Popular car guy Jay Leno, host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, helped auction off his own Fiat 500 Prima Edizione (first image below) this past weekend for a record-setting $350,000 to benefit the Fisher House Foundation. An additional $250,000 was raised during the event from the inspired crowd and Gooding & Co., the auction house.
Through Leno’s efforts, and from the generosity of many in attendance, $600,000 was raised for the Fisher House Foundation during Monterey weekend, with 100% of it going to the foundation. The winning bid is probably the most ever paid for a Fiat 500, was just one of a number of celebrity-owned cars auctioned.
With
Leno working the audience, the initial starting bid kept going
higher, and higher, and higher until Bill Munday of South Point
Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Austin, Texas, came out on top with
the winning bid. The additional $250,000 raised during the auction
also will go to Fisher House Foundation.“I want to thank Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Army Chief of Staff Ray Odiero for bringing such gravity to the auction. It was a lot of fun to see a Fiat 500 bring Ferrari pricing especially for such a worthy cause,” Leno told us.
Head of FIAT Brand for North America Tim Kuniskis added, “We’re thrilled that the FIAT brand could play a part in the exciting evening. Jay was amazing in raising money for the Fisher Foundation, which does inspiring work.”
Left to right, U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno, the Chief of Staff of the Army, comedian Jay Leno, Bill Mundy, and Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta pose for a photo at the end of an auction for a Fiat 500 Prima Edizione which brought in $600,000 at the Gooding and Company car auction in Monterey, Calif., Aug. 18, 2012. Proceeds from the sale went to the benefit of the Fisher House organization. Panetta spoke at the event.
Fisher House Foundation has 57 locations in the United States and Germany. Each location serves as a place to stay for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. The homes are normally located within walking distance of the treatment facility or have transportation available.
Both images courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense, Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo/Released. See Flickr for full event set.
