'Need for Speed' custom Ford Mustang sells for $300,000

The customized Ford Mustang from "Need for Speed" recently sold for big bucks at Barrett-Jackson, to the tune of $300,000. It may seem like a lot for a Mustang with a body kit in a movie that isn't going to win any awards. But the money went to a good cause -- it supports the Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute.

Collector Dave Flynn of Columbiana, Ohio, paid $300,000 for the wide-bodied Mustang. He drove off in one of the eight Mustangs donated by Ford for filming and one of two cars to survive, according to director Scott Waugh -- made, as it was, for beauty shots and promo tours. Bidding started at $215,000 and hovered around $235,000, including one bid retraction. But when the price climbed to $250,000, the Palm Beach crowd broke into wild applause. From there, it was a slow ride to the final price.

The Mustang formed the centerpiece of the hospital's annual Get Your Heart Racing fundraiser, and with the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach the hospital raised a total of $600,000.

The hospital provides care for heart attacks, vascular surgery and heart research, but is also part of the Henry Ford Health System. In a sense, the Mustang that Ford donated has come back to Ford itself.

It's worth noting that in the movie, the characters claim that the car is worth "two million, minimum."

By Blake Z. Rong