Houston auction features Charlie Thomas car collection
Mecum Auctions is coming back to Houston this month to auction off another amazing group of classic vehicles that could make any collector drool. Starting Thursday, April 9th and continuing through Saturday evening, Dana Mecum and his talented team take over NRG Park and will be bringing an astonishing number of classics to the auction block in Houston this time around.
Last year’s landmark event featured the sale of a 1964 Ford GTO Prototype that was secured by a top bid of $7 million and Mecum is excited to come back to town and bring another great line up to one of his favorite classic car communities.
This year, the Mecum auctions are featuring forty six vehicles from one of the communities’ most avid and beloved local collectors. Charlie Thomas is a name known to most Houston area folks due to his expansive car dealership groups and his history as owner of the Houston Rockets in the 1980s and 1990s, but to those who follow classic cars, he is a legendary and knowledgeable collector
With more than just an eye for looks, Thomas prides himself in keeping all of the rides in his vast collection in top-working order, insisting that they all are “perfect drivers” and not just relying on their looks. With many of his collection actually qualifying as “100 point” cars, he keeps them not just in good condition, but in top-notch, factory-correct original condition, and he loves to take them out on the road.
With such an amazing array of vehicles from almost every make, model and era, keeping the fleet in that top notch shape takes quite a bit of both money and work. Thomas has been “thinning the herd” in the past couple years, as John Kraman, the director of Consignment for Mecum said, as he is still an active collector, with a ranch in Columbus full of his beloved favorites, as well as several at his dealerships in Galveston.
Kraman, who is also a commentator analyst for the Mecum Auctions’ broadcasts on NBC Sports Network, said that it is truly a joy to “be able to work with someone as astute a collector as Charlie, with an eye for the best of the best.”
Some of the best of this collection’s offerings include: a 1957 Ford Thunderbird F-Code, one of just 211 made; a rare 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe; and a 1959 DeSoto Adventurer.
The Charlie Thomas collection, of forty five cars and trucks and one boat, is expected to fetch well over $2 million at next week’s auction.
While the auction certainly welcomes bidders, with cars expected to sell for a wide range of prices from $10,000 on up to north of $200,000, you definitely don’t need to be a buyer or seller to attend, as the event is very welcoming to specta- tors.
This year the Mecum team also added a 53-inch hauler to the show, where guests can be immersed in the “Mecum experience”.
For more information about the Charlie Thomas collection or about purchasing tickets to the show, visit www.mecum.com.