A 1957 Corvette is always worth another look, but this one would likely require much more than a just cursory glance.
About the best thing you can say about this car, currently up for sale on eBay classifieds by a Los Angeles car dealer who’s asking the astronomical price of $34,750, is that it’s definitely a classic Corvette.
The condition leaves a lot to be desired, both inside and out.
The body is all there, but the photos aren’t close enough to let a prospective buyer know whether there are any significant cracks or problems with body seams or other issues. No word on what color this car was wearing when it left the St. Louis factory some 63 years ago, but we did spot a little bit of red peeking out from under the current lovely shade of blue. Of course, it doesn’t really matter what the original color was because the new owner will have all the hues of the rainbow to choose from when applying the necessary new paint job.
Even in such worn-out condition, though, this Corvette still looks pretty sporty to us, with its sleek body lines and aftermarket wheels. Using my imagination, I can still envision all the fun someone must have had with this car in its youth.
We aren’t told the condition of the ragtop, but if it’s there, it’s likely to be a good candidate for a replacement. Same goes for the removable hardtop included with the sale, which has a cracked plexiglass backlight and is missing some of its stainless trim. Even so, we still love the lines that a painted top provides for this classic C1.
The interior, meanwhile, is a definite total replacement, including such essentials as carpet and door panels. Though seats are in place, they look like something out of the diamond-tufted ’70s and need to be ripped out. The switches and gauges are still in the instrument panel after all these years, but it’s likely they don’t work any longer. A new wiring harness would definitely be required, too.
The original engine is long gone, and in its place is a later model small-block V8 that’s hooked to a manual transmission. The ad doesn’t say whether it’s a 3-speed or a 4-speed transmission.
Underneath, there’s a good bit of rust, and you might want to be sure and do an inspection to see that it isn’t just surface rust on the frame instead of the kind that eats the metal away.
The seller notes that this Corvette has just come out of storage, and it would be worth asking exactly what kind of conditions it was kept in. Moist conditions could have created lots of problems.
The listing claims the car is “an excellent candidate for restoration,” and there’s no doubt it needs a lot of tender loving care. At the asking price, we could see a new owner quickly spending badoodles (that’s a lot, by the way) of even more cash fixing it up.
Still, with only 6,339 Corvettes made in 1957 and who knows how many still remaining, each and every one that can be salvaged deserves to be restored to its previous glory, don’t you think?
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Look up “Money Pit” in the dictionary and you will see many Corvettes, this is one of them.
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