During SEMA 2013 Ford displayed the 1956 Ford F-100 “Snakebit” — a project by KISS bassist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Gene Simmons, as well as his wife and actress, Shannon Tweed-Simmons. The couple created Snakebit to raise funds for the new Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan in Canada, and the truck just sold this past weekend at the 2014 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale Arizona, with the bidding ending at $450,000.
Selling the truck furnishes the Children’s Hospital with a large donation. The sale was made possible through the Wheels of Dreams Project — a unique collaboration involving Gene Simmons, Saskatoon-born Saskatoon, Saskatchewan resident and actress Shannon Tweed-Simmons, and area businesses including the local Saskatchewan Ford dealer association. Though the fundraising campaign to build the hospital started several years ago, the group collectively wanted to do their part to achieve the 2016 construction completion goal.
Placing the winning bid was Mr. Gordie Broda of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada with the two celebrities joining the truck on stage for the charity sale. Snakebit features Ford’s supercharged 5.4-liter V8 breathing through a high-performance exhaust system mated to a six-speed manual gearbox feeding the estimated 550 horsepower to the 20-inch rear wheels.
“We are elated with the response to this one-of-a-kind truck,” says Vaughn Wyant, co-chair of Wheels of Dreams and president and CEO of Vaughn Wyant Automotive Group. “The volunteers involved in this project traveled an amazing road to get here, and it was thrilling to finally reach the moment where Gene and Shannon were spurring on the auction crowd to support the future children’s hospital. What an incredible moment.”
“We continue to be astounded by the ongoing generosity of the Saskatchewan community and those beyond our borders who are making the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan a reality,” says Brynn Boback-Lane, president and CEO of the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan. “Special thanks go to Ford Canada, the Ford Dealers Association of Saskatchewan and those at home in Saskatchewan who created and built this truck with the generosity of funding, commitment of time and sharing of their talents ensuring this project is world-class. These are the heroes in helping to build Saskatchewan’s new children’s hospital. Our Foundation is grateful for their efforts. We simply could not have done this without them, as this is a true testament to what Saskatchewan people can do when working together.”
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