Barack Obama stepping into a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 at the Washington Auto Show on Tuesday. (Saul Loeb/Getty Images)
Funny how President Obama has suddenly become a car guy. First, he bragged about saving America’s auto industry in the State of the Union speech. Now’s he hanging out at the Washington Auto Show.
The president, escorted by execs from Ford, Dodge and General Motors, checked out 15 electric and hybrid models Tuesday, climbing in and inspecting the interiors. “The U.S. auto industry is back,” said Obama, who took a shot at “some folks who were willing to let this industry die.” (Itt-may Omney-ray?)
Not that he gets to drive anywhere, but at some point the president will need a new ride. (Can’t take the Beast with him, sadly.) Meanwhile, whither the wheels he left behind? If you’ve got $1 million and a burning desire for a 2005 Chrysler 300C once driven by the then-senator, you can snag it on eBay.
Obama leased the car until 2007, when he replaced it with a greener Ford Escape hybrid, reports CNN. Chicago’s Tim O’Boyle bought it from a showroom — only 20,800 miles on it — and tried to auction it off after the 2008 election. Jokers ran the price up to $100 million. Ha! No sale.
Barack Obama’s 2005 Chrysler 300C, now being offered on eBay for $1 million. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Czibor) Hoping to capitalize on the campaign season, O’Boyle got serious again two weeks ago and re-listed the car — with pre-screening and a $2,000 deposit required to bid. ”Please understand that the $1 million dollar starting price is not a joke,” reads the listing, noting that Pope John Paul II’s 1975 Ford Escort sold for $690,000; Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 1977 Peugeot went for more than $2 million, and Adolf Hitler’s Mercedes convertible for $8 million.
The current Blue Book value of the Chrysler is around $14,000. Last year, a Connecticut man paid $26,000 for Obama’s 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The auction ends Wednesday night. As of press time, exactly zero bids.
