The auction proceeds from a $2.55 million Ford GT went toward helping young adults with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
Last week, we covered the most expensive cars that went under the hammer at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale. The most expensive at this year’s auction? Why, that would be Lot 3010 – a 2017 Ford GT. Finished in rare Liquid Blue with white stripes, this extremely desirable supercar went for a cool $2.5 million. “Two-and-a-half million Dollars!?”, you might ask. “You could almost buy a Bugatti Chiron for that!”
Indeed, you can. For an extra $500,000, you could have one of the fastest and most exotic hypercars on the planet. But there is a reason this Ford GT went for such big bucks. Businessman Ron Pratte, founder of the Phoenix-based Pratte Development Company, donated his example of Ford’s latest supercar to the Evernham Family-Racing for a Reason Foundation. That’s remarkable in itself, as this is the first GT donated for charity since the current generation was introduced.
Even better? The proceeds from the auction went to benefit the Autism Society of North Carolina’s IGNITE program. That program helps young adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s Syndrome with activities, skills training and educational workshops. The night of January 20th, the hammer price of this $2.55 million Ford GT went to a great cause. And the IGNITE program wasn’t the only one to benefit – $50,000 was added to the $2.5 million auction price to benefit the Autism Alliance of Michigan, as well.
Purchased by the Larry H. Miller family
For their $2.55 million, the Larry H. Miller family – who owns more than 50 dealerships across the western United States – got a Ford GT with just 11 miles on the clock. Powered by a 647 horsepower, twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6, that works out to $714,285 per liter. Or $3,864 per horsepower, however you want to slice it. Of course, just buying the car wasn’t the point. The Racing for a Reason Foundation raised $2.5 million for help those with autism and Asperger’s lead even better lives by helping address their needs. On that basis, it’s worth every penny.
That’s not the last interesting development in this story either! This Ford GT is now on display at the Shelby American Collection, right here in Boulder, Colorado. Yep, the same Shelby American Collection that houses greats such as the Prototype Cobra CSX 2000 and several Ford GT40s. How cool is that?
Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more charity supercar news, views, and real-world reviews! Subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow on YouTube for great video content, including a tour of the Shelby American Collection.
