Chris Woodyard

USA TODAY

When their auto show lives are done, many concept cars meet the same fates as race horses.

Either they go to the automotive equivalent of a stud farm as revered examples of cutting-edge design in museums or as part of collections. Or it's off to the glue factory, where they are ignominiously destroyed, chopped up in little pieces in the apparent hope that history will forget about them.

Now, there's a chance to own a piece of automotive history. An auto dealer, Sam Pack, is auctioning off his large automotive collection, which includes some Ford and Lincoln concept cars from the past decade. The sale is being conducted by RM Auctions on Nov. 15 in Dallas.

A couple of the concepts he privately owns still look fairly fresh.: The 2002 Lincoln Continental concept, with its long wheelbase, looks like it could be built tomorrow. It was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Striking, too, is the 2004 Lincoln Mark X concept, a coupe that made its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Altogether, eight of the Ford/Lincoln concepts from a decade ago are going on the block.

Some are expected to be downright cheap: The 2000 Ford Focus Wagon Kona concept, the lead for what would be a production run of 5,000 cars, is estimated to be worth $10,000 to 20,000. It was basically a small wagon with a bike rack.

Of course, there's a reason why the concepts may come absurdly cheap. They can't be licensed on U.S. roads. They are not certified by the EPA or Transportation Department.

Among the cars being offered are:

•2000 Ford P2000 Prodigy concept. Unveiled at the big Detroit auto show, Prodigy was designed to have an exceptionally low coefficient of drag. It was part of a program to create an 80-mile-per-gallon car, according to RM Auctions, a fairly lonely pursuit in an era when gas-guzzling cars and big SUVs reigned supreme. This one is especially gas thrifty: It has no drivetrain.

•2001 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster concept: For the 2002 auto show in Detroit, the roadster had a molded fiberglass tonneau that turns it into a two-seater, according to RM.

•2005 Lincoln MKS concept. Yes, it's the concept that hinted at the design direction for what would become one of Lincoln's present-day sedans. It has the signature waterfall grille and 20-inch wheels, which were big for the time.