I guess this thread has now become an annual thing when the car show is in Scottsdale. This is the cream of the crop as far as car shows go. The car show started earlier this week but the big time cars are usually auctioned off on Friday and Saturday.

This year there is a little twist though. Ron Pratte is selling his entire collection of cars at the auction. He is one of the biggest customers at the auction each year and routinely spends millions buying and selling cars. Here is a little bio on him if youre unfamiliar with him

quote:
Multi-millionaire Ron Pratte is an American businessman, entrepreneur, and car collector with an estimated net worth of $350 million. He has built his fortune as the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of the Pratte Development Company, Inc. It is one of the biggest wood framing and concrete foundation companies in the United States. It is a privately held company located in Phoenix, Arizona which manufactures structural wood products. He sold his development company to Pulte homes at the peak of the housing boom in Arizona. His move was at a great timing and he was able to cash out before the housing market crashed.

Ron Pratte is best known for his elaborate car collection as a big car buff. Among his collection of fine automobiles included the Shelby G500 which he purchased in 2008 for nearly $650 thousand. Last year, he bough a $4.1 million Futurliner bus. He also won the bid for Caroll Shelby’s 1966 Super Snake AC Cobra 800hp 427 dual quad, dual supercharged for $5 million. Other cars in his collection are the 1945 P-51 Mustang, the last Sting Ray, the first T Bird off the assembly line, and the Beverly Hillbillies Woody. Part of his fortune has been used to build up his privately owned car museum which is intended for his own personal enjoyment.

Needless to say, his collection is nothing short of unreal. Plenty of his cars have already gone off the block but he still has plenty more for this weekend. His total sales for his cars on Tuesday alone are over 13 million dollars. He has also sold memorabilia totaling 4.9 million.

He has way too many cars to start posting pics but this is his car collection museum.

His cars are kind of littered all over the auction and not sold all in a row. Im sure the announcers will tell you which cars are his.

On Saturday night, BJ features the Salon Collection. These are the most prestigious cars that are sold and plenty go for over 1 million. Here are some of the cars of the Salon Collection

1919 PIERCE-ARROW MODEL 51 LIMOUSINE
One of two Model 51 limousines known to have been built, the other was Woodrow Wilson's presidential car. Perfect for Nickel Era tours and shows.

1955 MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL GULLWING
One of only three ever sold to Guatemala, this extraordinarily rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL gullwing is still powered by the original matching numbers engine and driveline.

1947 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER WRAITH CONVERTIBLE BY FRANAY
Unique coachwork by Franay of Paris. Shown at the 1947 Paris Salon and the 1948 Deauville Concours. Fascinating known Egyptian and Saudi Arabian history. One of the most beautiful Silver Wraiths ever built.

1935 DUESENBERG SJ DUAL COWL PHAETON
The company car of Duesenberg president Lucius B. Manning. Formerly the property of the Fischer family. Original engine and chassis.

1929 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD TRANSFORMABLE TOWN CABRIOLET
Custom built for President Hoover and restored in 2011.

1954 MERCEDES-BENZ 220A CABRIOLET
Originally a California black-plate car, now Metallic Silver, the restoration was done by Mercedes expert Tony Ostermeier and is currently one of the best examples of this rare model.

1965 SHELBY COBRA 427 ROADSTER CSX 3169
Original drivetrain, unmodified body and original Sunburst wheels. An extremely rare chance to own a true factory-spec 427 Street Cobra. Restoration photo diary included with the car.

That was just a few of the many in the Salon Collection. As you can tell, these cars will be fetching big time money.

Here are some useful links

Barrett-Jackson main site

Link to the docket list. There are tabs for each day of the event and the cars being sold. It is in order

Live streaming of the event

The tv viewing starts at 3pm today on the Velocity Channel. Ends at 11pm tonight.

Saturday tv schedule starts at 3pm on Discovery Channel. Ends at 7pm on that channel and switches over immediately to the Velocity Channel until 11pm.

Sunday is 1-6pm on Velocity

Ill try and post some more pics later