A Ford Supplier Placed Winning Bid For Ride With Farley

April 25, 2023 1:38 pm

Ford CEO Jim Farley has spent his spare time helping others in a number of ways since taking over the top spot at The Blue Oval, volunteering to feed and cloth the homeless at the Pope Francis Center in Detroit, auctioning off the chance to have lunch with the executive with the proceeds going to charity, and also taking bids for those wanting the chance to ride shotgun with Farley on the track in a Ford race car. The latter auction just took place, and as it turns out, a Ford supplier paid a whopping $45,000 for that particular experience, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The result followed a bit of a bidding war at the charity auction, which took place recently at Ford Field to benefit the Pope Francis Center. During this chaos, Farley helped entice bidders by offering up the chance to drive the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse, as well as various other perks and surprises. When the dust settled and the paddles fell, Lear Corp – a Ford supplier that makes seats and electrical systems – placed the winning bid.

A prior winner of Ford’s annual OEM supplier awards, Lear Corp – which operates a facility near the Ford Chicago Assembly plant – previously won the right to take a ride with Farley back in 2021, but was outbid by Piston Group last year. In total, the charity event raised $1.08 million, which will help provide temporary housing for the homeless in 40 studio apartments at the Bridge Housing Campus, along with job preparation services and medical care.

“We all need to do our part. I’m really thankful for all of your support. I think what Father Tim is doing is really an innovative project for the whole country, to actually transition people out of homelessness,” Farley said at the event. “Because a lot of people put Band-Aids … How cool is it that the City of Detroit is going to be on the forefront of solving that problem. I think it’s a proud moment for all of us.”

We’ll have more on Jim Farley soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford business news and non-stop Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.