(Ford)
Barrett-Jackson’s collector car auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona over the weekend saw a number of exciting cars go under the hammer and some major records fall. One of the more exciting cars to be sold was the 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R with VIN #001, whose final bid came in at a cool $1 million. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
The Ford Motor Company originally planned to put the rights for the firstMustang Shelby GT350 up for sale but at the last minute decided to sell the rights to the first GT350R! The GT350R is a more hardcore version of the already extreme Mustang Shelby GT350, and was only shown for the first time at last week’s 2015 Detroit Auto Show.
The car on display at the Barrett-Jackson event was a pre-production unit. It was driven into the arena by Ford CEO Mark Fields who threw in an extra $150,000 for the JDRF.
The Barrett-Jackson auction saw 1,611 cars sold, including those of avid collector Ron Pratte, with the total value trading hands reaching beyond $130 million—a new record in the auction house’s 44-year history. Automobilia sales also managed to smash a new world record, with 2,000 items selling for more than $6.55 million.
The highest bid was $5.1 million for a 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake. The famous 1950 Futurliner Parade of Progress Tour Bus from General Motors Company sold for a staggering $4 million, and another GM concept, the 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Motorama Concept Car, sold for $3.3 million. The Futurliner was one of Pratte’s vehicles, and all proceeds from its sale, plus $650,000 in additional pledges, will go to benefit the Armed Forces Foundation.
Finally, another highlight of the auction was the very last BMW M5 ‘30 Jahre’ edition to reach the U.S. It was put up for sale by BMW with all proceeds from its sale going towards the BMW Car Club of America Foundation and Tire Rack Street Survival Program. It managed to raise an incredible $800,000.
All in all, approximately $8,735,000 was raised by the auction for various charities.
----------