The charity auction for the billionaire investor and philanthropist’s 2001 Lincoln Town Car on eBay Inc.’s Web site opened Tuesday at 6 p.m. EDTwith a starting bid of $25,000. By 1 p.m. Wednesday, no bids had been placed.

Buffett is auctioning the car to benefit Girls Inc., a New York-based group that offers educational and recreational programs for girls ages 6 to 18.

Daughter Susan Buffett sits on the board of the nonprofit, which works with girls largely in high-risk, underserved areas such as some inner cities.

The auction’s slow start contrasts with an eBay-hosted auction in June for a steakhouse lunch for up to eight people with Buffett, the chairman of Omaha, Nebraska-based holding company Berkshire Hathaway Inc..

Bids in that auction quickly reached six figures and topped out at $620,100. Proceeds benefited the Glide Foundation, a San Francisco charity serving the poor, hungry and homeless.

The Signature series Town Car has a light gold exterior and 14,000 miles on the clock. That model in outstanding condition might sell for close to $13,000 in a private transaction in Omaha, according to Edmunds.com.

Buffett stopped driving the car last spring when he bought a Cadillac DTS.

Posted: 09|14|06 at 9:58 am. Filed under: US News.