Sons of Italy Foundation Custom Supercar Sold at Auction

January 29, 2014, Washington, D.C.

The Sons of Italy Foundation’s (SIF) custom 2013 SRT Viper GTS, donated to the group by Chrysler Group, LLC and its chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne last May, was sold at auction for $215,000 on Jan. 17, 2014, in Scottsdale, Ariz., by Russo and Steele Auctioneers. The SIF is the philanthropic arm of the 109-year-old Order Sons of Italy in America (OSDIA), the largest and oldest organization representing Italian American men and women and a patriotic group which has been highly praised by every U.S. president since Woodrow Wilson. The proceeds from the sale benefit the group’s philanthropic causes and charity beneficiaries.

The Viper, which carries a $139,000 book value, was auctioned no reserve, which meant no minimum bid was required; the highest bid of any amount could win the car. The sale price of $215,000 made the Viper among the top-sellers out of more than 700 cars at the auctioneers’ weeklong classic and luxury car extravaganza.

“The SIF has given tens of millions of dollars to combat fatal and debilitating diseases that affect people of all ages, such as Cooley’s anemia, Alzheimer’s, autism and cancer,” said SIF CEO Dr. Philip Piccigallo. “We have also taken on numerous causes supportive of our brave troops, veterans and their families,” he added, “especially those affecting severely wounded warriors. The sale of this very special car will help us continue our critical support for these most worthy causes.”

The car is rare, a one-off model designed and built specifically for the SIF. It boasts unique features that include Italian inspired, one-of-a-kind, pearl white Avorio Perla exterior paint (the only one produced in that color for the 2013 model year); multi-spoke black vapor chrome wheels; a one-inch wide seat stripe in red, white and green over the luxury Laguna sepia leather; and an Italian flag themed GTS badge above the glove box.

The SIF is the philanthropic arm of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSDIA), the largest and oldest organization for Italian Americans in the United States. Since its founding in 1959, the SIF has contributed more than $127 million to medical research, international and domestic disaster relief, scholarships, cultural preservation and veterans’ causes, along with other special projects.

Established in 1905, the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) has hundreds of thousands of family members located in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. OSIA works at the community, national and international levels to promote the heritage and culture of an estimated 26 million Italian Americans, the nation's fifth largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. To learn more, visit www.osia.org