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Auction of 2013 Corvette Collector Edition to Benefit Drive to End Hunger
By Jen Martin, January 19, 2012 12:22 PM
UPDATED:
The first Corvette 427 Convertible offered to the public went to the highest bidder at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale collector car auction, on Sat., Jan. 21 for $600,000. An additional $100,000 was donated to AARP Foundation by another bidder for an extraordinary grand total of $700,000.
"AARP Foundation is appreciative of the generosity of Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports' donation of the special edition Corvette 427 for the auction. The $700,000 raised will go directly to support efforts to combat the growing problem of hunger, which threatens nearly 9 million older Americans each day," said Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP Foundation President.
Read more about the event and the bid HERE.
Jan 19:
This weekend in Arizona, the winning bid for some hot wheels will help fund thousands of meals for Americans 50 and older who are at risk for hunger.
Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports are teaming up to present the 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition at the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction, Jan. 21 in Scottsdale, Ariz. It will be the first time this new Corvette will be offered to the public, and all proceeds from the winning bid will go to the AARP and AARP Foundation Drive to End Hunger.
The 427 Convertible is the fastest, most capable convertible in Corvette's history and will feature a special 60 th Anniversary Package that will be available on all 2013 models.
According to Chevrolet, the car will sport the most powerful engine ever installed in a production Corvette convertible, a 427-cubic-inch (7-liter) LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06, rated at 505 horsepower) and 470 pound-feet of torque.
Drive to End Hunger partners and collaborators, Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, and Jeff Gordon, four-time Sprint Series winner and driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, will both be at the auction to encourage bidding, as will Jo Ann Jenkins, president of AARP Foundation.
We'll post photos from the auction on our Twitter feed on Jan. 21. You can watch the event online or see it on Speed TV, which will carry the entire Scottsdale Collector Car Auction from noon until 10 p.m. MST that day. The car (lot 3040) will be auctioned at 2 p.m. MST.
Want to bid on this sweet car? The deadline for getting all of your information to Barrett-Jackson is Friday, Jan. 20, at 2 p.m. You can bid online or by phone, but you have to be able to prove you can pay for it.
An estimated 8.8 million Americans 50 and older are at risk of hunger, including 4.9 million 50- to 59-year-olds, according to research released this year by AARP Foundation. AARP and AARP Foundation created Drive to End Hunger to raise awareness and funds to end hunger among older Americans. In February 2011, AARP became NASCAR's first cause-based primary sponsor with Drive to End Hunger featured on Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet. The effort raises the visibility of hunger while collecting cash and food donations in NASCAR race markets across the country.
In 2011, Drive to End Hunger donated nearly four million meals through local hunger relief organizations during its first year, and AARP Foundation raised more than $13.7 million from corporate and individual donors to help combat hunger among Americans 50 and older.
If you'd like to help fight hunger, but can't afford to bid on the Corvette, visit Drive to End Hunger to donate. AARP Foundation also offers many gift planning options.
Photo credit by: AARP Foundation