Corvette E-Ray

Make
Chevrolet
Segment
Coupe

The first private owner of the all-new 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray paid $1,100,000 for the privilege of owning a piece of history and VIN 001. Fortunately, this is not a case of an extreme car dealer markup but rather the result of an intense bidding war at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach event this past weekend. The full amount paid for the first electrified 'Vette will go to DonorsChoose, a national non-profit organization that provides teachers in need with the right tools so they can give kids the best possible education.

DonorsChoose serves primarily low-income communities and Black, Latino, and Native American students. In addition to the price of the Corvette E-Ray, an anonymous Barrett-Jackson VIP also donated $50,000 to the cause.

These charity auctions have become quite a thing at Barrett-Jackson events, with people feeling extra generous to their hands on the first of a particular model.

In 2021, somebody paid over two million dollars for the first Hummer EV, and last year, the first Corvette Z06 sold for $3.6 million. During the same week the Z06 was sold, Barrett-Jackson raised more than eight million for charity.

The trend isn't limited to General Motors products either. Last year Ford donated a GT500 Heritage Edition, which raised a million for Hurricane Ian victims. Earlier this year, the first 2024 Ford Mustang GT with VIN 001 sold for over half a million, and the proceeds went to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), which funds Type 1 diabetes research.

"The atmosphere in the auction arena was supercharged during the bidding on the first retail production 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray," said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. "The Corvette is 'America's Sports Car,' and the sale of the first electrified version ever produced was an iconic moment as collectors coveted the chance to own a piece of automotive history."

We knew the first E-Ray would fetch big bucks. Some people might not like that GM is electrifying an icon like the Corvette, but most people appear to be looking forward to owning a C8 with an electric all-wheel drive system. In New Hampshire, several people slept on the sidewalk to be the first customers to pay the $4,000 deposit needed to secure an order.

The E-Ray uses the same 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 as the standard C8 Stingray but adds a 160-horsepower electric motor to the front axle. The combined power output is 655 hp. Thanks to the AWD system, it can get to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, while the quarter-mile takes 10.5 seconds.

GM donated this particular unit, but regular customers can expect to pay a starting price of $104,295.