Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction sets the record with the auction of the first production 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray Coupe fetching $3 Million USD.

Over the years the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction has become a destination for buyers seeking to own a first production vehicle. The yearly auction has a tradition of offering first editions of new performance cars for charity. On Saturday January 18, at the 49^th annual event, the rights to own the first-ever retail 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray Coupe VIN #0001 (Lot #3007), donated by General Motors (GM), went up for grabs.

GM CEO, Marry Barra, welcomed a packed house as bidders vied for the chance to own the black-on-black C8 Corvette loaded with every available option. The Red version of the car at auction was just a placeholder for the black one (VIN #001) that was being bid on, with the first offer starting strong at $200,000 USD. The final price hammered in at $3 million and the money raised given to the Detroit Children’s Fund (DCF) – a non-profit that supports Detroit’s schools.

“Reaction to the mid-engine Corvette was incredible,” said Barra, who was on the block to introduce the first production mid-engine Corvette. “It’s both humbling and exciting to harness that success and support the local community through the Detroit Children’s Fund.”

The lucky buyer was none other than Rick Hendrick, the collector and owner of NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports, and co-owner of JR Motorsports, founder of the Hendrick Automotive Group and the Hendrick Marrow Program, who last year paid $2.5 million for a 2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition at the same auction.

“I am the number one Corvette junkie in the world,” said 70-year-old Hendrick in a press release from GM. “Thanks to Chevrolet and Barrett-Jackson, because they always pick charities that are so good and help so many people.”

Rick Hendrick received the keys from General Motors’ CEO, Mary Barra, at the completion of the auction. The VIN #0001 Chevrolet Corvette Hendrick will receive has the 3LT trim loaded with all available options. It will come with a black exterior, black seats with red trim, red seatbelts, GT2 seats, removable roof panel, and rear spoiler. There’s also a performance data recorder and Z51 performance package.

The 2020 C8 Corvette is markedly different to previous Corvettes with it being the first model to feature an engine behind the driver instead of under the hood. The new Corvette also recently won at the Oscars of the auto industry and was named the North American Car of the Year by a jury of automotive journalists.

The winning $3 Million bid entitles Hendrick the option of taking delivery of his new coupe at the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He also gets a hosted tour at the Corvette Museum, a Letter of Authenticity, and a unique artwork.

“Charity vehicles are the soul of our auctions,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “Supporting the community was the purpose of the first event my family helped create almost 50 years ago. Over the years, we’ve supported medical research, funded education initiatives and provided money for programs that champion our nation’s military heroes and first responders.

This year’s auction also saw a 1981 Jeep CJ7 Custom SUV (Lot #3001) sold and re-donated on the block three times for a total of $425,000 raised to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation. Special guest 13-year-old Make-A-Wish recipient, Will Wade, fulfilled his wish by accompanying Craig Jackson on the block and hammering in the final sale of the Jeep.

 “There’s not a group of people more united in the drive to eradicate sickness, improve education and support our nation’s veterans than the collector car community,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “We’re so honored to be trusted by the world’s top car companies and consignors to help carry their missions of helping others. We take our stewardship of these charity cars very seriously and we’re grateful to have played a part in raising over $7 million dollars for these extremely worthy causes during our 2020 Scottsdale Auction.”

“All children deserve great schools,” said Jack Elsey, DCF’s executive director. “The proceeds from this auction will help improve public education in Detroit and, as a result, give thousands of young Detroiters a brighter future. We cannot thank General Motors enough for their commitment to DCF and the children of Detroit.”

The 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray Coupe was also the most expensive charity car sold at the week-long auction.

Last year the Rolls-Royce team created more bespoke cars than ever before in the marque’s history.

2019 was an incredibly big year for the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective. For one, Rolls-Royce completed a record 5152 motor cars, the most in it’s 116 year history. Secondly, almost every one of those cars was tailored by the Bespoke Collective, a team that is made up of Rolls-Royce engineers, designers and craftspeople that reside at the home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England.

