Good Guy Chevrolet Is Auctioning The Very First Camaro ZL1 1LE For Charity

We've already seen how awesome the track-focused Camaro ZL1 1LE looks and heard how great it sounds, but it's Chevrolet's sense of charity that's making the news this time

Matt Kimberley

Updated: 10 Oct 2024

Good Guy Chevrolet Is Auctioning The Very First Camaro ZL1 1LE For Charity

Chevy is all set to auction Camaro ZL1 1LE number one for charity this weekend, and you have to doff your cap to that.

The company is repeating its generosity of last year, when auctioneers Barrett-Jackson sold the very first Corvette Grand Sport at its Palm Beach sale in Florida. The special Camaro will go under the hammer at the same event 12 months on.

Cars like this tend to be worth whatever the winning bidder is willing to pay for them, so we’re certainly talking about tens of thousands of dollars going straight to a charity called United Way, which improves lives by ‘mobilising the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good.’ Good work, Chevrolet.

The ZL1 1LE looks and sounds epic, so the bidding could get feisty as would-be owners scrabble to get their hands on the very first production car built. Its 650bhp supercharged V8 is enhanced with additional aerodynamic tweaks, a 27kg-ish weight cut and fatter, stickier tyres over and above the spec of the standard ZL1.

Chevrolet says the 1LE is three seconds per lap faster around General Motors’ 2.9-mile-long Milford test-track compared to the ordinary version. Which makes it fast. Keep an eye out for the no-reserve bidding on Barrett-Jackson lot 3002 on Saturday.

Comments

Not to seem pessimistic but it’s more of a PR stunt than an actual charitable act, they want people to know about all the good they do even if 1 car is nothing to them, they could probably donate 100’s of thousands and not end up in worse shape and yet they choose this way to boost brand image. (which from a business’s perspective makes perfect sense) I just feel it’s a cheap trick rather than a desire to help people.

And you’d be 100% correct. United Way isn’t even a good charity. It’s fitting that they were chosen, because they have enourmous overhead and it’s questionable how much they actually help. But they do spend a lot telling people how much good they do. (Also on their CEO)