New Bullitt Mustang & Ford GT Raise Massive Money for Charity

Collector Ron Pratte’s Ford GT was the highest-priced car to sell at the 2018 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction.

Hundreds of cars rolled across the auction block of the Barrett-Jackson 2018 Scottsdale event this past weekend, but two of the star attractions were the new Ford Mustang Bullitt and a 2017 Ford GT. The proceeds of both cars went to charity and together, these two special Ford Performance cars pulled down a total of $2.85 million–with the Liquid Blue supercar claiming the title of the highest-priced car to sell in Scottsdale.

The First New Bullitt

Since before it was certain that Ford was planning a new Bullitt Mustang, we knew that the first example of the new movie-themed pony car would be sold at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. The posting on the Barrett-Jackson website promised a “special new Mustang” with the proceeds going to the school that Bullitt star Steve McQueen attended as a child. When the new Bullitt was introduced last week at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, the information became official that the Scottsdale event would bring about an auction battle for the first new Bullitt Mustang.

The first new Bullitt Mustang rolled across the block on Saturday afternoon and when the final gavel struck, this 475-horsepower, movie-themed muscle car raised $300,000 for Boys Republic School in Chino Hills, California.

A Rare Chance at a Ford GT

While the arrival of the new Bullitt Mustang was the big news in the American performance car world leading up to the 2018 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction, the big news of this event was the sale of a 2017 Ford GT. With a final price of $2.55 million, this sleek supercar was the highest-priced car to sell at the Scottsdale auction, and as was the case with the Bullitt, the GT was sold for charity.

Ford Motor Company hand-picked everyone who gets to buy a new Ford GT, with production limited to just 1,000 units for the entire world. Some 6,000 people applied to buy the GT. Also, as pro-wrestler Jon Cena has learned, Ford is serious about people not selling their GTs right away, so without facing the wrath of FoMoCo’s legal department, it is pretty much impossible to buy a new Ford GT at this point.

However, Ford gave collector Ron Pratte permission to sell his 2017 Ford GT #0023, with the proceeds going to benefit the Autism Society of North Carolina’s Ignite Program and the Autism Alliance of Michigan. Unlike most used cars, Ford agreed to consider the winning bidder the original owner, meaning that he or she gets all of the benefits and documentation of an original GT buyer–including Ford Performance driving school.

Although the 2017 Ford GT “only” costs around $400,000 new, the fact that they are more or less impossible to buy right now coupled with the charitable angle was expected to lead to a big price. That big price was realized, with the winning bidder laying down a whopping $2.5 million in what was a fast-paced, action-packed auction. Afterwards, a private donor contributed another $50,000, for a total of $2.55 million going to those autism charities.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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