During the late 1950s, American automakers were going to great lengths to out-luxury each other. For example, the 1957 Lincoln Continental Mark II cost a whopping $10,000 at a time when many Ford products were selling in the $2,000 range. Yet even at this price, Ford was losing an estimated $1,000 on every Continental it made; the point wasn’t to make money, but to make a point.

That is why today, 1950s Lincoln Continentals are among the most desirable models for luxury car collectors (the other being the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham), and a clean example typically sells for around $80,000. But this weekend bidding at Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas event went through the roof according to the Hemmings Auto Blog, with a 1957 Lincoln Continental Mark II selling for an incredible $700,000. It all came down to charity, literally.

Not that the 1957 Lincoln Continental Mark II isn’t an incredible car. It came standard with power steering, power brakes, power windows and door locks, as well as white wall tires and a cutting edge (for the time) sound system. Lincoln made just 444 Continentals in 1957, and this model had the 300 horsepower 368 cubic-inch V-8 under the hood.

So what caused the price of this particular car to skyrocket in price? Well, the proceeds of the auction went towards the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and included a tour of the facility. Otherwise there is nothing remarkable about this car, though the charity organizers are surely thrilled with the outcome of the auction. Talk about hitting a charity home run.