Rare Corvette to Sell for Charity

MARENGO, Ill., Aug. 13 -- Racecar legend, Richard Petty will be the guest auctioneer on August 24th to auction a rare 1953 Chevrolet Corvette to benefit ill children.

The auction will be held at 11:30 A.M. Saturday in Carlisle, PA at the Corvettes at Carlisle event where Corvette aficionados from around the country are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Corvette. In its 21st year, Corvettes at Carlisle is the largest Corvette show in the world attracting 6 to 7 thousand Corvettes and more than 60,000 people over 3 days, August 23-24- 25.

The Mecum Auction Company of Marengo, IL, well known for their expertise in the Corvette field, will conduct the overall auction portion of the show. Over 300 Corvettes will cross the auction block on Friday evening the 23rd and Saturday the 24th with of course the highlight being the sale of 1 very special 1953 Corvette. #158 of 300 produced in 1953, the first year of Corvette production. The car has been donated by Carlisle Events (the event promoters) and Classic Car Restoration Service Center of Tarpon Springs, FL. All proceeds from the sale will benefit the Victory Junction Gang of Randleman, NC, a camp for children with life threatening illnesses. This organization was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty. Camp Victory will offer a free retreat to 4000 campers and their parents each year. It is scheduled to open its doors in 2004. The Victory camp joins a network of Hole in the Wall Gang Camps founded by actor Paul Newman in 1988.

The 1953 Corvette sold for only $3498.00 in 1953, with limited production, the Corvette barely survived a halt of production by General Motors its first few years. Now in its 50th year, the American Sport Car Icon celebrates its longevity by Corvette enthusiasts around the country. Today rare 1953 Corvettes are valued in excess of $100,000 with fine examples exceeding $150,000. Ironically, 10 of these cars today exceed the value of the entire 300 originally produced.

For additional information on the 1953 Corvette at auction www.carsatcarlisle.com or www.mecumauction.com .