The Steve Todhunter collection of 20 fine sports and performance cars, ranging from seven low-mileage late-model Ferraris to a 1965 Shelby 427 Cobra FAM once owned by the late actor Paul Walker, will be presented by Mecum Auctions during its Glendale, Arizona, sale from March 18 to 20.
Mecum expects 1,200 collector vehicles to cross the block during its third annual auction at State Farm Stadium, where the Arizona Cardinals play their NFL home games. The sale will be held live onsite with pandemic restrictions including mandatory face masks and social distancing.
Among the American muscle cars is a 1969 Dodge Daytona, a winged warrior with superspeedway aerodynamics powered by a 440/375-horsepower Magnum V8, and one of just 92 examples produced with 4-speed manual transmissions.
Other classic muscle cars include a matched set of 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 fastbacks, one in Grabber Blue and the other in Grabber Green.
The 427 Cobra, chassis number CSX 1010, is painted bright red with a tan interior and is one of two FAM edition cars built by AC Cars of England, which supplied the Ace sports car bodies and chassis for the original Shelby Cobras. FAM is derived from Carroll Shelby’s famous exclamation, “Ferrari’s ass is mine!” that he reputedly said after losing the 1964 World Manufacturers Championship to the Italian racing team.
CSX 1010 has a rolled aluminum body with FAM 427 Special Edition badges in place of the Cobra’s customary emblems. The car’s value could be boosted by its past ownership by Walker, the co-star of the Fast and Furious movie franchise, who was killed in a crash in 2013.
The cars from Todhunter’s collection are in superb condition, Mecum noted, with an emphasis on high-performance examples. His Ferrari group comprises special models from 1992 through 2018, each with exceptionally low mileage.
Another late-model exotic is a purpose-built 2006 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, one of just 14 examples of the America supercar and with just 1,167 miles on its odometer.
“Not only is Todhunter a car collector, he is perhaps the quintessential example of such and a man with an eye for evolution,” Mecum noted in a news release. “From the humble horsepower heavyweights of the golden era of muscle to the rarest of the Mopar machines and, ultimately, to Ferrari, Todhunter’s preference for powerful and impressive automobiles has followed a path of development focused on quality over quantity.”
For more information about Mecum’s Arizona sale, visit the auction website.
