Classic Cars, Old Memories and Forgiveness at Mecum’s First Nashville Auction
It was a pleasure to meet Dave Magers, CEO of Mecum Auctions, as the company brought its inaugural Nashville collector car auction to Nashville Superspeedway. Magers has led Mecum since 2013 and brings more than 40 years of experience to the role.
I was proud to cosponsor the legislation that helped make this first Mecum auction in Tennessee possible. The Sept. 22–26 event features an estimated 1,750 collector vehicles scheduled to cross the auction block, with 17 distinctive collections showcasing everything from early automobiles to muscle cars and modern supercars.
While a formal county-by-county economic-impact study has not yet been publicly released, Mecum’s five-day Nashville auction is expected to bring significant visitor spending to Middle Tennessee. Wilson County is positioned to receive the most direct benefit as host county, while Davidson and Rutherford counties stand to benefit from hotel, restaurant, entertainment, transportation and retail spending connected to the more than 1,700 collector vehicles and out-of-market visitors the auction attracts.
Around Lebanon and the speedway, Rutherford County that spending also includes fuel, local labor, vehicle transport, venue-related expenses and other services. The full impact remains to be measured, but the event presents a welcome opportunity for local businesses.
During the conversation with Dave I shared the story of selling my first car at 16. I worked for $1.50 an hour at 13-15 years of age walking to the Omni Hut Restaurant to restore it. The paint job cost $300, the Cragar custom wheels cost $60, and reupholstering the front seats cost another $75. I later sold that car for a $1,000 profit—a pretty exciting business venture for a teenager!
I told him that the legendary historian Marty Luffman, once ran me out of his State Farm office when I was 17 and I was looking for insurance for my red 1968 Camaro. Back then, I swore I’d get revenge.
Years later, Marty walked into our former car business, and I thought my opportunity had finally arrived. I was ready to borrow a line from my late father, a World War II veteran: “Don’t let that door hit you in the @$$ on the way out!”
…. I then paused and thought about what my Scotch-Irish Catholic mother would do. I chose to forgive him.
Forgiveness is often difficult—just sayin’.
That’s part of what makes a collector car event special. The cars bring back memories of our first jobs, youthful ambitions and lessons learned along the way.
Auction highlights include the Roush Automotive Collection, Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Collection and the Steve Meadows MSM Global Collection. A 1,064-horsepower 2026 Aston Martin Valhalla is also among the standout offerings.
Live coverage on ESPN+ runs Sept. 24–26. For event details, visit Mecum dot com or call 262-275-5050.
