First Corvette Grand Sport, 50th Anniversary Camaro Sell at Auction for Charity

This past weekend in Palm Beach, the first examples of the 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport and the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro 50th Anniversary Edition hit the Barrett Jackson auction block, and while they didn’t bring the crazy amounts that past “first units” have brought – they both still raised an impressive amount of money for their respective charities.

Last week we brought you the news that the very first example of the 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport and the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro 50th Anniversary Edition would be auctioned off at the Barret Jackson Palm Beach auction. That event took place this past weekend and these two collectable Chevrolet performance cars raised more than $300k for charity.

2017 Corvette Grand Sport #1
The first of the two “first unit” Chevrolet performance cars was the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport Collector’s Edition. The Grand Sport package builds on the Corvette Stingray, while the Collector’s Edition adds the unique black and blue theme inside and out. The Corvette Grand Sport will almost surely be the best performing model based on the “base” Corvette, with the Stingray’s LT1 V8 coupled with go-fast goodies from the Z06 package.

2017 Corvette Grand Sport VIN #001 rolled onto the Barrett Jackson auction block Friday night and when the final gavel sounded, this high performance American sports car sold for $170,000. That is quite a bit lower than the other C7 Corvette “firsts” that have been auctioned off over the past two years, but that $170k will still play a big part to the folks at the Karmanos Cancer Institute of Detroit.

There has been speculation that NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick purchased this first Corvette Grand Sport, but we have not been able to verify that. Hendrick has purchased every other “first” C7 Corvette, so he seems like a likely bidder for this one. However, there is no proof that he was indeed the winner of the auction.

The 1st 50th Anniversary Camaro
The second high profile Chevrolet performance car to hit the auction block came on Saturday, with the first 50th Anniversary Camaro. This auction was technically for the right to own the 1st 2017 Camaro with the 50th Anniversary Edition package, after configuring the car however you want. The 50th Anniversary package is available as a coupe or convertible and in either 2LT (V6) or 2SS (V8) form.

This special Camaro was being auctioned off for the United Way of Southeastern Michigan and, like the first Grand Sport Corvette, this GM performance car demanded six figures. When the final hammer hit, the winner paid $150,000 for the first 50th Anniversary Edition Camaro.
So, compared to past “first unit” auctions, these two 2017 Chevrolet performance cars proved to be great bargains for the winning bidders – while also raising $150k and $170 for the two charity groups.

Image Source: Barrett Jackson FB Page