You could safely say that all and every one of Rolls-Royce’s customers would have had extremely high expectations in regards to perfection and excellence upon delivery of each and every motor car, so delivering 5152 examples of perfection was no small accomplishment.

It’s no surprise then to hear Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, comment of his team, “I am proud to say that the craftsmen and women of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars have surpassed themselves once again in creating an array of extraordinary motor cars, tailored to the requirements of some of the most influential and discerning individuals in the world. These motor cars become unique works of art and it is an extraordinary feat when you consider that each and every single one of these unique commissions has been created on one production line at the Home of Rolls-Royce”

Here is an overview of some of the Rolls-Royce designs the Bespoke Collective completed in 2019:

THE MILLION STITCH ROLLS-ROYCE
CANVAS: PHANTOM │MEDIUM: EMBROIDERY

A Stockholm-based entrepreneur with a passion for flowers challenged the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective to create a car that immersed its occupants in floral decadence. The result was the ‘Rose Phantom’: a vision made with a million embroidered stitches.

The starting point was a rose bred exclusively for Rolls-Royce by Harkness Roses with the Rolls-Royce home the only place in the world where the rose is grown.

GHOST ZENITH COLLECTION
CANVAS: GHOST │MEDIUM: ENGRAVING, COMMEMORATIVE INGOT, PERFORATED LEATHER, EMBROIDERY

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars marked the close of 10 remarkable years of Ghost by creating a limited edition ‘Zenith Collection’. With just 50 Ghost Zeniths made, the car featured the highest levels of Bespoke ever seen in a Ghost Collection.

The Ghost Zenith drew references from 200EX, the experimental car that introduced the contemporary expression of the Ghost nameplate in 2009. A commemorative ingot, made from the original Spirit of Ecstasy of 200EX, was set into the centre console of each of the cars. The Collection’s own Spirit of Ecstasy and clock are engraved with the Zenith name. The Ghost Zenith also features a unique Shooting Star headliner. Light trails fire at random across the cabin roof, which consists of over 1,340 individual, hand-finished fibre optic lights.

BAYSIDE DAWN AERO COWLING
CANVAS: DAWN │MEDIUM: AERO COWLING

Following the arrival of the Dawn Aero Cowling in 2018, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars paid tribute to the sea with the Bayside Dawn Aero Cowling. Commissioned by a customer in Yokohama, Japan, this maritime-themed Bespoke motor car paid homage to their seafaring home city.

This one-off model drew inspiration from yachts and speedboats, combining both technical and natural materials. Open-pore teak Canadel panelling, reminiscent of a yacht’s deck, is matched with cutting-edge technical fibre. The rear deck complements exterior paint and interior leather colours, evoking the blue seas and white sails associated with the finest traditions of Yokohama Bay.

DIGITAL SOUL PHANTOM
CANVAS: PHANTOM │MEDIUM: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, GOLD PLATING, GOLD INLAYS

The Digital Soul Phantom is a study in contemporary artisanship. 3D printed stainless steel is hand polished and plated in 24-carat gold, resulting in a unique artwork that embodies jewellery, sculpture and architecture. Gold detailing embellishes the interior of the motor car, with Gold inlays set by hand in Smoked Eucalyptus wood and gold-plated speaker grilles concluding the aesthetic.

WRAITH EAGLE VIII COLLECTION
CANVAS: WRAITH │MEDIUM: GOLD VACUUM METALIZED WOOD WITH SILVER AND COPPER INLAYS

To mark the centenary of the first non-stop transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown in June 1919, Rolls-Royce created 50 extraordinary Wraiths in the Wraith Eagle VIII Collection.

The story of their perilous night-time journey, propelled by Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines, is told using Wraith as a canvas. A unique starlight headliner with 1,183 fibre-optic lights depicts the night time sky at the time of their flight. The flight path and constellations are embroidered in brass thread and the exact moment the pair left the clouds, also illustrated in embroidery, and navigated by the stars is indicated by a red fibre-optic light.

