On May 21, 1957, a young Michigan man traveled to the Don McCullagh dealership in Detroit, where a salesman named Brown convinced him to trade in his ’55 Chevy Sport Coupe for a brand new 1957 Corvette.
We’d love to see the look on his face as he pulled out of the dealership in his shiny black convertible that day, proudly gripping the steering wheel as he sat atop its beautiful red vinyl seats.
Fast forward to late 2023, and believe it or not, the same man still owned this Corvette, though like all of us, it was not so shiny and new after 66 years.
Research on the internet leads us to believe that the owner passed away in Michigan in October, and now his Corvette will finally be going home to its second owner six days from now on Jan. 7. The car is being offered at no reserve on Bring a Trailer, and the current bid has climbed to $30,000 – a far cry from the $3,176.32 on the original bill of sale that included $118.40 for a heater, $31.60 for whitewall tires, and $11.85 for windshield washers.
The car has reportedly been in storage for the past 35 years, and the elements have not been kind to it over the decades. That black paint isn’t so shiny now and has lots of chipped and scratched spots, and the fiberglass has a crack below the passenger-side taillight. The inside of the trunk looks pretty rough, too. The chrome seems to be in place for the most part, but it’s pitted now and will need to be recoated.
Somewhere over the years, the entire drivetrain has been replaced with a 283 V8 engine (with the removed air cleaner assembly, distributor cap, and ignition wires included with the sale) and a four-speed Borg-Warner manual transmission (that’s now minus the shifter boot).
The interior parts seem to still be there, but the red vinyl seats that the owner so proudly sat on in 1957 have been torn and the carpet is also ripped near the pedals and the door panels are discolored.
The real story behind this car, though, is the man who owned it so faithfully for a remarkable 66 years. We hope the new owner will somehow be able to talk to the remaining family members and find out more about his experiences in life and with his Corvette.
Source:
Bring a Trailer
Related:
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Over 465 Corvettes will be Offered at Mecum Kissimmee 2024
Corvettes for Sale: No Reserve 1958 Corvette on eBay
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That’s wild that this guy bought it new in 1957 and held onto it for 66 years until he died.
You just have to love the voltage regulator sitting on the fender well by the generator. High tech electricity at the time.
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