In the past, an automaker’s concept cars were put together, shown to the public, used for other internal duties and eventually met their maker, in the form of the crusher. Ford Motor Company, in conjunction with RM Auctions, has found a better use for these flights of fancy and put eighteen of them to good use this past weekend.

Images: Ford Motor Company

Almost one million dollars was raised throgh the sale of these concept cars at the RM Auctions’ Sports & Classics of Monterey Auction, which ran from Thursday through Saturday. Most of the vehicles were sold in running condition, but can never be licensed for use on public roads. As one-off projects, they have never been certified for safety or emissions compliance.

One of the more recognizable cars at the event was this Mustang GT-R Concept, first seen at the New York Auto Show in 2004. Set up with full road racing gear, the car was never targetted at one particular series, but demonstrated many of the possibilities that the Mustang presented. The concept has led to a long line of road racing Mustangs, including the FR500C, FR500S, FR500GT3, FR500GT4 and the recently announced Boss 302 and Boss 302 Laguna Seca edition.

One auction participant seized the day with a high bid of $110,000, making this particular Mustang dream a reality. Proceeds from the concept car sales were split between the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Michigan-based Children’s Center.

Additional action on Thursday saw a number of significant Ford vehicles go to new homes. The Top Five were:

1962 Lincoln Continental ‘Bubbletop’ Kennedy Limousine – $429,000
1933 Lincoln KB Custom Dietrich – $385,000
1957 Ford Thunderbird #98 Factory Racing Car “The Battlebird” – $280,500
1965 Shelby GT350 – $247,500
2006 Ford GT – $148,500

Two more Fords made the Top Five sales on Friday. These were:

1964 Shelby Cobra USRRC Roadster – $1,595,000
1967 Shelby 427 Cobra – $715,000

RM Auctions’ next event will be the Auburn Fall Collector Car Auction, in Auburn, IN, September 2 – 5, 2010.