In the world of custom Corvettes, few names carry the weight of Jeff Hayes, the Indiana based builder known for turning mid year Sting Rays into modern, high-performance works of art. His latest creation—a 1963 split window coupe now listed on Bring a Trailer—has the collector car world buzzing, bidding, and, in some cases, bickering.
With the auction sitting at $350,000 and eight days still on the clock, this Daytona Blue restomod is already proving to be one of the most talked about C2 builds of the year.
At first glance, the car looks like a beautifully preserved ’63—Daytona Blue paint, flip up headlights, quad taillights, and that iconic split rear window. But beneath the skin lies a thoroughly modern machine.
Hayes mounted the original fiberglass body to a fabricated Art Morrison chassis, supporting adjustable coilover suspension, tubular control arms, rack and pinion steering, reinforced solid rear axle with limited slip, Wilwood disc brakes with polished calipers and cross drilled, slotted rotors.
The stance is completed by Schott 18 inch front and 19 inch rear wheels, wrapped in white stripe Sumitomo tires with shaved sidewalls for a period correct look.
Inside, the car, as usual with Hayes’ creations, is wrapped in Caramel Nappa leather, stitched in tan and laid over sculpted seats, door panels, and a custom dash. Color keyed woven carpets line the floor, illuminated Corvette script sill plates greet passengers, and accent lighting adds a warm glow.
The interior blends vintage cues with modern luxury: teakwood steering wheel, carbon fiber instrument cluster, Classic Instruments AutoCross gauges, Vintage Air climate control, retro look stereo, power windows, and button top shifter.
The odometer shows just 9 miles—the distance traveled since the build’s completion.
Beneath the power operated hood sits a 6.2 liter LS3 “Hot Cam” crate engine, dressed to impress with pewter finished intake manifold and Corvette script coil covers. Polished headers feed a thermally wrapped exhaust system with an H pipe and MagnaFlow mufflers. Power flows through a 4L70E four speed automatic transmission. While the mechanicals and interior have drawn near universal praise, the paint has become the lightning rod of the auction.
The seller claims the car retains its original 1963 Daytona Blue paint, a statement that has commenters alternately applauding, doubting, and philosophizing. At first glance, I thought it was a matte finish until I read more.
One user, Hoppy18, summed up the pro patina camp with humor:
“I prefer a woman that has aged naturally—not jacked up on Botox. Only our spouses are perfect.”
Others were more skeptical. duc750ss wondered aloud:
“Over sixty years old and no stress cracks or lacquer checking… is that possible?”
Still others admired the boldness. dewilhite1948 called it:
“A courageous look… almost like they took 1000 grit sandpaper to it for this smooth and even patina.”
And then there were those who wished Hayes had gone all the way with a fresh coat. Aboods wrote:
“Imagine spending half a mil on this bad boy and people looking at it and going, ‘They didn’t even get the paint right.'”
But the most poetic take came from Prokill1:
“The aesthetics are a work of absolute genius… rugged like dark blue jeans with cowboy boots and a flashy belt buckle.”
Love the patina or hate it, the craftsmanship beneath it is undeniable. The chassis, suspension, drivetrain, and interior represent hundreds of hours of high end custom work. As SlowNRusty put it:
“All the money was spent where it counts… on the driving experience and interior comfort. Killer build and I love the vision.”
With more than a week left in the auction, the only certainty is that this Corvette—equal parts time capsule and modern masterpiece—will continue to stir emotions.
Source:
Bring a Trailer
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I watched two videos of it that show the paint up close. I can’t see any sense in spending all that money on a restomod 63 Corvette with original paint that’s covered with sanding scratches and has tires with shaved sidewalls that can be dangerous to drive on.
FOMO. Somebody trying to cash in on the restomod hysteria during auction season.
For half a million you think they would throw in a set of wipers.
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