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2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 VIN 001 crossing the block at the 2019 Scottsdale Auction. 100% of the hammer price benefited JDRF
To mark Barrett-Jackson’s half-century in business, in this special series we’re taking a look back at some of our favorite moments from the past 50 years – as well as some little-known facts about The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions.
Ford first revealed the 2007 Shelby GT500 to the world on the Barrett-Jackson auction block. The VIN 001 car sold for charity for $600,000.
Barrett-Jackson’s commitment to helping those who need it most goes back to the very beginning of the company and remains an important element of the company ethos to this day. The sale of “charity cars” on the auction block grew exponentially over the years from very early days, with Barrett-Jackson reaching the $100 million mark raised for charity in 2018. As of October 2021 through the platform of the company’s renowned auction block, more than $135 million has been raised for over 175 worthy organizations large and small across the country. Every single dollar of each charity car sale goes directly to the organizations, as Barrett-Jackson waives all fees; the winning bidder writes a check directly to the charity.
Among the big stars of the show at each auction are the VIN 001 vehicles donated by the major automotive manufacturers to benefit worthy causes. The tradition began back at the 2006 Scottsdale Auction, when Ford first revealed the 2007 Shelby GT500 to the world on the Barrett-Jackson auction block as Edsel Ford, Carroll Shelby and many of the top Ford brass looked on. The VIN 001 car sold for charity for $600,000, unprecedented at the time. It was the beginning of what would become a Barrett-Jackson hallmark.
The mid-engine 2020 Corvette VIN 001 brought in $3 million benefiting the Detroit Children’s Fund.
General Motors, Chrysler and many, many others saw the value of using the Barrett-Jackson stage to introduce their new models to the public and selling the very first model to benefit a charity of their choosing. GM’s prolific offerings over the years started with VIN 001 of the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 C7.R Edition, which sold for charity at the 2015 Las Vegas Auction for $500,000; more recently the first retail production VIN 001 of the first-ever mid-engine 2020 Corvette brought in $3 million for the Detroit Children’s Fund. Chrysler kicked things off with VIN 001 of a head-turning Stryker Red 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat that sold at the 2014 Las Vegas Auction for $825,000 – made even sweeter by a matching donation from the Engelstad Family Foundation.
Other major auto manufacturers also saw the benefits of selling VIN 001 vehicles for charity on the Barrett-Jackson block, with Acura bringing the long-awaited 2017 Acura NSX VIN 001 to the 2016 Scottsdale Auction, where it sold for $1.2 million. The 2019 Scottsdale Auction saw VIN 001 of the 2020 Toyota Supra cross the block and raise $2.1 million for charity, as well as the very first 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible Inspiration Series, which brought in a cool $2 million for a worthy cause.
The 2022 GMC HUMMER EV sold for $2.5 million to benefit the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation
“Manufacturers look at our auctions as the perfect place to sell their first-production cars and prototype vehicles,” said Jackson. “The energy in the room is electrifying for every charity auction, but there is something special anytime we get to do it with a VIN 001 car.”
More recently, a record-breaking number of VIN 001 and first-production vehicles from America’s top automakers were sold at the March 2021 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction for some very worthy causes. These included VIN 001s of the 2021 Ford Bronco, 2022 Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwings, 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible, 2021 Ram 1500 TRX Launch Edition, 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and 2022 GMC HUMMER EV Edition, all of which contributed to a total of $5,830,000 raised for charity at that event alone.
The HUMMER EV sold for $2.5 million to benefit the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which helps our military and first responders in a number of ways. Barrett-Jackson is well-known for its commitment to veterans and active-duty military through the sale of charity vehicles. Military-related nonprofit organizations like the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and many more have been the beneficiaries from the auction of some incredible cars.
The 1956 Chevrolet 150
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By: Barrett-Jackson
Title: A HALF-CENTURY OF HELPING OTHERS: A 50 Facts & Favorite Memories Feature
Sourced From: www.barrett-jackson.com/Media/Home/Reader/barrett-jackson-charity-cars-benifiting-worthy-causes/
Published Date: Tue, 09 Nov 2021 18:04:20 +0000
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