When the gavels fell quiet at this past weekend’s Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction, Ford managed the impressive task of raising $2.85 million for worthy charities with the sale of just two vehicles. But, oh boy, were they impressive vehicles indeed.
First up, VIN 001 of the newly-revealed 2019 Mustang Bullitt raised $300,000 for Boys Republic, a school for troubled youths that once housed screen legend Steve McQueen. McQueen’s son Chad, the spitting image of his late father, drove a prototype Mustang Bullitt to the stage prior to the bidding.
“The Mustang Bullitt has been wildly popular since its unveiling in Detroit,” said Mark Schaller, Ford Mustang brand manager. “Both it and the Ford GT represent the pinnacle of Ford engineering and design. I couldn’t think of a better way to honor the Bullitt heritage than donating the car to Boys Republic, which was instrumental in helping Steve McQueen become an iconic Hollywood legend.”
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On Saturday, a 2017 Ford GT in beautiful Liquid Blue, donated by Ron Pratte to the Evernham Family-Racing for a Reason Foundation. This extremely rare supercar fetched an appropriately high price—$2.5 million, which will benefit the Autism Society of North Carolina’s IGNITE program. Compounding the goodwill was the addition of $50,000 to raise the GT’s final tally to $2.55 million; the additional funds will benefit the Autism Alliance of Michigan.
The winning bidder for the Ford GT was Greg Miller, part owner and member of the board of directors of Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.
“We were thrilled with the money raised for charity,” said Raj Nair, Ford executive vice president and president, North America. “Over the last several years, we’ve donated some incredible Ford Performance vehicles that have been sold to generate funds and build awareness for deserving charities. It was a privilege to represent the Ford family on the auction block and combine our efforts with Ron Pratte and the McQueen estate on the sale of these two incredible, rare, and iconic Ford cars.”
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