[rcooled]

I went to the Mecum auction last year at Monterey. I agree that the Mecums look like a couple of hayseeds, but they're running a pretty slick operation. They put on around a dozen auctions a year...and that's only for cars & trucks. They also do motorcycle and tractor auctions too.
The atmosphere in the tent is like a three-ring circus with all the yelling back & forth and theatrics, but it seems to work for them. They move a lot of cars across the block...some of their bigger auctions will feature more than a thousand cars...mostly American classics, muscle cars, and resto-mods. It can take a couple of hours just to walk thru the preview lot. It was a surprise to see that many of the behind-the-scenes guys pushing cars around and stuff look like they're on a work furlough from the local prison system.
I enjoy the Gooding and RM auctions much more...both for the type and quality of cars, and their more low-key presentations.