Fort Worth\u2019s Dickies Arena recently roared to life with the sound of engines, gavel strikes, and excited chatter \u2014 the Mecum Dallas\/Fort Worth Auto Auction had arrived. After stepping inside \u2014 it\u2019s impossible not to be swept up in the spectacle: Chevys, Fords, and even Harleys gleamed under bright lights, each car a prize, each hammer fall a story.\u00a0For enthusiasts, this four-day auction, held from October 29 to November 1, was part auction, part car show, and part history lesson all in one.<\/p>\n
For me, it was the 1970 Plymouth Superbird that stole the show \u2014 its signature nose cone and racing stripes practically vibrating under the arena lights. Valued well past 200k, it was a reminder that some cars are more than machines; they\u2019re monuments. Growing up, I spent 17 years on a car lot with my dad, who specialized in American muscle. Walking the auction floor, I realized how much of that upbringing had become second nature: a knack for spotting the right lines, the right angles, the right car that could change hands for a small fortune in a matter of minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An estimated 1,500 vehicles crossed the block, including five private collections. Collector favorites ranged from a 1986 Porsche 930 Turbo to 38 Camaros \u2014 including a rare 1969 Nickey Camaro Stage III and a classic 1969 Z28 \u2014 as well as pickups from a 1937 Chevrolet Custom to a 2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty Custom. The auction streamed live on ESPN+ and Mecum.com over four days, making it a nationwide spectacle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among the private collections, Jack Shewmaker\u2019s assemblage stood out \u2014 pickups spanning the 1910s through the 1960s and a 1947 Frazer Manhattan Sedan, representing a life spent innovating at Walmart. The Tom Katinic Collection brought Hollywood to Texas: a 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake from \u201cDeadpool 2\u201d and \u201cThe Interview,\u201d a 1969 Mercury Cougar from \u201cSupernatural\u201d and \u201cBad Times at the El Royale,\u201d and dozens more. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Pulling back the curtain behind the auction block revealed the precision and choreography behind each sale. Mecum\u2019s Chief Operating Officer,\u00a0Sam Murtaugh, described the process like a touring rock concert. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything fits in our trucks the way we need it, so we can arrive, set up, and if we can get this place ready in a day, we\u2019re onto the next show two days later,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The operation runs like clockwork, from check-in to vehicle inspection, staging, and detailing \u2014 a nearly 200-person crew ensuring every car looks its best under the lights. And this year, just so happened to be Mecum\u2019s first in Cowtown. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Murtaugh laughed when asked about the Mecum crew. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to have good people. People who are committed to doing what it takes. That\u2019s what makes this work. It\u2019s a family-owned business, and we treat every car like it\u2019s our own,\u201d he said, recalling decades of auctions, some small and chaotic, others commanding millions in bids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the floor, first-time buyers Dustin Ratliff and Evan Purvis embodied that thrill and chaos.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cIt was pretty cool,\u201d Ratliff said, \u201ca little hectic. I had 13 cars I came to look at.\u201d Finding them, however, was another story. \u201cYou\u2019re better off standing right where they come on the line and going across,\u201d Purvis added. Their initial plan was modest \u2014 \u201cEvan isn\u2019t a car guy. He doesn\u2019t like spending money,\u201d Ratliff admitted \u2014 but after ten beers, they walked out with eight cars, a motorcycle, and a Hummer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The highlight for Ratliff? A 1957 Ranchero. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy granddad had one. I didn\u2019t get to ride with him, but I knew it was a cool car \u2014 something he probably wouldn\u2019t have bought. Maybe for baling hay, I don\u2019t know. But I got it, and it felt right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bidding itself is a performance. David Morton, senior communications manager for Mecum, explained the auction sequence: cars are grouped strategically to maintain momentum. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSpectators want to see cars sell,\u201d he said. \u201cWe throw in the higher-priced cars every so often to get people excited. We want the energy up, not the frustration.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
When the gavel comes down, ownership is legally transferred \u2014 a system built on trust, handshake agreements, and decades of experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the end of the weekend, Mecum Dallas\/Fort Worth had delivered a masterclass in American automotive culture. The top-selling lots included two 2006 Ford GTs \u2014 one fetching $632,500 and the other $484,000 \u2014 a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06\/NO3 Tanker coupe at $418,000, a 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster at $390,500, and (my fave) \u2014 the 1970 Plymouth Superbird \u2014sold at $363,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Walking out of Dickies Arena, engines still echoing in the cavernous space, it\u2019s clear that Mecum Auctions is more than a marketplace. It\u2019s a celebration of craftsmanship, legacy, and the thrill of the hunt \u2014 where buyers, sellers, and spectators alike connect to the cars they love and the memories they cherish.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Morton put it, \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s about giving people a chance to see these incredible machines, appreciate the history behind them, and be part of something that\u2019s bigger than any single car \u2014 it\u2019s about family, passion, and the joy of the auction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fort Worth\u2019s Dickies Arena recently roared to life with the sound of engines, gavel strikes, and excited chatter…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":353075,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,12043,38545,5673,33108,172685,419,185,52457,2576,7371,7372,10763,5921,358,7453,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-353074","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arts-and-culture","10":"tag-auction","11":"tag-auto","12":"tag-automobiles","13":"tag-autoshow","14":"tag-cars","15":"tag-celebrities","16":"tag-dickies-arena","17":"tag-event","18":"tag-fort-worth","19":"tag-fortworth","20":"tag-stephen-montoya","21":"tag-style","22":"tag-texas","23":"tag-top-story","24":"tag-tx","25":"tag-united-states","26":"tag-united-states-of-america","27":"tag-unitedstates","28":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","29":"tag-us","30":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115486967285243587","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}