Shockley Honda Auctioning 1940 Chevy Truck for a Good Cause
By: Dawn White
Updated: December 21, 2011
FREDERICK, MD - A classic truck once used in Ralph Lauren ads in the 1980s and 1990s is being auctioned off on eBay.
It's not a truck people are used to seeing in a Honda showroom.
"They see it and ask me what kind of Honda that is," said Michael Shockley, co-owner of Shockley Honda.
What is in the showroom isn't a Honda. It's a red 1940 Chevy pick-up truck once owned by the Ralph Lauren company.
It ended up at Shockley Honda in Frederick after the owner thought he didn't have much of a use for it anymore.
Now it's being auctioned off on eBay to raise money for the Maryland School for the Deaf Foundation.
"The school has to rely on donations for extra technologies and camps and scholarships that the state can't provide," said Marisa Shockley, president of the Maryland School for the Deaf Foundation and co-owner of Shockley Honda.
Auctioning off the truck has special meaning for the Shockley family. Marisa and Michael Shockley's grandparents graduated from the Maryland School for the Deaf in the 1920s.
"Having not grown up any other way, I didn't know the difference. My parents were very communicative. We had hearing friends and relatives, so I learned two languages growing up: Sign language and speaking," said Al Shockley, one of the founding members of the Maryland School for the Deaf Foundation.
The four-speed classic truck has a rebuilt engine, new paint, and a hardwood bed.
It's a big hit with those who come through Shockley Honda's doors.
"We're very proud to be a part of this," Michael Shockley said. "It's a very worthy cause. It's fun. The employees love it. The customers who come in love it."
Al Shockley grew up using sign language with his parents.
Now his family hopes to help a new generation of students at the school become the best they can be.
Shockley Honda hopes to get between $16,000 to $20,000 for the truck. Bidding continues through December 29th. To see the eBay auction, click here.
The dealership is also having the Shockley Honda Christmas Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 21st. They'll have about 20 vendors, and 10 percent of the proceeds benefit the Maryland School for the Deaf Foundation.
