Boys & Girls Club nets car for annual auction

A Bullitt Mustang up for bid

Imagine driving around the streets of Sequim or Port Angeles in a car made famous in the 1968 film "Bullitt."

It’s possible for the right bidder at this year’s 20th annual Boys & Girls Club dinner auction, which takes place on Saturday, Nov. 15.

And no one is more excited about having a car on the auction block than Stephen Rosales, a volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club and one of the auction organizers.

It was Rosales who was key in convincing Price Ford in Port Angeles to offer the Ford Mustang Bullitt edition below cost.

"As far as we know, no one has had a new car at an auction on the peninsula," Rosales said.

The 2008 Mustang is one of only 7,000 commemorating the 40th anniversary of the movie "Bullitt." The car chase in the film, starring Steve McQueen, has been touted as one of the greatest in movie history. The tire-shredding, San Francisco street-jumping scenes made McQueen’s green Mustang an icon.

The car offered by Price is worth $35,000, Rosales said. The minimum bid begins at $29,300.

Although auction organizers would like nothing more than a full house, Rosales said those interested in the car don’t have to attend the auction but can bid by telephone using the number 360-461-6038.

"We have noting to lose and a lot to gain," Rosales said. "If the car doesn’t sell, Price will take it back."

Of course, Rosales is hoping the Mustang will sell and help make the $250,000 goal the club is hoping to see.

When Rosales and Stacy Ceder, resource development director and auction chairwoman, began soliciting for auction items, Rosales promised a "surprise" item. He said it would not be revealed until auction night. But, he said, he wanted to let people interested in the car know it was on the auction block.

Other big-ticket items include a big-screen television, a washer and dryer combo and an eye refractive procedure donated by a local ophthalmologist.

The auction is Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Boys & Girls Club in Sequim. Tickets are available, call 683-8095 for reservations.