THE RON PRATTE COLLECTION: A 50 Facts & Favorite Memories Feature
October 19, 2021
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Arguably the most significant collection ever offered in Barrett-Jackson’s history at the time, the Ron Pratte Collection featured over 140 collector cars, trucks and motorcycles, and more than 1,500 pieces of authentic Automobilia.
Ron Pratte and Craig Jackson at the 2015 event.
To mark Barrett-Jackson’s half-century in business, in this special series we’re taking a look back at some of our favorite moments from the past 50 years – as well as some little-known facts about The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions.
The collector car hobby is a vast one. It’s a passion than transcends all cultural barriers and unites enthusiasts around the globe. No collection is the same. There are many different sizes, many different scopes. But few collections in the world will ever rival that of Arizona’s own Ron Pratte.
Amassing nearly his entire collection of automobiles and automobilia at Barrett-Jackson auctions over the years, Pratte decided it was time to let others enjoy these possessions and chose to sell his collection at Barrett-Jackson’s 2015 Scottsdale Auction.
The 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Motorama Concept Car sold for $3.3 million.
Arguably the most significant collection ever offered in Barrett-Jackson’s history at the time, the Ron Pratte Collection featured over 140 collector cars, trucks and motorcycles, and more than 1,500 pieces of authentic automobilia.
This incredibly diverse collection lived for years in a hangar owned by Pratte in Chandler, Arizona. Organized like a museum, cars were on display on two levels, with authentic neons affixed to the walls, and vintage signs and gas pump globes turned into lamps hanging from the ceiling. The automobiles were diverse, many with a storied history of their own. Among the most anticipated were the 1950 General Motors Futurliner Parade of Progress Tour Bus, the 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Motorama Concept Car and the one and only 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake, rightfully billed as the “Cobra to End All Cobras.”
The “Pratte Parade” received a lot of attention as it journeyed north to WestWorld of Scottsdale.
Just moving the collection from its Chandler home to WestWorld of Scottsdale was a feat. With the greatest care and considerable amount of planning, the collection was carefully packed and relocated. Media helicopters buzzed overhead to capture the parade of collectibles and the police escort as the convoy of the collection traveled north on Arizona State Route 101.
In an unheard-of move that sent ripples across the collector car industry, the collection sold in two waves, with over 100 vehicles selling on Tuesday of auction week and the last 30+ selling on Super Saturday. The collection in its entirety sold for more than $40.44 million, led by the Super Snake selling for $5.1 million and the Bonneville Special for $3.3 million.
The 1950 GM Futurliner Parade of Progress Tour Bus raised $4 million for charity during the 2015 Scottsdale Auction.
As a charity auction, the Futurliner sold for $4 million, with an additional $650,000 pledged, bringing the total amount raised to $4.65 million – the largest sum ever raised by a single charity vehicle on the Barrett-Jackson auction block.
Receiving worldwide interest from collectors and press alike, the sale of the Ron Pratte Collection was a historic occasion in automotive history and will forever be regarded as one of Barrett-Jackson’s most memorable moments. Barrett-Jackson is honored to consider Mr. Pratte a part of the Barrett-Jackson family and to have had the opportunity to facilitate the sale of this legendary collection.