“No one ever wins those things.” How many times have we heard such naysaying when buying a $5 scratch-off? It turns out that some people do win them, but in this case, the free car was a bit of a buzzkill. The fella who won the incredible prize of $250,000 in cash and a brand new 2021 Chevrolet Corvette couldn’t get his new Corvette because there weren’t any to give. (whomp whomp) It turns out the pandemic is getting us coming and going. 

Georgia man wins free 2021 Corvette that he can’t actually get

Car and Driver report that a Georgia man went from having incredible luck to slightly worse (but not bad) luck in a hurry. When this gentleman bought a scratch-off for Georgia’s Corvette and Cash event, I doubt he truly believed he was about to be set up with a huge pile of cash and a killer new Corvette. Regardless of his expectations, his luck hit, and he was the winner. 

The rush of winning was quickly tarnished when his cash and car turned into ash in his mouth. Ok, that’s a little dramatic, but due to supply issues for the Corvette and organizational issues for the lottery folks, his prize turned out to be lawsuits and stress. 

What was the lottery grand prize supposed to be?

The Corvette lottery’s grand prize entitled him to $250,000 in cash and any 2021 Corvette of his choosing up to $107,000. Pretty sweet. According to C&D, the grand prize winner spec’d out a 2LT Z51 in Rapid Blue. By his calculations, that spec should only run $80,465, leaving him with roughly $20k in cash left over. 

How much does a base-model C8 Corvette Cost?

The 2021 Corvette without any bells and whistles starts at $73,290. Our Georgia man was looking to add some upscale features like competition seats, carbon-fiber trim, and matching seat belts. The problem is, the lottery committee didn’t have a Corvette waiting for the winner at all, much less a way specifically spec one for the winner. What’s more, anyone following automotive news (like you, dear reader) has seen that C8 Corvette production is behind like many other popular models due to various supply chain and pandemic related issues. 

The 2021 Corvette has had so many issues

As we know, the Corvette release has been absolutely inundated with problems from the start. The production was delayed by 40 days due to a united auto-workers strike. After that was resolved, the pandemic hit and shut down production for six weeks. Once things reopened, a GM plant in Kentucky was temporarily shut down in October for COVID-related supply chain issues. 

If those in-house issues weren’t enough, the C8 Corvette has had a number of recalls and other annoyances resulting in further backups and black marks on the Corvette name. Last year, Chevy had to issue a “stop-sale” order on all C8 Corvettes due to a brake-switch issue. The brake pedal sensor struggled to connect with the actual brakes, making any semblance of finesse braking impossible. This is a big problem in any car, but for one with this kind of power and much needed braking force, this is a potentially catastrophic problem.

Of course, there was also the “frunk” recall. Since the C8 Corvette is a mid-engined car, where the engine would normally be is vacant and, in turn, used as a front trunk. The latch for the frunk was randomly letting go, which led to the frunk potentially flying up while driving, which, I’m sure I don’t need to explain why this is dangerous. 

Pull yourself together Chevrolet

It truly is a shame for such a cool and exciting car to be riddled with so many issues. People were excited for the Corvette because it gave Ferrari vibes for Chevy costs. Unfortunately, what seems too good to be true, often is. Regarding our lottery winner, I wish him luck in getting his free car, but it may be a while. I guess he’ll have to muddle through somehow with his $250,000 cash prize.