To be honest, we suspect that a representation of the car will be used on Saturday night. Like other “first production” models, it’s likely that the buyer will get his (or her) choice of color and options. Proceeds from the sale will go to benefit Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, which specializes in transportation and industrial design.
No pre-auction estimate is available, but based on the selling price of other “first production” cars, the buyer will be writing a serious check. Last January, Barrett-Jackson sold the first 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible for an impressive $600,000, with the funds raised going to support AARP’s Drive to End Hunger relief program.
Five months later, Barrett-Jackson auctioned off the very first production 2013 SRT Viper, which sold at the bargain price of just $300,000. We’d have liked to see a higher selling price here, since the money paid went to support the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.
If we were the betting type, we’d say that the first C7 Corvette will top both of these examples in price, but by how much remains to be seen. As the first example of a new Corvette generation, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the selling price top $750,000.
If that’s a bit too much for your bank account to absorb, there will be plenty of other Corvettes to choose from in this week’s auction. If you have a passion for the C1 Corvette, GM CEO Dan Akerson is selling his 1958 Corvette to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
If you’d prefer something more contemporary, Guy Fieri’s 2013 Corvette 427 Collector’s Edition Corvette convertible will be up for grabs, too. It’s black with yellow stripes, so don’t expect to go unnoticed behind the wheel; if that sounds like your idea of a good time, the proceeds will go to benefit the Guy Fieri Foundation for Inspiration and Imagination.
You can see these Corvette auctions live on Speed, which will broadcast coverage of Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale event beginning tonight.
