Every classic car has a story, and automotive stories abound at Mecum Auctions. This year, Mecum rolls into the Las Vegas Convention Center with vehicles of legend, including a Packard that Bugsy Siegel may have traveled in on the way to the Flamingo and a neoclassic Stutz that Elvis Presley gifted to his personal physician. High-end cars by Pantera, Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz just scratch the surface of the wonders Mecum’s white-gloved handlers will be easing onto the auction block.
The 1933 Packard Twelve Sedan Limousine may be the most prestigious prize among Mecum’s offerings this year. Owner Bob Bright obtained it at auction in 1992 while it was on display at Main Street Station in Downtown Las Vegas. He subsequently loaned it to the Tropicana for its Las Vegas Mob Experience attraction, adding a black-and-maroon touch of class to the seminal Strip property.
The sale of the car made the news. “I bought it when Main Street Station went bankrupt,” says Bright. “They had an auction of all their properties, which included the car that they claimed to be Bugsy Siegel’s car.”
Main Street Station had the luxurious Packard on display for many years during a time that Bright was cleaning up at blackjack tables. Casinos blacklisted Bright due to his “advantage player” card-counting skills by the 1980s, making him a de facto modern-day Vegas outlaw. The three-speed manual transmission limousine, with auction documents that identify it as “Bugsy’s Packard,” gave him a connection to Sin City’s past as he withdrew from having an active casino floor presence.
A 1971 Stutz Blackhawk provides another automotive connection to Vegas history. Like Packard, Stutz built its reputation in the early days of the auto industry, but its revival in the ’70s resulted in the Blackhawk becoming a favorite among entertainers such as Lucille Ball, Evel Knievel, Presley and Frank Sinatra. The King owned several and is pictured driving a 1973 model into Graceland hours before his death. Presley reportedly struggled with Sinatra to obtain the first Blackhawk to roll off the assembly line in 1970 and won.
The rules for winning at Mecum are a lot more straightforward than whatever maneuvers Presley used to outwit Sinatra. The big, black, decked-out V-8 Stutz will go the highest bidder, as will a gorgeous Magma Beam Orange 2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Black Series with 197 miles on the odometer. The performance Mercedes features a hand-crafted AMG Bi-Turbo 4.0L V-8 engine rated at 720 horsepower, a seven-speed transmission and black leather interior with orange stitching.
For sheer design beauty, a 2017 Lamborghini Aventador SV LP750-4 sparkles with a “Glittered Blu Sideris” exterior that becomes a blur thanks to its naturally aspirated 6.5L 12-cylinder engine. A rare red Dodge Daytona, a Chevrolet Camaro Z28 and a high-performance COPO Camaro create a trifecta of 1969 muscle cars, but there’s much more to bid on at Mecum.
Just please don’t, for any reason, lean back against any of the cars. Please.
Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Road, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 10-12, advance tickets start at $20 plus tax and fee; $30 day-of-event. mecum.com
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