When this 1962 Corvette rolled out of St. Louis, the split window era was waiting in the wings, fuel injection was rewriting performance expectations, and Corvette was on the verge of becoming a full blown American icon.
For anyone who wants a piece of that history—not a museum piece, but a car you can actually drive, enjoy, and make your own—this Tacoma based ’62 might be exactly the right fit.
The seller on this Craigslist ad is upfront: this is a driver quality car, likely refinished in the mid 1970s, and still wearing plenty of patina. It’s not chasing NCRS ribbons. It’s not pretending to be perfect. It’s a real, unrestored Corvette that’s been enjoyed, maintained, and upgraded where it counts.
He’s asking $55,000, and given the work already done, that number makes sense for someone who wants a C1 they can actually use.
The car started life as a 327/4 speed, and it still carries that spirit—just with a twist. The engine is a 1964 Corvette block, paired with 1962 340 hp heads, intake, carb, and 2.5-inch exhaust manifolds. It’s a period correct setup that keeps the character intact while offering reliability and parts availability.
Recent mechanical upgrades include:
• New fuel tank
• Dewitt HP radiator
• LED tail and park lights
• New springs, shocks, and rear sway bar
• Wilwood 4 piston 11-inch front discs
• New power master cylinder
Highway gears (estimated 3.08) keep the revs around 2,800 at 70 mph—perfect for long cruises, even if it’s non Posi.
The seller is clear: “Still needs things done to it, so expect that.”
But it comes with a pile of parts ready to install:
• Full set of hubcaps
• Original 17-inch steering wheel (15-inch currently installed)
• Dynamat kit
• Electronic ignition kit
• Wiper control cable
• Additional small parts and hardware
It’s a 20-foot car—looks great from a distance, honest up close. And for many buyers, that’s exactly the charm.
After a third back surgery, the owner simply can’t wrench on the car anymore. He’s “plenty upside down on it,” so lowball offers won’t get traction. He might consider a trade for a ’60s V8, four speed, non automatic—think Mustang, Nova, Camaro.
Washington title, Washington plates, but listing photos are from the time of purchase (three years ago) because, as he admits, those shots are better than his current ones.
If you’re hunting a pristine, concours level ’62, this isn’t your car.
But if you want a real C1, one you can drive, tinker with, and enjoy without worrying about smudging a perfect paint job, this Tacoma Corvette has the bones, the upgrades, and the history to make someone very happy.
And there’s something refreshing about a Corvette that’s still allowed to be a car.
Source:
Craigslist.org
Related:
Corvettes for Sale: Haibeck-Modded 1992 Corvette ZR-1 Restomod on Craigslist
Corvettes for Sale: ‘First Day’ 1968 Corvette Convertible Offered on Craigslist
These Fantastic Corvettes Will Be Offered at Mecum’s Monterey Sale
Subscribe Now:
This is a seriously cool car and I really like it. As I was reading the article, I had a little birdy flying around in my head that was saying, “if you didn’t already own your “forever Corvette”, this would be pretty darn attractive”, then I got to the “these pictures are 3 years old because it looked nicer then”. That is crazy, the thing is for sale now, not 3 years ago. I have a step son that lives outside of Olympia, Wa, and I originally thought about having him go take a look at it even though he is not much of a car guy. My reasoning was that I have a friend that doesn’t live too far from me in southern Arizona that would definately be interested in a ’62, but after reading that I have pretty much lost intrest.