It Appears There Were Good Intentions Behind That Corvette Z06 Auction
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06Image: Chevrolet
While the greed-fest surrounding the new Chevy Corvette Z06 has garnered a lot of critical attention, all was not as it appeared to be. At least as it pertains to one dealer, which actually appears to have had some good intentions behind its auction for a Z06 build slot.
If you recall, Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land was one of two Texas dealerships in the Houston area that decided to auction their Z06 allocations to the highest bidder. On its surface, it looked bad.
These dealers were asking people to bid on a spot in line to order a Z06 — and the amount paid for the spot in line would be separate from the price the customer would pay for the actual car, along with a $10,000 deposit once their order was submitted.
When we initially reported this story, we tried to contact Classic Chevy Sugar Land but got no response. A day later, an employee of the dealership reached out to Jalopnik and set the record straight.
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Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land informed us that, even before the auction began, those invited to bid were informed that the proceeds of the auction would be donated to local charities. The dealer forwarded the email announcement that went out to interested Z06 customers, which you can see as a screenshot below. Note the fourth paragraph:
In keeping with Classic Chevrolet’s long standing tradition of giving back to the community, a portion of the net proceeds of the auction will be donated among the following local charities: Houston Area Parkinson Society, Let’sShine, The Rose, Champions Kids Camp, and/or Shriners Hospitals for Children of Houston.
Classic Chevy Sugar Land also provided clear evidence that this email was sent on Friday, August 19th, before the auction began, and long before the internet hoopla around the allocation auctions kicked off.
The full text of the email Classic Chevy sent to customers interested in buying a new Z06, clearly stating that proceeds from the allocation auction would go to charity.Screenshot: Courtesy Classic Chevy Sugar Land
Five local charities, including the Shriners Hospitals for Children of Houston, are slated to receive a portion of the $71,000 winning bid. It could have been even more: Just seconds after the auction closed, a bidder offered $1 million for the allocation. But by the rules of the auction, the $71,000 bidder won.
(Note: there is still some ambiguity in the wording of Classic Chevy Sugar Land’s initial email, which specifies that “a portion of the net proceeds” will be donated to charity. The dealer employee we spoke to explained that the wording of the email was chosen to satisfy certain legal requirements, and insisted that “we did not add any additional markup to the vehicle and the charities will receive the entirety of the $71,000.”)
It’s honestly a reassuring conclusion to a story that, at the outset, seemed like just another example of dealer greed. More dealers should consider doing things like this. Better to spread the wealth around and help out those in need, instead of just thinking about your own pockets.
