Over the past eight weeks, Mecum has held six large-scale live actions around the country resulting in more Ethan 2,700 vehicles sold for a total of $75.5 million in overall sales and a sell-through rate of 83 percent. The Houston event contributed to 442 of the 2,700 vehicle sales.
The vehicles that commanded the top dollars in Houston included an antique truck, a vintage Land Rover Defender, and a number of exotics. But perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was the 2013 Ford E350 Sportsmobile (Lot S180), which went for $176,000.
Ford updated the Econoline for the 1992 model year. In its fourth generation, the Blue Oval offered the model in passenger and cargo van variants in addition to cutaway chassis configurations. Like Ford’s pickup trucks, the vans were available in 150, 250, 350, 450, and 550 models. Three engines were originally available, a straight-six, V6, and V10. The For Transit replaced the Econoline in the company’s lineup after 2015.
The just-sold E350 Sportsmobile has a 6.8-liter V10 engine under the hood that is paired with an automatic transmission. It has Dynatrac Pro Rock 60 front axles, Ranch XL 9000 shocks, Betts springs, an Atlas II gear-driven transfer case with 10 forward gears and two reverse gears, F550 rotors, and Warn premium hubs. The rig rides on 17-inch wheels wrapped in 33-inch tires.
Its body is blue and its interior is tan. The cabin also features a pop-up roof, sink, microwave, refrigerator, pantry, multiple screens, and a custom stereo system that can be connected to via HDMI and Bluetooth. There’s also an outdoor shower and air compressor.
The van gets its power from a 46-gallon fuel tank and solar power connections. It also has a generator box.
