[VIDEO] Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotton Uncovers a Vintage ’63 Corvette Convertible in Nashville

George Jones had a big hit in the mid-‘80s with “The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song),” and fellow country singer Brad Paisley picked up a new mid-engine C8 at the National Corvette Museum in 2020.

It’s no wonder, then, that Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter recently was able to find a vintage Corvette during a trip to unearth old automobiles in the Music City, Nashville, Tennessee.

While he and his crew are enjoying a “great lunch” downtown, they hear about a garage nearby that is closing down and emptying out all the merchandise – “maybe there are cars, maybe there are parts,” he muses.

Turns out Cotter was able to find both at Anderson Auto, where garage owner Stanley tells them his partner Lee Anderson had just passed away in November, leaving him to ponder the future of the long-time business that “used to be the place to bring hot rods years ago,” he said.

After finding the first Frazer in the seven-year history of Barn Find Hunter among the vehicles there, Tom is about to leave when Stanley suddenly remembers a triple black 1963 Corvette convertible in another building and heads over there.

Lightly customized with three taillights, the Corvette had been purchased by Stanley for just $1,750 “probably back in the mid-‘70s.”

“I ended up selling it to a brother-in-law of mine after I put a reworked 350 truck engine and a Doug Nash five-speed (transmission in it),” he recalls. “After I sold it to him, he painted it and put hubcaps on it and a new top.” Stanley bought the car back “just recently” from the widow after it had been sitting “at least 35 years.”

A quick look at the odometer reveals “12,452” miles, which Stanley believes might actually be 100,000 more. The Corvette needs some work, but the parts appear to be there.

Asked if he was able to buy the car again for $1,700, Stanley just laughs and says, “it cost a bit more than that.”

Stanley also purchased a ’39 Chevrolet from the widow at the same time, a car that many years earlier, his brother-in-law had traded an SS396 for. Fourteen at the time, Stanley remembers a big plan to buy the ’39 himself when he turned 18 and jokingly says he actually had to wait until he was in his 30s before laughing and revealing he’s really 67.

Source:
Hagerty via AutoEvolution.com

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