Everything’s bigger in Texas, even the gas tank in this 1963 Corvette Sting Ray “Tanker” originally owned by a wealthy rancher named J.L. Joplin.
This classic Riverside Red C2 included the 36-gallon gas tank option that fit in the storage area behind the seats and added 16 more gallons over a stock tank and a miniscule $202.30 to the final price tag of $5,972.60, back in the day.
Not surprisingly, the car surpassed pre-auction no-reserve estimates of $120,000 to $180,000 by a BIG margin, fetching a whopping $238,000, including premium, at The Amelia Island Auction at Fernandina Beach Golf Club on Thursday.
The totally restored car – which has been on static display for more than a decade – will nonetheless need to be recommissioned before the new owner can enjoy it on the open road, if desired.
Unlike most owners, Joplin wasn’t interested in the big gas tank to help him race the car. Instead, he wanted the extra range that the larger tank would provide while he was driving from his primary residence in Houston to his ranch in Kerrville. It’s said that he could make it there and back on a single tank of gas!
That long journey explains why he also checked the boxes for a number of creature-comfort options, including power brakes, Powerglide automatic transmission, tinted glass, power steering, power windows, AM/FM radio, and wood grained steering wheel.
The Tanker is one of just 63 built at the St. Louis factory in 1963 and one of only 210 during the rest of the C2 generation. Furthermore, the Joplin car is one of only two Tankers purchased new with air conditioning, definitely a requirement during those waltzes across hot Texas.
Joplin kept his Corvette until 1967, and after passing through seven more owners, it was obtained by Tanker collector K.D. James of Houston in 1980. During a car show the next year, even Zora Arkus-Duntov specifically remembered approving the order for this unusually equipped car!
After owning the car for 25 years, James sold it to Terry Michaelis in 2005 and it earned a couple of NCRS awards the next year. The current owner bought it in 2008 and would add just one mile to the odometer over the next 15 years before selling it this week at auction.
The new owner will have plenty of documentation to check out, including original paperwork, books, manuals, numerous awards, historic photos of the car, and multiple copies of magazine features over the years, including cover stories in Corvette Enthusiast and Corvette Fever.
Source:
Bonhams.com via silodrome.com
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Yeah just what I want a car that’s now going to cost over $225. to fill up with premium gas. I know the person that bought the over price ride can afford the gas but just think when the guy ordered the car it only cost like $10 bucks . FJB
A 1963 Corvette split window coupe is not rare, every 1963 coupe is a split window. The rare 1963 Corvette coupe is the one without a factory split window
‘All the amenities an’ creature comforts along with miles an’ miles of smiles on a single fill-up!
…’And if one can afford this ultra-rare and VERY special C2 Sting Ray . . . don’t quibble over the current price of premium fuel. [wink!] ;o)
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