“We didn’t make as much as we should have, but it was still a profitable deal. ... It was the right time with the economy being the way it is,” Mershon said, from the Houston airport as he made his way back to Springfield from the auction Monday, Aug. 17.
That deal just happened to set a record for the highest price paid for an American car at public auction, according to a Mecum release.
The car was sold to a private collector in Cincinnati who Mershon has been friends with for years, he said. Mershon would not divulge the buyer’s name or the original amount paid for the classic.
When the car appeared at the 2009 Mecum Spring Classic car auction in Indianapolis, Mershon told the News-Sun that he and his partners were hoping to set a record between $10 million and $15 million.
During the May event, bidding stalled at $6.8 million, so the Shelby’s owners decided to take the car off the auction block.
The car is one of only six built by Carroll Shelby in 1965 to compete against Ferrari in the World Manufacturer’s Championship for the GT race class.
Staff writer Michael Cooper contributed to this story.
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