2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ Vin 001 Sells for $1.1m at Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction, Benefiting DonorsChoose
The inaugural production model of the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ, bearing VIN 001, was auctioned off for $1.1 million, with the entirety of the proceeds going towards DonorsChoose, a national non-profit dedicated to helping students in need gain access to the tools and resources necessary for an excellent education. In addition, a VIP guest at the Barrett-Jackson event generously donated an extra $50,000 to the charity.
Officially set at a competitive price of $102,900, the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray offers an impressive amount of power and style at a fraction of the cost of many European-manufactured sports vehicles. But would you pay over a million dollars for one? Rick Hendrick did!
Read the press release below to learn more details.
FIRST RETAIL PRODUCTION 2024 CORVETTE E-RAY RAISES $1.1 MILLION FOR DONORSCHOOSE AT BARRETT-JACKSON
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The first ever, electrified 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray raised $1.1 million for education nonprofit DonorsChoose at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction on April 15. Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter was on hand to generate excitement and encourage bids as the E-Ray crossed the block Saturday afternoon.
Founded in 2000 with the goal of making it easy for anyone to provide resources to teachers, DonorsChoose has now fulfilled more than two and a half million classroom projects by connecting donors directly with requests from educators. Rick Hendrick, chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group and owner of 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports, cast the winning bid of $1.1 million. One hundred percent of this sale price will assist DonorsChoose in continuing to meet the needs of public schools in low-income communities.
“General Motors and Chevrolet are proud to join DonorsChoose on its mission of combatting inequality in school funding by providing underserved communities with the resources needed for a quality education,” said Steve Majoros, chief marketing officer, Chevrolet. “The Corvette E-Ray is a special product for Chevrolet, and we are honored that the proceeds from the sale of VIN 001 will aid this organization in supporting students and teachers around the nation.”
E-Ray marks an inflection point in the model’s 70-year history, expanding what Corvette can deliver. Powered by a 6.2L Small Block V-8 in the rear and an electric motor on the front axle, the first all-wheel drive Corvette produces a combined 655 horsepower1. This is the quickest Corvette in history, completing 0-60 mph runs in 2.5 seconds2.
Prior to the sale of the 2024 Corvette E-Ray, Chevrolet also auctioned off the first retail production models of the 2020 Corvette Stingray and the 2023 Corvette Z06. Together, these vehicles bring the total amount of money raised for charity by eighth-generation Corvettes at Barrett-Jackson auctions to $9.1 million.
1495 horsepower from LT2 6.2L V8 engine plus the 160 horsepower from the e-AWD (electric drive unit).
2Based on initial vehicle movement.
“The atmosphere in the auction arena was supercharged during the bidding on the first retail production 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray,” said Craig Jackson, chairman, and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “The Corvette is ‘America’s Sports Car,’ and the sale of the first electrified version ever produced was an iconic moment as collectors coveted the chance to own a piece of automotive history. Barrett-Jackson has a long history of auctioning VIN 001 vehicles from General Motors to benefit deserving charities and we are proud to have had the opportunity today to help raise funds for our nation’s classrooms.”
We hope you enjoyed this article and will keep you up to date as we learn more about the new C8 E-Ray. The C8 E-Ray utilizes the GM Y2 platform as its base, shared by all C8 models. Production is planned to begin at the GM Bowling Green factory in Kentucky in September 2023, in tandem with the C8 Stingray and C8 Z06 models.
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