An unwanted street race ended in a rear-end crash at his driveway that convinced the owner of this 1967 Corvette to park the car and never drive it again.
Now this 427/435 Corvette with an original 1,293 miles on the odometer has finally surfaced once again, sold by the family of the original owner, a man named Larry Shank, to a collector in California.
Shank, a dairy farmer in the Maugansville, Md., area, ordered the 1967 Sunfire Yellow Corvette at Hoffman Chevrolet, located at Washington and Locust streets back then, with a very desirable list of rare options, including the big engine, side pipes, and cast aluminum bolt-on wheels. Obviously, this car was meant to do serious business on the track, as witnessed by its radio-delete option.
John Evans – whose father, Jack, was a sales manager at Hoffman Chevrolet years ago – now owns Jack Evans Chevrolet in Front Royal, Va., and recounted his memories of the car to a Herald-Mail Media reporter.
Evans says he remembered Shank’s Corvette from his youthful days and even tried to buy it in later years. “That car never left my mind,” he said. “I mean, it was stunning.” One day, Shank was approached in the parking lot of the Long Meadow Shopping Center by the driver of a 1962 Impala SS, who challenged him to a race. Shank didn’t bite and headed home, but with the SS driver following. They eventually raced, and Shank pulled away to take the victory. Just as Shank entered his driveway, the Impala driver couldn’t stop and hit Shank in the rear.
Shank never drove the damaged car again, first storing it in a barn on the family’s dairy farm and then in the basement of his home in Maugansville.
After Shank died in 2014, his family decided it was time for his Corvette to be sent to a new home. An anonymous California collector wound up buying the car, still bearing the damage from that long-ago street race along with some damage from being stored in the damp basement. He had it hauled back to California in an enclosed truck.
No word on how much the collector paid for the car – “enough” was his reply when asked – but regardless, this tale of a one-owner basement find is “probably one of the best Corvette stories out there,” according to Evans. “It needs to be shared.”
Source:
heraldmailmedia.com
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Kewl story.
Nice car but I had a 435/427 back in the day and it drove like a truck. Fun to look at and be nostalgic about but definitely no fun to drive.
Am restoring a 70 350/350 4-speed with air. White over black. 3rd ower with 1998 plates. Can hardly wait
Even if the hood was left open all the years of storage would the deterioration, i.e. valve covers be to the extent seen in the engine compartment photo?
The best part of this story leaves me with a lot to wonder.
So the man who owned it dies. Did he ever tell his family
this is a highly collectible car and don’t just sell it to John Evans.
How did the family seek out a buyer in California, who we know
only says he paid “enough”.
We need Paul Harvey so we can hear “and that’s the rest of the story”.
I had one did not drive like a truck as Mr Wineland said, fast and a lot of fun. Also Mr Gostomski you need to re-read your post, !! A very lucky collector!!
I’m a long distance truck driver and frequently travel the the backroads all over the US and Canada and the amount of classic cars I see rotting in fields is mind boggling. Everything from 50s Oldsmobilesand Chevys to 60s muscle cars of all sorts.
Kk,I know what ya mean.Im a Class 8 Wrench for Privately owned
Kk,Im a wrench for a privately owned LTL Carrier in S-NJ. Since I drive my Vettes to work I always hear I seen this 1 & that 1 for sale . I did work for “National Freight” also so I was getting reports nation wide /lol! Im 66 & going to retire some time in the fall.I drive my 93 Ruby Red 40th Aniv drop top 6 Spd into work often.This is My 8th vette Ive owned so I heard a million stories.
BTW,,,, I WRENCH BETTER THAN I TYPE.
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