All’s well that ends well, particularly for the seller of this mysterious 1966 Corvette convertible being sold on eBay.
The auction comes to a close Saturday, and so far the high bid of $25,000 has already surpassed the reserve so this wild-looking custom Sting Ray should have a new home just in time for Christmas.
The same guy had owned the car for the past 48 years, based on the old title handed over by his wife. Unfortunately, that same title opened up a can of worms when the new owner found out it was a SPCNS (Special Construction) title in California.
“We have all heard horror stories of VIN switches so we immediately contacted our DMV service we have used in excess of 30 years and had a printout run,” the seller explained in his listing. “It came back as No Record on File. We expected to see a theft, collision, embezzlement, fire, flood, or something to explain the title situation. Nothing, absolutely nothing.”
Since the longtime owner had passed away, he’s not around to explain the circumstances behind the title. His wife says she doesn’t know anything about it and, according to the seller, “her feeling was that she had a CA title and the car has a license plate that is tied to the title so what’s the issue.”
The seller wasn’t so trusting. “Having been in the industry in excess of 50 years, I knew we needed to unravel this so nobody, no matter where the car went would have a titling problem,” he said.
A thorough search of the car for VIN tags and data plates came up empty, so he decided to do the honest thing and get the California Highway Patrol involved. Long story short, after finally removing the left rear body bolts to raise the body enough to check for frame numbers, with the help of CHP, they were finally able to identify the car. The state then created a “Blue Tag” for the car, which the seller says is a DMV-recognized replacement ID, so “the new title is correct as it would have been when new.”
Now that that mystery is solved, the car itself apparently was originally green, perhaps Willow Green, when it left the St. Louis factory. That originality is long gone, however, as the car now has a custom blue, white, and red paint job that reminds this writer of many such schemes seen on Corvettes in magazines from the ‘70s.
The custom tufted blue and white interior is also reminiscent of the era, as are the mag wheels.
The body does have some damage, including the front end when the previous owner lightly ran into a boat in his driveway, and the front bumpers and headlights are missing.
A video included with the listing shows the car is in running condition though the engine is believed to be from an Impala.
This one is never going to be worth a mint, but the price seems to be low enough that someone could perhaps invest some time and money into restoring the car without being under water.
We’re not usually big on custom-painted Corvettes, but believe it or not, this one is growing on us, especially the side views that don’t show the hood or rear deck. What’s your take?
Source:
eBay Motors via Barnfinds.com
Related:
Corvettes for Sale: 1993 40th Anniversary Convertible on Craigslist
Corvettes for Sale: No-Reserve 1964 Corvette Sting Ray Convertible on eBay
Corvettes for Sale: Lingenfelter 1985 Corvette on Bring a Trailer
-
This “66” corvette has 63 corvette gages and glove box and steering wheel. Looks like maybe the seats are off a 63 also. It would make a good hot rod or restore mod. Price looks ok.
Real questionable history. It was a newer car to get this kind of 60’s custom job that would have typically been done to an older car and non Corvette. Reminds me of a poorly restored 57 Corvette that I saw that hid been hidden in a barn for at least 20 years.
This thing has “Money Pit” written all over it. Regarding the title, My DMV service girl would have put the VIN back in the system using the “abandoned vehicle” procedure. That would have gotten the car licensed with a new white plate. Then the “Year of Manufacture” (Y.O.M.) procedure would have got the black plates back on the car. We did this on two cars I bought recently that had been stored for over 30 years and were out of the system. Also missing titles and no old registrations No CHP inspection since my girl is a licensed verifier. I just give her a receipt, she verifies the VIN and works her magic.
I would not take this car for free. It would be good for only recreating a 1970 drag race car.
Comments are closed.