The new year is looming and the collector car community is already buzzing about 2025. Which cars will be up? Which will be down? Will the market rebound? We are in a wildly unpredictable and variable market these days, but a traditional early indicator is Mecum’s 2025 Kissimmee Auction in Florida. In today’s Market Monday, I build on last week’s article by highlighting what I consider to be a handful of gems hiding within Mecum’s abundant Kissimmee catalog.

An impressive 3,000 lots have been consigned for Mecum’s 2025 Kissimmee Auction, and each of them will parade across the block two minutes-at-a-time starting January 7th. The auction action will run for 13 days, with the most anticipated cars rolling across the stage on Saturday, January 18th.

The Mecum catalog includes a plethora of impressive cars, from a Ferrari F40 to a pre-war Bugatti, but the bulk of the event will consist of American classics. Among the blue-chip collectibles and traditional classics are what I consider to be a handful of interesting acquisitions for the fellow contrarian — the collector who prizes something a little more unusual.

Often overlooked among 250GTs and Testarossas are classic Ferraris like the 212 Inter. Offered in 2+2 configuration as an option for the driver more interested in grand touring than racing, the 212 Inter Berlina nonetheless sported a V12 Columbo engine and perhaps some of the most beautiful, watch-like gauges I’ve seen. This particular example is 1 of 4 with this coachwork — and is a bit ungainly compared to the coupe — but makes up for it with more usable space. This car has been through the ringer at Mecum, failing to meet reserve 3 times in the last year. The house estimate is $500,000-600,000.

Though it gives the Ferrari a run for its money in the looks department, the Talbot-Lago T14LS is powered by a much more modest 4-cylinder engine delivering 120 horsepower. One of just 45 constructed, this is the last generation of Talbot-Lago cars with a factory-built engine. Later cars used a BMW-sourced lump and earned revised naming as a result. While the exterior design screams 1960s, the underpinnings dated to the 1930s which probably helps account for the Talbot-Lago’s lower relative values. This lovely blue coupe is estimated at $225,000-275,000.

Cutting a form similar to the much more expensive BMW 3.0CSL, this BMW 2800CS has been upgraded with a 3.6-liter engine inline six-cylinder engine from an E34 M5. The 311 horsepower the M5 engine generates should deliver much more spirited performance than the original mill. The car is beautifully restored and the engine improvements appear to have been done to a good standard. It was last offered on Bring a Trailer back in August and was a no-sale at $131,00. The house estimate is $200,000-250,000, a far cry from the $50,000 average for a stock 2800CS. Are outlaw BMWs as desirable as modified Porsches? This sale may provide the answer.

Normally a Jaguar series 2 E-type Roadster wouldn’t merit a specific call-out, but any car with a Le Mans movie connection is worthy of note. In this case, it’s an E-type Jag gifted by Steve McQueen to the chef who worked on the Solar Productions film in the early 1970s. The average value for a 1970 Jaguar E-type Roadster is $64,000. This car was offered in 2022 at Bonhams’ Monaco sale where it was sold for $113,771, a significant premium due to its as-original condition and provenance.

Rabbit Pickups, called the Caddy in the rest of the world, are usallly the kind of car you see sold on Craigslist and not at a major auction house sale like Mecum. Values for these early Volkswagens have been on the rise, however, especially for the pickup variant. As an added boost to the value, this one’s a diesel. Guided at an astonishing $20,000-30,000, this particular car is betting big on enthusiasm going up. Believe it or not, the average price for a Caddy is now $14,000, so it’s not that far off. While it’s a clean bunny, given this car’s higher miles and modifications from stock, I think it brings average and not top-dollar money in January.

There’s a lot of market optimism going into 2025, and the Mecum sale will be the first indication of where collector car values may be heading on a macro level. It’s important to recognize that the auto enthusiast market is enormous and what is true for the market overall, may not be the same at the individual vehicle level.

Additionally, economic and political movements will almost certainly influence the tone of the buying community, and those factors are likely…unpredictable. It’s going to be an interesting year!

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisals, and auction services for buyers and sellers of collector European cars. If you’re interested in acquiring an overseas car, give us a call or drop a line!