An Incredible Gift
January 12, 2012
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Barrett-Jackson bidder continues to salute the Armed Forces with a 1964 Ford Fairlane.
SATURDAY LOT #3041 1964 FORD FAIRLANE 500 CUSTOM 2 DOOR HARDTOP VIN: 4F43K136821 SCHEDULED TO CROSS THE BLOCK AT APPROXIMATELY 4:45PM, JANUARY 21, 2012.
There are many magical moments at Barrett-Jackson collector car auctions, especially when charity sales are involved. But few if any of them match the excitement and the supreme satisfaction of the charity sale of Barrett-Jackson President Steve Davis’ own 1964 custom Ford Fairlane hardtop at the Las Vegas auction in September. And at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale event, Davis and the Fairlane will get to do it all over again.
Davis’ car, which was sold to benefit the Armed Forces Foundation, came up late on the final day of the Las Vegas event, and Davis said he was unsure beforehand about the resto-rod’s value and the amount that the customarily generous auction bidders would pony up to benefit the foundation. “Charity cars are a wild card,” he said. But it all turned out to be so much more than anyone ever expected, in terms of the sheer elation of the sale, the soaring final bid of $700,000 and the unexpected surprise of having the Fairlane available to sell once again.
“It was really one of the most special moments ever at Barrett-Jackson,” Davis said. “It’s important that people understand — this is not scripted, this is not made up. This is really happening.
“It epitomizes the culture of car collecting and the big-hearted people who are a part of it.”
During the Vegas bidding, the entire auction crowd was on its feet and cheering wildly, tiny American flags were waving everywhere and a color guard from nearby Camp Pendleton stood at attention as Davis stalked the stage psyching up the bidding with fist-pumping animation as the numbers climbed. When the dust finally cleared after the $700,000 result, the winning bidder turned out to be Barrett-Jackson regular Ron Pratte of Chandler, Ariz., who has donated millions of dollars over the years through charity auction sales.
Then just to top things off, the announcement came that Pratte had re-donated the Fairlane to the auction to be resold in Scottsdale to again benefit the Armed Forces Foundation. Davis was astounded and delighted.
“It was like capturing lightning in a bottle,” he said. “It was just spectacular.”
So the bright red Fairlane hardtop with the 427 V8 installed by ROUSH Performance will again be available at the Scottsdale auction. “Hopefully, we will be able to duplicate the Las Vegas sale, at least in the spirit of giving. Whether the price is the same is not as important as the awareness that we create. And Ron has been so important in creating awareness for so many great causes.”
Davis said that Pratte being the high bidder in Vegas only added to his pleasure of seeing his Fairlane earn so much money for a favorite cause.
“The fact that Ron bought the car for me was it,” Davis said. “It made so much sense when I thought about it; he’s such a great guy. You think about what he has done over the years for charity, and not just at Barrett-Jackson. He doesn’t fall into any category. He’s kind of this one-off guy with this incredible (car) collection, and when it comes to giving and sharing and this amazing thing that he does, it’s incredible to watch.
“He’s become a very high profile guy over the years whether he likes it or not. He’s a private guy, yet he is so well known for being a part of the Barrett-Jackson family, if you will. He sits out there in the front row and nods his head, and you might get a smile out of him if you’re lucky, and he has attracted a huge following. We see it at every auction; people really look up to Ron.”
Pratte has purchased 21 charity cars at Barrett-Jackson, including the four times that he bought and re-donated Darrell Gwynn’s replica dragster to benefit the former drag racer’s charity that provides wheelchairs for needy young people. The total that Pratte has given to charity through the auction sales comes to more than $5 million.
“Then to have my car added to that list is just an honor to me,” Davis said. “And just when you think it can’t get any better, you get the news that he’s decided to donate the car for January, so we get to do it one more time.”
