Russo and Steele will be out in sunny southern California this weekend for their Newport Beach sale. The 3 day event will take place at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. 1953 Corvette VIN #083 is just one of the stars of the Corvette docket and will cross the auction block somewhere between 8:30 and 8:50pm local time on Saturday, June 22nd.
About two dozen Corvettes will be seeking new homes this weekend in Newport Beach. 1953 VIN 083 is one of an estimated 200-225 that still exist today. The exact number of surviving first-year Corvettes isn’t known. Running as Lot S749, this unrestored C1 has amassed just over 4,300 believed actual miles since leaving the Flint, MI plant. For part of its life it was included in country music star Alan Jackson’s collection. In addition to celebrity ownership this early Corvette has also claimed a blue ribbon award at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals.
Like all 1953’s, this one sports Polo White paint, a red interior, and a black convertible top. Power comes from the Blue Flame 6 cylinder motor that’s mated to a 2 speed automatic transmission.
The auction listing also mentions a 2006 letter from Zenon Magda of Fort Lauderdale’s Gold Coast Corvette which states that “the “Blue Flame Special” six-cylinder engine appears to be original, bearing a proper first-design casting number and a casting date of June 8, 1953, with its assembly number falling within the known serial number-to-engine number range. In addition, the Corvette’s cylinder-head casting number is correct for 1953…”
We last saw VIN 083 at last year’s Bloomington Gold auction where it was a no sale at $200,000. The car had several interested parties, but was still unable to find a new home. The folks over at American Car Collector summed up this car’s 2012 Bloomington experience by saying that the “offer seemed reasonable for a good ’53, but this was a pretty special example, considering its originality, low miles and celebrity ownership. The owner might regret this decision.” We agree with ACC’s synopsis back then and expect to see similar bids this weekend in Newport Beach.
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Russo and Steele’s 2013 Newport Beach event is going on now through Saturday June 22nd.
Source:
Russo and Steele
Related:
Corvettes on eBay: 1953 Survivor Corvette
Corvette Enters the World Stage 60 Years Ago Today
[EXCLUSIVE]: 1953 Corvette Engineering Test Videos from the GM Archives
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