Chevrolet unveiled the 2024 Corvette E-Ray, the company’s first electric model in January. The vehicle will be up for sale later this year, but the very first car with a VIN ending in 001 has already been sold.
The auction for the rights to the first car recently took place at Barrett-Jackson’s event in West Palm Beach, Florida. The winning bid was a staggering $1.1 million, exceeding the car’s starting price of $104,295.
All proceeds from the auction will go to DonorsChoose, a charity that supports public school classroom projects.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
Past auctions have seen the rights to the first 2023 Corvette Z06 and the first C8-generation Corvette sell for $3.6 million and $3 million, respectively. In both cases, Hendrick Automotive Group’s chairman and CEO Rick Hendrick was the buyer. The new purchaser of the E-Ray’s first model has not been identified.
While the wide-body design of the E-Ray is similar to the Z06, the two models are powered very differently. The E-Ray has a combination of a single electric motor and a 6.2-liter V-8 engine from the Corvette Stingray, resulting in a total output of 655 hp. The motor is situated on the front axle, and it is the first Corvette to have all-wheel drive.
Although the Z06 has a peak output that is 15 hp higher than the E-Ray, the latter can reach 0-60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, which is 0.4 seconds quicker than the Z06. It can also cover a quarter-mile distance in 10.5 seconds, which is a tenth of a second quicker than the Z06. The convertible version of the E-Ray is also available at a starting price of $111,295, and it is possible that the rights to the first convertible E-Ray will be sold at auction as well.