The thing that is most important is the real story behind all this, he noted, which is not about the auction or the bidders or the collector cars, but that the entire exercise benefits a very important cause. The Armed Forces Foundation, which operates under the slogan “Serving Those Who Serve,” is dedicated to serving the needs of injured active military personnel, veterans and their families and to assist the bereaved. Davis said he could think of no more worthy cause to dedicate the custom built car that he calls “my prized possession.”
“Really, at the end the day, this is what it’s all about, helping our servicemen and women and their families, and showing them the support that they deserve,” he said. “That’s really the prime motivator for me.
“All the charities are great, and we provide this incredible (auction) platform for them, but for me this one charity really stood out, and it touches all Americans in a way that is undeniable, when you think about the military and their families and the sacrifices that they make on behalf of all Americans and people around the world.
“It’s a very big deal and a very emotional thing, and it’s something that we just take for granted. It’s a heavy price paid by our military men and women every single day, so it made sense for me and was something close to my heart to reach out to the military and make this all about their sacrifice and what they do.”
The Armed Forces Foundation receives 100 percent of the proceeds from the Vegas auction of the Fairlane and its upcoming Scottsdale sale, with Barrett-Jackson waiving all fees, as it does for every charity sale. The auction house has raised more than $40 million in the past five years for worthy causes.
“For me, it just became the right thing to do for the right reason,” Davis said. “The fact that Ron became the beneficiary on the auction block and then re-donating it, it just makes me proud to be part of the process and honored to have a little to do with what will surely benefit the men and women in our military. That’s the message I want to shine through.”
The Ford Fairlane is also a very special car that would be a highlight of anyone’s car collection. Painted and restored as a show car for Barrett-Jackson’s Planet Color brand of Sherwin-Williams vintage paint colors, the Fairlane was painted in the vivid red hue called “Red Hot Chili Pepper,” one of the 25 colors in the Planet Color collection. The car was painted by Scott’s Coach Works in Phoenix, then shipped to ROUSH Performance in Michigan while the chrome was refurbished by an expert in Tucson.
Keeping the Fairlane’s external appearance essentially stock, aside from the lavish paint job and custom wheels and tires, ROUSH installed a 522-horsepower ROUSH 427 IR Ford V8 with custom alloy valve covers that read “Red Hot ROUSH 427,” custom headers and side-exit exhaust, Tremec TKO 600 transmission, ROUSH 9” custom rear, Vintage Air conditioning, and custom seats and console from a 1966 Mustang. The suspension has been modified to accommodate the big block engine, which is a ROUSH design built with an iron block with forged pistons, ported aluminum cylinder heads, hydraulic roller camshaft, roller rockers and an eight-quart “Road Race” oil-sump pan.
Completed just in the nick of time, the Fairlane became a show car at the Sherwin-Williams booth at the 2009 Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, displayed in all its glory amid samples of the 25 new colors of the Planet Color brand. After its debut at SEMA, the Fairlane became a familiar sight at the Planet Color booth in Barrett-Jackson’s four auction venues.
“This 1964 Fairlane is an incredible piece of rolling artwork,” Davis said. “Some of the best craftsmen in the industry have had their hands on this vehicle.”
Auction Vice President of Consignment Gary Bennett, who assisted Davis in getting the Fairlane prepped for SEMA, praised his co-worker’s generosity in donating the superb Resto-Rod.
“Steve put a lot of money into this, and what he’s now doing with it is so positive,” Bennett said before the Vegas auction. “To a car guy like me, giving up a car like that is a huge deal.”
The Fairlane is the “real deal,” he added, with every stitch and detail done to perfection with many one-off and custom pieces. “The closer you look, the better it gets.”
Davis said he hopes the next buyer of his Fairlane also understands how spectacular it is and everything that went into it, as well as knowing that he or she is giving to such a special cause.
“Hopefully, it will end up in a collection where it will be appreciated for what it is,” Davis said. “But more importantly, not just for the nuts and bolts and the chrome and the paint, but for the spirit that it represents and the excitement that it generated on the auction block.”
— By Bob Golfen