General Motors chairmand and CEO Dan Akerson is giving up his beloved 1958 Chevy Corvette to help Habitat for Humanity build new houses in Detroit.
When Dan Akerson was named chairman and chief executive of General Motors just over two years ago, the enthusiasts feared what a communications executive with no experience in the auto industry would do to the world's largest automaker. There's little question, though, of Akerson's charitable activities. Back in August, GM announced that Akerson would be donating his own classic Corvette for charity.
The car in question is a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette, one of only 510 painted in this striking shade of Regal Turqoise. Fitted with a rare hardtop, it packs a 245-horsepower V8 and recently had its bodywork, interior and instrument panel restored.
The vintage Vette will be auctioned off on January 18 in Scottsdale, Arizona, by Barrett-Jackson, with 100% of the proceeds going towards Habitat for Humanity in its efforts in the Morningside Commons neighborhood of Detroit, just east of the Renaissance Center downtown that GM calls home. Just why they're building more houses in Detroit when so many are already being boarded up is beyond us (maybe our readers from Michigan can enlighten us), but in any event, we applaud Akerson's spirit of giving as we head into the holiday season, and hope the car goes to an even bigger car nut who'll pony up even more than the $1 million Akerson has already donated to the cause.