By KEN de la BASTIDE
Tribune staff writer
June 03, 2008 11:12 pm
—
MARION — On a typical day, the delivery of a new car at the Mike Anderson Dodge dealership in Marion doesn’t draw a lot of attention.
Tuesday was not a typical day.
About two dozen spectators joined Mike Anderson sales associates in the dealership parking lot Tuesday morning to catch a glimpse of the new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8.
The car has been purchased by a group of Chrysler employees in Kokomo, who are raffling off chances to win the car as a fundraiser to help local children at Christmas.
Tickets are priced at $10 each.
The next generation muscle car is equipped with a 6.1 Hemi engine delivering 425 horsepower. The dashboard is adorned with a plaque identifying the car as the sixth of 6,400 to be produced. It carries a $42,000 sticker price.
“This is the first one around,” said Tony Scott, sales manager of Mike Anderson Dodge.
The dealership provided a 2005 Dodge Neon to the Kokomo group to raffle off in the past.
“There was no hesitation at all,” Scott said of providing the car at a discounted price. “When they came to us and told us what they wanted to do, we were supportive of it.”
Scott said the group has helped thousands of Howard County children at Christmas.
Converse resident Ken Jones drove to Marion to see the car delivered.
“I knew the car was coming, I had to see it,” he said.
Jones has purchased two raffle tickets and plans to buy more.
“It is better looking than I thought it would be,” Jones said. “If I win it, I will store it and drive it on special occasions. It is a piece of history.”
Kevin Hamilton transported the car from Detroit to the dealership.
“They did a beautiful job on it,” he said of the car. “I had to stop at another dealership and had to unload it. People were stopping to look at it.”
Hamilton said people driving in Ford Mustangs would slow down to catch a glimpse of the Challenger.
“Look out Ford, here comes Dodge,” he laughed.
Hamilton purchased a raffle ticket before leaving the dealership.
Kevin Anderson, with the Kokomo Chrysler employee group, said the hope is to sell 50,000 tickets by Dec. 1.
The winning ticket will be drawn at the Marion dealership at noon Dec. 22.
Anderson and a group of employees traveled to Canada to watch the car roll off the assembly line.
“It was unbelievable,” he said, “to watch the building of the car was great.”
The Dodge Challenger will be trailered to car shows throughout central Indiana, Anderson said.
The employee Christmas Fund provides Christmas for 100 families on an annual basis.
The fund purchases hats, coats, gloves and shoes for the children along with toys. A Christmas party is held each year at United Auto Workers Local 685, where every child invited receives a gift from Santa Claus with their name on it
Tickets can be purchased by sending a money order or cashiers check to the committee with a self-addressed stamped envelope. You must be over the age of 18 to purchase a ticket, no personal checks will be accepted.
Funds should be mailed to: Community Christmas Fund, P.O. Box 2123, Kokomo, IN. 46904-2123. Checks have to be received by Dec. 1. Tickets can also be purchased online using PayPal at http://challenger.americasfirstcar.com.
Ken de la Bastide can be reached at (765) 454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.
Photos
MUSCLE CAR: The new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 arrives Tuesday at Mike Anderson Dodge in Marion. The car was purchased by a group of Chrysler employees in Kokomo and will be raffled off to help raise money for local needy kids at Christmas. KT photo by Tim Bath