Photo: Chevrolet
An American icon, the Chevrolet Corvette has arguably been a heart-breaker ever since the first C1 rolled off the production lines in Detroit. There's no denying that the C8 generation of the Chevrolet Corvette has been off to a surprisingly awesome start, with the entire 2020 production having been sold out.
I say surprisingly because the first-ever mid-engine Corvette should only start actual production in February of next year, with GM planning to build 40,000 of them for the 2020 model year. There is some bad news about that nice and round production figure, though, especially in the context of availability.
You can't order a 2020 Corvette anymore unless you buy it at a huge markup from a dealer that is a fan of money more than most. Chevrolet has stated that it encouraged its dealers not to resort to price gouging, but that will be hard to enforce when people are fighting for an allocation.
If you have the necessary moolah you can do one better, though. You can actually buy the first-ever retail production VIN of the all-new 2020 C8 Chevrolet Corvette when GM will put it up for auction this January in Scottsdale via Barrett-Jackson.
Keep in mind that the last-ever Chevrolet Corvette C7 sold for no less than $2.7 million at an auction organized by the same peeps at Barrett-Jackson last summer, so the first of the new C8 breed will probably fetch even more.
Like on other occasions, the entire hammer price will not be going to GM's pockets but will benefit the Detroit Children's Fund, which supports the expansion of quality public schools, retention, and recruitment of educators and Detroit initiatives that support school quality in general.
According to recent metrics, only 1 in 10 children in Detroit is currently receiving a quality education, which obviously takes its own toll on the reconstruction of the once-great motor city.
The VIN 001 Corvette C8 is specced like a sports car that will never go out of style, despite featuring a mid-engine layout for the first time in history, thus not exactly being a traditional 'Vette from that perspective.
Fitted with the Z51 package, the first-ever 2020 Corvette has a black exterior and black leather with red trim interior, red seat belts, GT2 seats, the Performance Data Recorder, and the 3LT package. In other words, it's the 'Vette to have if you want to stand out from the crowd and help the disadvantaged children of Detroit in the process.
Just like Ford in nearby Dearborn and Chrysler in Auburn Hills, Chevrolet was once synonymous with the Motor City, but things have drastically changed over the years. Only FCA still builds plenty of cars in Detroit, while GM only employs a little over 4,000 people at its Renaissance Center and soon-to-be-closed Hamtramck Assembly.
That said, the biggest of the former Detroit Big Three seems to still do the most in the reconstruction of the most populous city in Michigan. Sure, the new Corvette will be built in Kentucky, but GM's giant headquarters are still in the city and the General doesn't seem too keen on leaving its place of birth.
What struck me regarding the upcoming Corvette VIN 001 auction is that Chevy could have chosen to do so many other things with the money. Remember, unless most people spec the mid-engine 'Vette to more obnoxious levels (think: $80,000+ MSRP), Chevrolet will actually lose money on each and every car built.
Because it uses an entirely new platform shared with nothing else, the latest Stingray is not only one of GM's largest bets in recent decades, it's also one of the costliest. Of course, I don't have a clear figure regarding how much VIN 001 will auction for, but whoever buys it should feel just a little bit better about helping Chevrolet actually give something back to its home city.
Step by step, auction by auction, things are starting to look better for one of the carmakers that were never known for its philanthropy acts, especially during the Financial Crisis that ravaged it about a decade ago.
You can't order a 2020 Corvette anymore unless you buy it at a huge markup from a dealer that is a fan of money more than most. Chevrolet has stated that it encouraged its dealers not to resort to price gouging, but that will be hard to enforce when people are fighting for an allocation.
If you have the necessary moolah you can do one better, though. You can actually buy the first-ever retail production VIN of the all-new 2020 C8 Chevrolet Corvette when GM will put it up for auction this January in Scottsdale via Barrett-Jackson.
Keep in mind that the last-ever Chevrolet Corvette C7 sold for no less than $2.7 million at an auction organized by the same peeps at Barrett-Jackson last summer, so the first of the new C8 breed will probably fetch even more.
Like on other occasions, the entire hammer price will not be going to GM's pockets but will benefit the Detroit Children's Fund, which supports the expansion of quality public schools, retention, and recruitment of educators and Detroit initiatives that support school quality in general.
According to recent metrics, only 1 in 10 children in Detroit is currently receiving a quality education, which obviously takes its own toll on the reconstruction of the once-great motor city.
The VIN 001 Corvette C8 is specced like a sports car that will never go out of style, despite featuring a mid-engine layout for the first time in history, thus not exactly being a traditional 'Vette from that perspective.
Fitted with the Z51 package, the first-ever 2020 Corvette has a black exterior and black leather with red trim interior, red seat belts, GT2 seats, the Performance Data Recorder, and the 3LT package. In other words, it's the 'Vette to have if you want to stand out from the crowd and help the disadvantaged children of Detroit in the process.
Just like Ford in nearby Dearborn and Chrysler in Auburn Hills, Chevrolet was once synonymous with the Motor City, but things have drastically changed over the years. Only FCA still builds plenty of cars in Detroit, while GM only employs a little over 4,000 people at its Renaissance Center and soon-to-be-closed Hamtramck Assembly.
That said, the biggest of the former Detroit Big Three seems to still do the most in the reconstruction of the most populous city in Michigan. Sure, the new Corvette will be built in Kentucky, but GM's giant headquarters are still in the city and the General doesn't seem too keen on leaving its place of birth.
What struck me regarding the upcoming Corvette VIN 001 auction is that Chevy could have chosen to do so many other things with the money. Remember, unless most people spec the mid-engine 'Vette to more obnoxious levels (think: $80,000+ MSRP), Chevrolet will actually lose money on each and every car built.
Because it uses an entirely new platform shared with nothing else, the latest Stingray is not only one of GM's largest bets in recent decades, it's also one of the costliest. Of course, I don't have a clear figure regarding how much VIN 001 will auction for, but whoever buys it should feel just a little bit better about helping Chevrolet actually give something back to its home city.
Step by step, auction by auction, things are starting to look better for one of the carmakers that were never known for its philanthropy acts, especially during the Financial Crisis that ravaged it about a decade ago.
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