This is somehow more controversial than starting a regular GoFundMe.
Youtuber, amateur racecar driver, and all-around car enthusiast Collete Davis is drawing criticism after she announced earlier yesterday (May 19, 2022) she’s selling pieces of her burnt C6 Drift Corvette, as part of a package that includes a signed Print, and Thank You Note, for $45 each.
As Twitter user @fuzzheaadster put it, it’s “the car version of gamer girl bathwater.”
Here are photos from Davis’s announcement off Facebook below.
“This package includes a piece of the burnt C6 Corvette , signed print & thank you enclosed together! By purchasing this package, you’re directly helping rebuild the corvette, and we can’t thank you enough We’ll be back stronger and better than ever. Reborn From Fire. @colletedavis“
These packages are available for sale on houseofprix.com
If you didn’t already know, Davis’s C6 drift Corvette has been an ongoing project for a little over a year at this point.
After at least one official drift competition sporting a handful of different, temporary liveries, 2022’s Hyperfest event was the official shakedown/drift event for the latest evolution of this build.
With a new all-motor LS setup boasting at least 600 HP and a brand-new paint job color scheme that combines House of Prix’s signature palette with Adam LZ’s drift livery, Hyperfest was a big deal.
As you already know, Hyperfest did not go as planned, Davis’s Corvette suffering massive fire damage caused by, what some theorize, including Davis’s team, a leaky fuel rail combined with expanding ports for the injectors.
It didn’t help that Davis did not equip her Corvette with a fire suppression system, a safety item not required for Hyperfest.
As you can imagine, a custom, drift-spec Corvette costs a lot of money to build right, this latest setback requiring tens of thousands of dollars (at least) in repairs, not to mention that fire suppression system.
Davis is quite successful in her own right, the owner, and founder of her own streetwear brand (House of Prix), professional race car driver, not to mention a somewhat successful YouTube account.
Regardless, building cars and racing are arguably two of the most expensive jobs/hobbies a young twenty-something can have.
Unlike streamers who play video games, motorsports is money intensive with actual risks.
And, while Davis’s Youtube IS one of the larger car Youtuber accounts, garnering 50,000 views per video isn’t exactly “paying the bills” income.
The last time I checked, off Adsense money alone, Car YouTubers earn between $7-$9 per 1000 views. (I could be wildly off.)
Based off that, you can do the math. And, that’s pre-tax we’re talking about.
Simply put, Davis needs money and, short of starting a GoFundMe, these $45 packages aim to put a dent into the Corvette’s total repair bill.
The supposed problem with this type of fundraising is, in my opinion, the optics of it, which unfortunately unintentionally mirrors a recent string of controversial fundraisers from other female internet personalities.
You’ve got Belle Delphine $35 bath water, 90-day fiancé star Stephanie Matto selling $1,000 jars of her own you-know-what, and streamer Amouranth selling jars of hot tub water for $300.
The idea of someone selling something for what amounts to nothing actually usable opens a crack for critics and haters to insert their two cents and to throw comparisons to those other unscrupulous money grabs.
“Come get your pieces of burnt Corvette! $45 a piece.”
It just sounds…bad.
In response to hearing about Davis’s latest fundraiser, this Twitter user went for hyperbole.
Thanks but I’d rather have aids
— lightly used 1157 bulb (@kanolaoil) May 20, 2022
In Davis’s announcement comments, Marshall Kell dropped this fire meme.
The other 80+ comments are much of the same.
For Davis’s fans and supporters, these packages are merely donations to support one of their favorite content creators and to support women in motorsports at large.
But, to casual Youtube watchers and the majority that come across this tidbit of “drama,” it sounds like some scheme to profit off of literally anything, ala bath water and flatulence.
If you support Davis and her endeavors, head on over to HouseofPrix.com and buy your own custom package.
Otherwise, feel free to join the vocal minority on Twitter and her Facebook comments section to voice your opinion.
