By Parker McKenzie
Local youth organisation Bridge Builders will receive funds from a charity auction happening at the end of March.
Ferntree Gully Nissan be hosting the auction of a GT-R supercar to raise funds for their local CFA and the Lilydale-based charity.
The Nissan GT-R T-Spec — nicknamed Godzilla — was discontinued in Australia in 2021. Its 3.8 litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine can propel the car to a top speed of 315 km/h.
The car being auctioned also features an engine cover “signed by Mr GT-R himself” Hiroshi Tamura.
Ferntree Gully Nissan General Sales Manager Gregg Dennis said when the Nissan GT-Rs were discontinued, not everyone who wanted to own one got the chance.
“When we were ordering the cars, admittedly, I had the guts to put my hand up in order a fair few and there was always going to be one last one left,” he said.
“The following that they have is just next level and so I knew that there would be a lot of people that would be heartbroken if they missed out on the opportunity to get one.”
Ferntree Gully Nissan knocked back an offer of $600,000 for the car and is hoping to raise as much money as possible for Upper Ferntree Gully CFA and Lilydale-based youth charity Bridge Builders.
Bridge Builders chief executive officer Beck Mitchell said the funds raised from the auction are likely to be the biggest donation the charity has ever received.
“We’re turning 20 this April and our survival over the past two decades has been from our own fundraising events, and the corporate and community support we receive,” she said.
“For an organization out there to think that Bridge Builders is so deserving of that kind of funding, it says a lot about what we’ve built over the last 20 years and the work we’ve been able to do.”
Upper Ferntree Gully CFA Captain Peter Smith said Ferntree Gully Nissan has supported the brigade in the past, but their generosity was “unbelievable.”
“The ongoing support from Ferntree Gully Nissan, I can’t praise them enough,” he said.
“It’s a nice pat on the back and a bit of appreciation from a big company, who could have gone elsewhere with the auction. They are a very good group of people.”
Mr Smith said the funds — which will also be one of the largest contributions the CFA brigade has received — would go towards planning for the future.
“We would like to put an extension on our fire station and the CFA is very happy with that idea,” he said.
“We have a lot of things to do for the short term, but we’re thinking about the long-term future. The brigade is hopefully going to get more members and we need more space.”
Ms Mitchell said the funds would be used to ensuring youth programs continue to support young people aged 12 to 25 who find themselves disadvantaged, distressed or in need of assistance.
“I was a 17-year-old struggling when I first joined Bridge Builders 17 years ago. The words that you hearing today aren’t from just some person that works here,” she said.
“I feel like I’m one of the greatest advocates of what we do simply because it changed my life so much.”
The auction will take place at the end of March, with the date yet to be confirmed. It is being managed by Bid for Good, Ebay’s charity and non-for-profit fundraising agency.
