(April 21, 2016) CYPRESS, Calif. — Clarion Corporation of America has announced that its Clarion Builds program's first iconic classic vehicle restoration, a 1974 BMW 2002, officially sold at auction raising $125,000 for cancer research.

The Fjord Blue BMW crossed the auction block Saturday evening, April 9, at the 14th annual Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction. Proceeds from the sale of the Clarion Builds BMW 2002 were donated to the Barrett-Jackson Fund for the Barrett-Jackson Cancer Research Fund at TGen, in Memory of Russ and Brian Jackson.

The fund, established in 2010, is a salute to auction Chairman and CEO Craig Jackson's father, Russ — one of the founders of Barrett-Jackson — and brother, Brian, whose lives were cut short by colon cancer.

"We are beyond pleased with the generous donation earned from the charity auction sale of Clarion's fully restored 1974 BMW 2002," said Michael Bassoff, president of TGen Foundation. "All $125,000 received from the sale of the car will go toward advancing our research in applying translational genomics to the early detection and treatment of cancer. We are grateful to Clarion and their Clarion Builds partners for recreating such an iconic piece of automotive history and donating it to benefit the patients we serve."



Clarion's next Clarion Builds project car, a beautifully restored and tastefully modified first-year Acura NSX will be on display at Clarion's booth during Barrett-Jackson's January 2017 auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is scheduled to cross the block at a subsequent Barrett-Jackson auction later next year.

"Barrett-Jackson began as a charity fundraiser and giving back to the community has long been a pillar of our company," said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. "We've helped raise more than $89 million for deserving charities over the years and we couldn't do it without the help of partners like Clarion. TGen has had a longstanding relationship with Barrett-Jackson and is a cause very close to my heart.

"I'm proud that the sale of the 1974 BMW 2002 went to benefit the Barrett-Jackson Cancer Research Fund at TGen and I'm excited to further our relationship as the official auction partner for the Clarion Builds program."

"From the beginning, we were determined to develop the Clarion Builds program into an industry benchmark. It is especially rewarding to look back at our achievements of the past two years as we have irrevocably delivered upon all our goals," stated Allen H. Gharapetian, vice president of marketing and product development for Clarion Corporation of America and chief of the Clarion Builds program.

"From bringing a true automotive legend back to life and pulling millions of fans and followers together across the globe who celebrated this amazing project, to raising a significant sum of money for a worthy cause, Clarion Builds has set a new standard."