First Corvette Stingray Convertible sells for $1 million

The first Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to be built has been auctioned for charity by Barrett Jackson  and bought by Rick Hendrick for $1 million.

The new Corvette Stingray Convertible was offered for sale this weekend at Barratt Jackson’s auction in Palm Beach, Florida, with GM donating the healthy proceeds of $1 million to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

The Stingray Convertible was bought by wealthy NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, who can now add the Stingray Convertible to his collection of cars, which also includes the first of the new Stingrays for which he paid $1.1 million. Which makes the convertible almost a bargain.

Real values don’t really apply when charity is the beneficiary, so although the Stingray is an appealing bit of convertible kit – with its 444bhp 6.2 litre V8 good for 0-62mph in around 4 seconds – there’s no point comparing its sale price to the list price of other, more appealing, cars.

But Rick gets a bit more than just the keys to the first Stingray Convertible as he’ll be presented with his car at Corvette’s Kentucky facility as it comes off the production line, and will be the first person to start up a new Stingray Convertible as he drives it off the line. And Rick seems suitably chuffed with paying 20 times the list price. He said:

I paid a little more than I wanted for that car, but I owe so much to Corvette for getting me into the car business in the first place.

Corvettes are a passion of mine. I love those cars so much, and to have the first Corvettes from the new generation means so much to me.

So, everyone is happy – GM look the big guys, Rick Hendrick gets what he wants and a cancer charity gets a chunk of money.

Sounds like a good night’s work.

By Cars UK