Ford will auction off Mustang Shelby GT500 VIN 001 for charity
The proceeds will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
If there's one thing an automaker loves, it's auctioning off the first VIN of a fancy new model for charity. Ford's the latest automaker to hitch its horse to that cart, and it's one hell of a horse.
The keen eyes at Car and Driver found the auction listing for the first 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 off the production line. VIN 001 will be sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The auction house estimates that the auction will finish up on Friday, Jan. 18 at approximately 8:30 p.m. Mountain.
As with many other high-profile VIN 001 auctions, 100 percent of the proceeds are going to charity. In this case, the winner's money will be given to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
There's a solid history of automakers auctioning cars for charity. The final Dodge Demon and Viper were sold as a package deal, netting a neat $1 million for charity. Honda auctioned off the first Civic Type R for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Before that, Acura auctioned the first NSX off to benefit two children's charities. In terms of upcoming auctions, Supra VIN 001 will go to auction on Jan. 19 to benefit two separate charities.
The Shelby GT500 is one wild sports coupe. It sports a variant of the 5.2-liter V8 found in the GT350, but it ditches the flat-plane crank and adds a supercharger to boost output north of 700 horsepower. A dual-clutch transmission is the only gearbox available, and it packs a number of fun additional bits like magnetorheological suspension and a package that covers the darn thing in carbon fiber. It'll probably fetch a pretty penny at Barrett-Jackson.
