It’s become kind of a habit these past few years for GM companies not to sell the first example of whatever new line of products they launch, but to auction them off instead. This approach not only ensures the first model of a new bloodline enters the history books for going for big money, but it’s also the perfect publicity stunt to support the market launch that comes soon after.
As we stepped into the new year just a few short months ago, GM’s Chevrolet let loose into the wild the first-ever electrified Corvette. It was to be known as the E-Ray, and aside from using electric power for at least some of its shenanigans, it is also to become the first example of America’s sports car to be offered in an all-wheel drive configuration.
That’s because while an internal combustion engine in the form of a small block V8 is still there to push 459 horsepower to the rear wheels, an electric motor has been provided to spin the front ones with the punch coming from an extra 160 hp. That’s a total output of 655 horsepower, more than enough for whatever stunts E-Ray drivers will have in mind.
That extra punch coming from electrified components may bring some joy to future customers, but it’ll also cost them a lot more than an average Corvette would. The E-Ray has a sticker reading a $102,900 starting price. That’s almost $40,000 over the price of the base Stingray, but a tad below what the Z06 is going for.
That rather big price tag for mass-production E-Rays will probably be obliterated by the car with VIN number 001. The vehicle has been confirmed as being a star of the Barrett-Jackson auction which is set to take place in Palm Beach in mid-April.
Photo: General Motors
Like the Hummer EV and many others before it, the first production car of the E-Ray bloodline will go under the hammer as a means to both support a charity in need and also get people talking about the soon-to-be-introduced electrified ‘Vette.
The car to be auctioned off is not specced differently from the ones that will follow. Coming as a 3LZ, it packs the 6.2-liter LT2 tied to an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, it has a 1.9 kWh battery to power the electric motor, and will be sold with all-season tires and carbon ceramic brakes.
Neither Barrett-Jackson nor Chevrolet say how much the E-Ray is expected to fetch, but whatever sum of money it raises will be donated to DonorsChoose. That’s an organization created in the year 2000 with the goal of supporting students and teachers across America by providing them with the tools they need to go to school and stay in school – meaning everything from pencils to modern-day technologies.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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