Brass speaker covers depict the estimated 1,880-mile flight distance whilst a brass plaque engraved with Winston Churchill’s stirring quote commending the pair’s remarkable achievement adorns the driver’s door.

The Smoked Eucalyptus fascia, vacuum metalized in gold and inlaid with silver and copper, depicts a birds-eye view of the Earth at night, showing a light map of roads and homes glittering below.

HOROLOGY PHANTOM
CANVAS: PHANTOM │MEDIUM: STAINLESS STEEL AND GOLD INLAY, COACHLINE

The Horology Phantom is touched with elements redolent of fine timepieces. The car was inspired by a meeting of a Rolls-Royce Motor Cars designer and master horologists from La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, who convened to explore the complexities and exotic movements of contemporary luxury timepieces.

Set against a Gunmetal and Black two-tone exterior finish, a gold and silver hand-painted twin coachline incorporates an intricate watch-inspired design; the Spirit of Ecstasy is cloaked in 24-carat gold. Inside, the fascia features the largest stainless steel and gold inlay ever made for Phantom. Positioned below a multiple layered stainless-steel Gallery, the inlay depicts an abstract schematic of a watch movement. The Rolls-Royce clock, housed in the Gallery, is set in a solid silver, guilloché case.

PEBBLE BEACH PASTEL COLLECTION
CANVAS: GHOST, DAWN, WRAITH │MEDIUM: PAINT, TECHNICAL FIBRE

The Pastel Collection, showcased at Pebble Beach, drew upon a palette of colours from 2019’s ‘wildflower super-bloom’ on California’s Monterey Peninsula. Three unique Black Badge commissions brought new colours to the Rolls-Royce Bespoke palette, reaffirming the notion that a Rolls-Royce Black Badge need not necessarily be black.

The Ghost Black Badge featured a Light Green Solid finish, a pastel shade representing the rebirth of flora on the peninsula after years of drought and fire. The black leather interior features a striking Serenity Green splash, highlighting the technical fibre of the fascia.

The Dawn Black Badge, in Coral Solid, showcases a stunning Bespoke finish only achieved after seven coats of paint and more than nine hours of hand-polishing in the Surface Finish Centre. The Coral colour carries over to the Aero Cowling, while the interior is finished in Artic White and Sunset, an illustration of northern California’s hills and valleys in bloom.

The third car is a Wraith Black Badge in Semaphore Yellow, a bright and sunny finish for the most powerful member of the Rolls-Royce family, complemented by a Selby Grey and Lemon interior.

FALCON WRAITH
CANVAS: WRAITH │MEDIUM: EMBROIDERY, PAINT

The Falcon Wraith features the most detailed single embroidery to ever appear in a Rolls-Royce motor car. An intricate embroidery of a Peregrine Falcon, the fastest bird in the world, is interpreted in photo-realistic detail amongst clouds on Wraith’s headlining. Consisting of nearly 250,000 stitches, the dramatic embroidery took more than one month to develop.

A unique coachline in Arctic White hints at the form of the bird’s wing, with the motif additionally embroidered between the rear seats and painted onto Wraith’s fascia.

THE ARABIAN GULF PHANTOM
CANVAS: PHANTOM │MEDIUM: EMBROIDERY, PAINT, MOTHER OF PEARL, SCULPTED SILK APLIQUÉ

The Arabian Gulf Phantom adopts the rich colours and historical narrative of pearl diving in the Middle East. The Turchese exterior hue is evocative of the vibrant local waters, while the Andalusian White upper two-tone recalls the purity of natural pearls, alluding to the story within. An Arctic White coachline introduces a hand-painted Nautilus shell motif that forms the basis for the car’s design.

