Z11 Engine Brings $20,000 at Mecum Auction

The famous Ford 4-cam Indy engine drew a bid of $60,000 but it wasn’t enough to lift the consignor’s reserve price at the Mecum auction.

A numbers-correct retro build of a 1963 427 Chevy Z11 engine brought $20,000 at the recent Mecum Kissimmee auction, but $60,000 wasn’t enough to remove the reserve on a historic Ford 4-cam Indy engine.

The Z11 came from the extensive Don Fezell’s parts collection that saw dozens of rare and often still-in-the box parts for high-performance Chevy, Ford and Mopar engines. Numerous complete and partially finished engines were available, some at quite the bargain, from the collection. In addition to the Fezell offerings, other consignors put up display engines, including a Hemi coffee table that sold for $17,000. A Ford Flathead display engine complete with stand sold for $6,000, and another Hemi display engine dropped the hammer at $10,000.

Two views of the high-selling Z11 engine that brought $20,000.

A Hemi coffee-table display engine brought $17,000.

A couple of other sales were notable, including $14,000 for a 1963 Corvette 327/360 fuelie engine mounted on a stand. This motor was highly detailed with the Winters aluminum intake, 7-fin valve covers and chromed ignition shielding.

The Fezell collection stood out because of the emphasis on Z11 parts and other W-series parts along with rare Ford 428 Cobra Jet parts and plenty of big-block Mopar pieces from the ’60s. The strongest prices were for numbers correct cylinder heads, carburetors and even fan blades as collectors sought replacement parts for their restorations. Even some parts such as valve covers and intake manifolds drew good prices, some of which probably will end up as displays on garage walls.

More display engines sold include, from left, an Offy for $3,000; a Hemi on a turnstile for $10,000; and a Ford Flathead with a tri-Stromberg Offy intake for a $6,000

This ’63 Fuelie engine sold for $14,000.

Notable engines that sold include, from left, a '67 Chevy 350/295 for $3,500; '66 Chevy L36 427ci for $5,000; '65 409 JA-code for $7,000; '63 409/409 for $10,000

Not all were Chevy engines. From left, a Pontiac 421ci Super Duty engine for $8,000; a '66 Ford/Shelby 289 for $2,700; a '67 Pontiac 400 engine for $1,300.

Some notable engine sales include:

$11,000–1965 Chevy 396/425 engine
$10,000–1963 Chevy 409/409 engine
$8,000–Pontiac 421 Super Duty engine
$7,000–1965 Chevy 409 engine
$5,000–1966 Chevy L36 427 engine
$2,750–1966 Chevy 396/325 engine
$2,100–1966 Chevy 327ci engine
$3,500–1967 Chevy 350/295 engine
$1,300–1967 Pontiac 400 engine
$1,400–1957 Chevy 283 engine
$1,500–Unknown year Chevy 454 engine
$4,200–1963 Ford 427 short block
$1,300–1966 Chevy 283 engine
$1,600–1967 Chevy 327 engine
$2,700–1966 Ford/Shelby 289 engine
$1,600–1969 Mopar 440 engine

Dozens of rare, NOS and original parts were available. From left, 409 valve covers for $1,500; Z11 2-piece intake manifold and carburetors for $5,200; Hemi magnesium intake manifold for $1,400; Ford 427 carburetors for $1,600.