A LEGACY OF HELPING THOSE IN NEED: Palm Beach Auction Charity Car Sales Foster Hope in Florida

March 25, 2024
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Barbara Toombs

2005 Ford GT VIN 003 – Sold! $530,000 and benefited the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation.

When Barrett-Jackson brought The World’s Greatest Collection Car Auctions to the Sunshine State more than two decades ago, it was only natural that the company’s tradition of charitable giving came right along with it.

The first retail production 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible – Sold! $1 million and benefited the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

While raising money for worthy causes in a variety of ways has been a pillar of Barrett-Jackson from the very beginning, it wasn’t until 2006 that the idea of selling vehicles to benefit charity became a reality, with Ford Motor Company bringing VIN 001 of the 2007 Shelby GT500 to the Scottsdale auction block. The entire $600,000 hammer price of that vehicle went to the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation, beginning Barrett-Jackson’s tradition of waiving all fees and commissions for charity cars. The winning bidder was Ron Pratte, a noted philanthropist, businessman and car collector based in Arizona. It was just the first of many examples of Pratte’s generosity that played a role in Barrett-Jackson’s charity car auctions over the years.

The new tradition of selling cars for a cause continued at the 2006 Palm Beach Auction, when Ford again stepped up for the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation by selling VIN 003 of a stunning Quicksilver 2005 Ford GT. The gavel dropped on a sale price of $530,000, with Ron Pratte coming through once more for the worthy cause.

The first retail production 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 – Sold! $500,000 and benefited the AARP Drive to End Hunger.

To date, nearly 100 charity cars have made their way across the Palm Beach auction block, raising over $17.3 million for causes large and small, local and national. These vehicles with a higher purpose have included stunning VIN 001 offerings from America’s top automakers, dragsters and race cars, remarkable muscle cars from the 1960s, stunning exotic supercars and even a boat.

By far the cars that have packed the biggest punch for charity in Palm Beach have been those brought to Barrett-Jackson by General Motors. In the spotlight at the 2013 auction was the first retail production 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible, which particularly caught the eye of NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick. In an electrifying moment, the gavel came down on Hendrick’s winning bid of $1 million – the first million-dollar charity car sale in Florida – all of which went to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

History repeated itself the following year in Palm Beach, with Hendrick snagging the top bid of $1 million for the first retail production 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (also to benefit the Karmanos Institute). Fast-forward to the 2022 Palm Beach Auction, when Hendrick rang the bell once more with his $1 million winning bid on the first retail production mid-engine 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 convertible. The incredibly generous motorsports icon did it again in 2023, when he bid $1.1 million to take home the first retail production 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ, VIN 001.

The first retail production 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

Corvettes reportedly occupy a special place in Hendrick’s heart, as his first date with his longtime spouse was in one. He later sold that Corvette to purchase his first dealership and kickstart his business empire. Not surprisingly, Hendrick has been inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame, and more than 100 Chevrolet Corvette models are among the many rare vehicles housed in a facility known as the Heritage Center, located next to his motorsports campus in North Carolina.

Another prominent Barrett-Jackson bidder to make his mark on charity sales in Palm Beach was the late David Flynn, a car lover who was the force behind the Flynn Automotive Group, which became one of the largest and most successful auto groups in northeastern Ohio. Between 2013 and 2016 at Barrett-Jackson’s Florida events, Flynn captured winning bids on nine different charity cars – most notably the first retail production 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, with his winning bid of $500,000 helping the AARP Drive to End Hunger.

John and Jeanette Staluppi.

Other familiar faces known for their willingness to help others through the purchase of numerous “cars for a cause” at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach events include John Staluppi – the Florida entrepreneur and philanthropist well known for his Cars of Dreams Museum – and Joe Riley, an Arizona-based car enthusiast and businessman. Both men have stepped up to the plate on numerous occasions to purchase vehicles benefiting a variety of charitable organizations.

Some of the cars that have crossed the block in Palm Beach for charity are stars themselves. Ford Motor Company, who had partnered with NBC to create a new KITT supercar inspired by the new Shelby GT500KR, brought two examples of a car that starred in the 2008 TV movie “Knight Rider” to the auction block – “KITT” and “Attack Mode KITT.” The two sold as a pair during the 2008 Palm Beach auction for $300,000 to California car collector Thomas Day, whose generosity benefited the Salute to Education scholarship program funded by the San Diego County Ford dealers and Ford Motor Company.

Those weren’t the only “star cars” featured on the Barrett-Jackson stage in Florida that year. After the multiple-award-winning HBO series “The Sopranos” aired its last episode in 2007, the production company donated eight vehicles used in the popular show to be sold at the 2008 Palm Beach event, with all funds raised going directly to Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

The first retail production 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ, VIN 001 – Sold! $1.1 million and benefited DonorsChoose.

While every Barrett-Jackson event is full of spectacular vehicles and exciting bidding action from beginning to end, it’s fair to say that the charity car sales provide the most emotional and meaningful moments at every auction, bringing tears to the eyes of many, whether watching the drama unfold live on television or in the auction arena itself. Barrett-Jackson is honored to provide the platform for those who generously donate vehicles that provide hope and help to so many worthy causes and is profoundly grateful to all those who bid from the heart when these special sales take place.

Join us at the 2024 Palm Beach Auction, April 18-20 at the South Florida Fairgrounds, when once again vehicles earmarked for some very worthwhile causes will be crossing the auction block at The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions. Register to bid or purchase tickets today!