2006-07-11
 With 2007 Ford Mustangs and Shelby GT500 coupes rolling off the assembly line in the background, Gary Roe, president, AutoAlliance Inc., Ford performance legend Carroll Shelby, and Barrett-Jackson executives Steve Davis and Gary Bennett handed over the keys to the first Shelby GT500 sold to the public to Ron Pratte, the winning bidder in a charity auction last January, on June 23, 2006. Pratte purchased the rights to the car for $648,000 (including buyer's commissions) during the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan. 21, 2006. Proceeds from the sale benefited the Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation.
Pratte is a well known collector in Arizona who purchased other record breaking auction cars at Barrett-Jackson such as the $4.3 million dollar GM Futurliner Bus and the 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Motorama concept car that fetched $3 million at the 2006 event alone. His background in the production housing industry out in here the West has treated him well. A couple of years ago national mega-builder Pulte Homes purchased his framing company in a deal that enabled him to pursue his car collecting passions further. He has a 30,000 square foot facility that houses his rare collection.
"On behalf of the management and workers at AutoAlliance, I'm proud to hand over the keys to this Shelby GT500," said Gary Roe. "The Shelby GT500 is an instant classic and the AutoAlliance team couldn't be happier to be a part of the Ford-Shelby history. We thank Ron for his support of Ford performance and his generous contribution to a very worthy cause, the Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation."
Read the full story:
http://www.themustangnews.com/people/st-0606pratte.html Source: The Mustang News
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