From Shelby's 800-hp Cobra to "Christine," 11 standouts of the Ron Pratte sale

Rare is a virtue when collecting cars. The rarer the vehicle, the better. However, rarity doesn’t guarantee desirability. To be desirable, a car must also have a unique story, slick design and some kind of emotional connection with the buyer. The cars collected by Arizona construction magnate Ron Pratte meet all of these criteria, and in January, the whole kit-and-caboodle — scores of vehicles and more than 1,000 pieces of memorabilia — goes up for bid at the annual Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. Everything must go: Pratte is even auctioning off his 1950 Futureliner “Parade of Progress” Tour Bus for charity, the proceeds to benefit Armed Forces Foundation.

“Each has historically and sociologically significance,” says Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, about the hodge-podge assortment of vehicles. “The only common thread here is that each vehicle is an impeccable example of its kind."

Click on the image above to see 11 examples of the vehicles available, from a Stephen King movie star to the most powerful Cobra Carroll Shelby ever built — one that Pratte bought for $5.5 million.