A sculpted silk appliqué Gallery by British Artist Helen Amy Murray takes centre stage across the motor car’s fascia. Reminiscent of swelling oceans, the Turchese Gallery is punctuated by a Mother of Pearl clock.

The Nautilus shell is embroidered on Phantom’s rear doors, whilst the rear occupants may also enjoy the motif in Mother of Pearl marquetry on the picnic tables’ fascia. Once deployed, the picnic tables present a complex piece of marquetry, incorporating generously applied Mother of Pearl to the picnic table-top.

TRANQUILLITY COLLECTION
CANVAS: PHANTOM │MEDIUM: METEORITE, SPACE GRADE ALUMINIUM, GOLD PLATE

Named and crafted to celebrate the feeling of euphoric tranquillity one achieves within Phantom, this unique motor car is a curation of objects and inspirations from worlds beyond earthly bounds.

Tranquillity’s Gallery is inspired by the X-Ray coded aperture masks used on the British Skylark space rocket. The Gallery is made from stainless steel, 24-carat gold plating and space grade aluminium.

For the first time in Rolls-Royce history, meteorite has been incorporated into the interior of a car. Shavings of the Muonionalusta meteorite, which fell to earth in Kiruna, Sweden in 1906, adorn the Volume Controller, with a detailed engraving of the location and date of its discovery.

Inspired by the light and dark sides of the Moon, the interior colourway of Arctic White or Selby Grey leather integrates unique veneer combinations of gloss and satin, both with an exclusive metallic effect. Bespoke audio speaker frets are finished in yellow gold, complementing the additional gold elements throughout the car.

A Bespoke ‘Technical’ yellow gold, vapour blasted and engraved titanium clock and engineered titanium Spirit of Ecstasy complete the aesthetic.

CULLINAN IN FUX ORANGE
CANVAS: CULLINAN │MEDIUM: PAINT

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars debuted the colourful ‘Cullinan in Fux Orange’ under the summer sun of Pebble Beach last year. Working with the Bespoke Collective, a North American patron, Mr. Fux, challenged designers to match the exterior colour to vibrant orange shawl that had caught his eye in South Florida. The shawl was delivered to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars where a colour-matching process began.

Working together for nearly a year, the teams created a seven-layer surface, polished by hand for many hours in the Surface Finish Centre. The interior is decked in hand-crafted Arctic White leather with contrast Orange stitching and Orange Rolls-Royce ‘RR’ headrest monograms.

Bentley announce the retirement of the Mulsanne – but not without last one last hurrah.

• Limited to just 30 examples
• Flagship Mulsanne to be replaced by the Flying Spur
• Bentley will offer hybrid options for all models by 2023

Revealed earlier today, Bentley have made the decision to retire the Mulsanne but not before announcing plans for the final 30 specially designed cars – namely the “6.75” Edition created by Mulliner.

Introduced in 2011 as Bentley’s flagship model, the Mulsanne has remained popular throughout its 9 year tenure and was originally named in honour of the Mulsanne Corner of the Le Mans race track, a track that has so far given 6 wins to Bentley in the 24 Hours of Le Mans racing event.

Inspired by Bentley’s 6¾-litre V8 engine, which celebrates its 60th year in continuous use, the 6.75 Edition will be the last 30 Mulsanne models to roll off the production line before being replaced by the Flying Spur as Bentley’s flagship model.

Details of its namesake are featured throughout the interior design created by Mulliner and include interior “organ stop” caps that look like miniature engine oil caps, seat stitching with the 6.75 emblem and engine design etchings across the dashboard.

Outside, the Mulliner details include the Serenity radiator grille, 21″ five-spike Mulsanne Speed wheels with blacked-out Flying B bonnet mascot and details, while under the bonnet the engine manifold will also finished in black instead of the usual silver.

Once production ends in Spring 2020, staff that were tasked with all things Mulsanne, will move on to production of other models, including the Flying Spur and there will be plenty to do as all Bentley models will offer a hybrid powertrain option by 2023.