SAN DIEGO – The WD-40/SEMA Cares Mustang is used to raising eyebrows, but by the time it rolled off the auction block at the 40th annual Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Show and Auction Jan. 22 in Scottsdale, Ariz., it showed it could also raise big bucks for charity – more than $200,000.
The 2011 Ford Mustang GT, which features a 5.0-liter V8 engine that produces nearly 600 horsepower, a custom body kit, entertainment system and blue and yellow paint that emulates the WD-40 brand, was “detailed” on-site with signatures from baseball great Reggie Jackson, NASCAR legend Rick Hendrick and actor Tim Allen before bidding began. Allen brought down the hammer after the vehicle received a $100,000 online bid and then joined others in making additional donations beyond the bid amount to raise more money for the two non-profit groups. John and Jeanette Stallupi had the winning bid and will feature the vehicle in the Cars of Dreams Museum in Palm Beach, Fla.
“We wanted to partner with some of the best in the business to build a vehicle that helps support worthwhile causes and honors those who use WD-40,” said Tim Lesmeister, vice president of marketing for WD-40 Company. “We’ve accomplished what we set out to do and have created many positive lasting memories in the process.”
This is the second consecutive year WD-40 Company has partnered with SEMA Cares, the charity arm of the Specialty Equipment Market Association, to build a custom vehicle for charity. Last year, the WD-40/SEMA Cares Camaro sold for $75,000 and benefited the same charities – Childhelp, an organization that provides services to abused and neglected children, and The Victory Junction Gang Camp, which provides life-changing camping experiences to special needs and chronically ill children. A virtual version of this year’s Mustang was concurrently sold in Nitto 1320 Legends, an online racing game and social network with more than 1.5 million members, and raised $10,800 for the same charities.
WD-40 Company and SEMA Cares partnered with a number of companies on the re-build project, including Street Scene Equipment, Stillen AP Racing, Forgeline and Paxton. For more information and a complete list of build partners, visit wd40.com/mustang-build.
