Lucas Bell 
For $995 dollars, C8 Corvette buyers can take delivery of their mid-engined sports car at its spiritual home: the National Corvette Museum located across from the Bowling Green factory. Last week, Former GM CEO Dan Akerson and his wife Debbie took delivery of one of the first C8 convertibles we’ve seen leave the factory. We doubt they had to pay for the privilege however.
Akerson’s C8 Corvette is a Shadow Gray convertible, complete with a Sky Cool Gray interior and Spectra Gray Machined Trident Spoke wheels. The National Corvette Museum was happy to share the delivery on their Facebook Page, noting that it was the former executive’s first visit to the Corvette holy land. He seemed to be pretty casual about mask wearing.
Akerson served as the CEO of GM from 2010 to 2014, before announcing his retirement as his wife faced a “late stage cancer diagnosis.” The announcement came one day after the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it had sold their remaining stake in the company, which obstencillay ended the 2009 taxpayer bailout of Detroit’s automakers. At the time, Akerson was lauded for his ability to guide GM back to profitability following the economic crisis.
The move towards retirement also came just before GM faced massive scrutiny over their handling of the now infamous Switchgate scandal. GM’s current CEO Mary Barra took the helm following the sudden departure of the Carlyle Group executive and former Navy officer.
This C8 Corvette isn’t Akerson’s first foray into the brand however, as he once owned a Regal Turquoise 1958 C1 Corvette. One of just 510 in that color, Akerson sold the car at auction for $270,000, before donating the money to Habitat for Humanity in Detroit. Rick Hendrick is the one who bought the car, which now lives in his personal museum.
