Real estate developer Ron Pratte caught the attention of enthusiasts over the years with his front-row purchases of collector cars at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale and around the U.S. Now, after a 10-year blitz, he’s decided to sell off his collection at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction in January 2015.
Pratte showed the rest of the world he was bitten by the collector bug in 2003 when be bought 52 vehicles at auction. Since then he’s acquired (and sold) a number of key vehicles that would set the heart of any General Motors fan a-flutter:
- GM Futurliner, a futuristic bus from 1950’s Parade of Progress. According to the old auction listing (note the $4,320,000 selling price), only 12 were built and three survive. Harley Earl was famous for his car designs, but here it is as a bus—fantastic!
- Pontiac Bonneville, the 1954 concept car that not only introduced performance to the Pontiac repertoire, but also introduced a name that would be used on a production model three years later. Two were built.
- The very last 1967 Corvette built, a very desirable 427/390 coupe with four-speed and air conditioning.
Pratte also had some very neat Brand X vehicles include the hallowed Shelby Cobra “Super Snake,” the first production Thunderbird from 1955, and even a Viper-powered Airflow.
Barrett-Jackson has yet to list what will be auctioned in January but when GM Authority learns what’s going across the block, you can be sure we’ll let you know.
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