FIRST C8 CORVETTE SOLD

Everyone wants to be the first, to claim that small piece of history as their own, and auctioning off the first production model of a new performance car for charity has become accepted practice. It shouldn’t be too surprising to learn, then, that the first saleable 2020 C8 Chevrolet Corvette crossed the auction block, and did so at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale sale. What no one expected to see, however, was the figure on the big screen when the car sold: US$3M. It made for a silence-inducing moment, even in light of the collection of high-value steel being pushed across the stage.

Bidding opened at a cool $200K and quickly jumped to $250K then $500K followed by $750K and $1M. It didn’t slow down there but powered all the way to the $3M, mark with Nascar team owner and noted car collector Rick Hendrick taking the honours.

Hendrick doesn’t take home the bright red

Corvette that actually crossed the block, though — that car was just representative of the firstproduction mid-engine Corvette, which will be built in the next few weeks. The actual car, with VIN No. 001, will be black on black 495-hp 6.2-liter LT2, fully optioned with the Z51 package, performance data logger, GT2 seats, and more. GM donated the car to the Detroit Children’s Fund, meaning that the charity received the entire hammer-sale price.

While his on-track career saw him make 52 starts in IndyCar between 1968 and 1977, and a start at the Indianapolis 500, EJ ‘Bill’ Simpson was better known for his off-track development of safety equipment under the Simpson brand. He passed away in mid December following a stroke, aged 79. After crashing out during a drag race at the age of 18, Bill developed the idea of a parachute released from the back of the car to slow it down, a concept quickly adopted by the NHRA. Shortly after, identifying the need for driver fire protection after a spate of fire deaths, he enlisted astronaut Pete Conrad to help integrate Nomex fireretardant material into race suits — by 1967, nearly every Indianapolis 500 starter was wearing a Nomex race suit.

Bill is credited for not only advancing harness technology but also introducing safety boots and gloves to motorsport. Even more notably, his helmets became the safety headwear of choice throughout the 1980s. Formula 1 drivers Jochen Mass, James Hunt, and Mario Andretti all wore Simpson lids. While Bill hasn’t been associated with the company since the early 2000s, his legacy lives on through the ongoing production of Simpson items.