A selection of historically significant race and road cars from the Roush Automotive Collection will cross the block at Mecum’s inaugural Nashville auction this September, marking the first time vehicles from Jack Roush’s private reserve have been publicly offered for sale.
Held at Nashville Superspeedway from 23-26 September, the sale coincides with the 50th anniversary celebrations of Roush Industries, the engineering and motorsport operation founded by Jack Roush in 1976. Over the past five decades, Roush has become one of the defining names in American racing, particularly through its long association with Ford in NASCAR, IMSA and Trans-Am competition.
The collection itself has been assembled over 38 years and contains more than 150 vehicles alongside race-winning engines, memorabilia and engineering artefacts documenting Roush’s influence across modern American motorsport. Mecum has now confirmed that a number of the collection’s most important cars will form the centrepiece of the Nashville auction.
Among the headline entries is a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback, described as one of Jack Roush’s personal favourites. Chassis KK No. 1429 features a 460 cubic-inch Pro Stock V8 engine built by Roush himself and reflects the company’s longstanding connection with Ford’s most extreme muscle-car programmes.
Equally significant is the 1995 Ford Mustang Cobra IMSA GTS-1 racer known as ‘Nobody’s Fool’. Built by Roush Racing as chassis No. 23, the car achieved class victory and third overall at the 1995 Rolex 24 at Daytona in the hands of Paul Newman, Tommy Kendall and Mark Martin. Carrying sponsorship linked to Newman’s film Nobody’s Fool, the Mustang has become one of the more recognisable American endurance racers of the era.
Another standout competition car is the 1997 Ford Mustang Cobra Trans-Am machine driven by Tommy Kendall during his dominant 1997 championship season. The car claimed 11 victories that year and helped secure one of the most successful campaigns in modern Trans-Am history.
To see the full catalogue, see mecum.com
