MUSCLE
The Steven Juliano Estate Collections were divided into two parts, one for his automotive collection and the other for Road Art. Juliano’s Sun-
fire Yellow 1969 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S 340 Mod Top shocked the world by bringing $400,000 on Friday afternoon. The 10 percent com-
mission for a Reserve auction brought the total price tag to $440,000 for the buyer. Expect a run of floral-print material sales at Jo-Ann Fabrics
and Crafts.
Juliano’s 1967 Shelby 427 S/C (Semi-Competition) Cobra, CSX3042, earned the highest selling bid of the auction at $2,860,000. The Cobra has
just 10,760 original miles and a rock-solid history of five owners since new. Juliano perfected CSX3042 to the point where it is considered by
many to be the finest 427 S/C Cobra in existence.
The only 1970 426 Hemi Challenger R/T built with a factory sunroof was the final restoration done under Juliano’s supervision before he
passed away. It featured original sheetmetal and drivetrain, and the concours restoration was performed using only original or N.O.S. parts. The
Hemi car sold for $660,000 after fees.
32 SEPTEMBER 2019
An Auction
Mecum’s Spring Classic Spotlights
Steven Juliano Collections
D
ana Mecum’s 32nd Original
Spring Classic Auction at the
Indianapolis State Fairgrounds
proved to be an event for the
ages. A Mecum auction is not so much a
traveling circus that rolls into town for a
weekend as it is a semi-portable, bustling
automotive theme park with rides and at-
tractions for all ages.
To those who say the car hobby is in de-
cline, Mecum Auctions would say that they
missed the memo. A total of 1,189 vehicles
sold at the 2019 Original Spring Classic
in May. That number translated to an all-
time-high Indy auction total sales figure
of $70.4 million. Those statistics certainly
By Arvid Svendsen“The collector
car market is
gaining in
popularity,
profitability,
and passion”
help make the case that the collector car
market is gaining in popularity, profitabil-
ity, and passion.
This year’s Indy Mecum Auction was
dominated by the presence of the Steven
Juliano Estate Collections. The Rapid Tran-
sit cars, the Cobras, the one-of-one 1970
Hemi Challenger sunroof car, the Mod Top
Barracuda, and the other cars present at
Indy were only a sampling of the incred-
ible cars Juliano had found, restored, or
acquired over decades of living the muscle
car hobby. His exacting standards for qual-
ity, insistence on N.O.S. parts, and demand
for authenticity inspired scores of automo-
tive enthusiasts.The Steven Juliano Road Art exhibit
was met with great enthusiasm at Indy.
Juliano’s assemblage of Mopar, Shelby, and
Ford artwork, advertising, promotional
items, souvenirs, banners, and memora-
bilia was arguably unrivaled by any other
collector in the business. In the words of
my buddy Mike Ardito, Mecum’s Chief
Supervisor of Mechanical Operations and
Innovations (I made up that title), “Without
question, this year’s Indy was highlighted
by the Steven Juliano Estate Collection.
The quality and exclusivity of both the
cars and the memorabilia items were over-
whelming. Almost everything from the
Juliano collection exceeded expectations.