SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Concluding the largest event in the Barrett-Jackson auction company’s 42-year history, charity was the big winner. In particular, it was the recipient of a special, one-of-a kind, custom-built muscle car provided by three-time NASCAR championship-winning crew chief and ESPN racing analyst Ray Evernham. 
Featured as one of the showcase vehicles at the recent Scottsdale, Ariz., auto auction, its sale Saturday night raised $280,000 for Evernham’s IGNITE foundation to assist children and young adults with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
Originally unveiled at the Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes booth at SEMA Show 2012 in Las Vegas, Evernham’s street-legal 1964 Plymouth Belvedere combines old school American style with modern NASCAR racing technology. Aptly named "ForPly," the custom car marked Evernham’s debut as a car designer and builder.
“We set out to design the ultimate street machine that took a vintage American muscle car with great motorsports heritage and brought it into the modern age,” said Evernham. “There is not another one like it in the world. We appreciate it being highlighted on center stage on the biggest night of the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auto auction.”
“Sherwin-Williams is proud to partner with Ray Evernham on his first design venture, and especially so that Ray specified the car’s color scheme using Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes,” said Bobby Moody, the company’s director of motorsports “But more so, we’re excited to see this completed project raise more than a quarter million dollars for such a worthy cause.”
Net proceeds from the entire sale all go to Evernham Family Racing for a Reason, a foundation that is funding IGNITE, a new program and facility in Davidson, N.C., operated by the Autism Society of North Carolina. IGNITE enables adults with high-functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome to enjoy a better quality of life as valued members of the community in which they live and work.
Click here to read more about the design and paint scheme of the ForPly.
The same automotive paint technology as used on the ForPly is also now available from Sherwin-Williams in kit format. Planet Color Barrett-Jackson Restoration System Kits, available at Pep Boys, allow automotive enthusiasts to achieve a professional quality paint finish for under $500.
