Last C7 Corvette Ever Made Raises $2.7-Million for Charity
Last C7 Corvette Ever Made Raises $2.7-Million for Charity
Final C7 could be the last front-engine Corvette ever, leading to a gigantic auction price.
When the C8 Corvette is introduced later this month, the legendary Chevrolet sports car will make the jump from front-engine to mid-engine, meaning that the current models could be the last units produced with the engine between the front wheels. Surprisingly, Chevrolet didn’t roll out a special edition model to commemorate the end of the C7 or the end of the front-engine layout, but the company did donate the very last C7 Corvette built to Barrett-Jackson to be auctioned off for charity.
Not surprisingly, a bidding war over the right to own what could be the last front-engine Corvette led to a massive closing price, but unlike so many Chevrolet “firsts” that have been auctioned for charity over the past decade, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick didn’t post the winning bid. In fact, the winning bidder was anonymous, so we may not ever know who owns the very last front-end Corvette ever.
The Black C7 Corvette
On Saturday, June 28th, a black 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 with black wheels and bright red leather interior rolled onto the stage at the Barrett-Jackson Northeast Auction. While this car was just an average Z06, it represented the rights to own the very last C7 built, which could also be the final front-engine Corvette from Chevrolet. Since the very last car hasn’t been built yet, the bidders were competing for the right to own that last car, adding all of the options that they want prior to the assembly process beginning.
Oddly, the final Corvette will be a Z06 and not a ZR1, but that didn’t have any impact on the auction proceedings. Even though a fully-loaded C7 Z06 tops out in the $100,000 range, the winning bidder laid down a whopping $2.7-million for the rights to own the last ‘Vette of the current generation.
While that is cool and all, the most important part of the story is how the money from this sale will be spent. More specifically, all of that cash goes to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
“It’s appropriate that the most iconic vehicle ever built in the US, has the honor of being the highest auctioned vehicle at Barrett-Jackson for a charity,” said Steve Hill, GM U.S. Vice President of Sales, Service and Marketing. “What makes me proud to be a GM employee is that fact that we’ve supported the military and veterans for over 100 years. This is a great evening, but tomorrow morning we get back to work to help more service members in need.”
Biggest Price, Great Charity
While General Motors, Ford and FCA have all donated cars for charity, the final C7 Corvette price is the highest paid for any of these high profile auctions. We have routinely seen cars sell in the $1-million range, but at $2.7-million, nothing has come close to matching this Z06.
That money is going to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which builds mortgage-free, accessible smart homes for catastrophically injured service members as well as helping to pay off the mortgages of first responders who are killed in the line of duty. $2.7-million will help a great deal in building and paying off houses, so in addition to scoring a unique piece of automotive history, the winning bidder is making a big impact with a great charity.
