

[@hectorraigosa7149]

Should've just kept it.. not worth selling for those peanuts. This cars worthy of a millions... all those camaros, chevelles, Mopars ain't worth the prices being paid.. amount of cars available are off the charts.

[@Volterrific]

He sold it privately after the auction for the right price.

[@sll-tt6bj]

For sure one of a kind

[@StevenMilne-sm4fk]

That’s an insult,there’s only one.

[@caribman10]

The narrator here was terrible. Pretty funny hearing the barker trying to start out at a million, though. Did it actually sell?

[@Volterrific]

The car sold a few weeks after the auction to a museum in Florida. The auction was terrible, the wrong venue for that car. But the car got exposure that eventually led to the sale.

[@safetymikeengland]

I can't believe that car went so cheap.

[@Volterrific]

It didn’t go cheap. It didn’t sell. That auction was the wrong audience for this special historically significant masterpiece.

[@devengudinas1649]

It went to a museum in Florida. Maybe he did a deal after

[@stevegursky8149]

That car was worth more than that considering the current market.... enough said.

[@miaimbeach314]

I would give 10 mil for that car.

[@HiFiasco]

That thing sold for nothing considering all the work that went into the restoration.

[@markpfeifer1402]

Mecum 👎