The Chevrolet Corvette was still in its first generation when the 1959 model was introduced, and Chevy had made a few changes from the previous year’s model including eliminating the hood louvers and decorative trunk trim. Inside, the seats for the Corvette had been redesigned for 1959 to be more supportive. The seats in the Corvette being offered here haven’t had a lot of use, as this one has only been driven 33,000 miles since new. If you are in the market for a well-preserved C1 with a history that can be traced back to the early sixties, this 1959 Chevrolet Corvette may be a good car for you. Located in Akron, Ohio it can be found here on eBay with a starting bid of $50,000. As of this writing, this ‘Vette has a little over 4 days left on the auction and so far nobody has gotten the bidding rolling.
The present owner of this Corvette says he has had personal knowledge of this vehicle since the early 1960s and actually purchased it from the original owner’s family in 2016. The car had not been registered since 1974 and had been in storage until 2016. This Corvette is still wearing mostly its original paint, which appears to be Roman Red in color. The body is in overall really nice condition with just a few minor dings here and there and a crack under the exhaust exit on the driver’s side. The seller provided some photos of these areas and they appear to be only minor and cosmetic in nature, and probably not too difficult to repair if the next owner chooses to address them. Inside, the interior is also red also and from what we can see the dashboard, seats, and door panels seem to have survived well, although the carpet could use some attention. See that “T” shaped handle in the middle of the shifter? That was a first for 1959 to eliminate the driver from accidentally putting the transmission in reverse.
Do you remember in the early years when Corvette’s actually had trunks? It’s good to see that this one looks to still have its original red trunk mat in place, and it’s also a neat angle to check out those wavy wrap-around chrome rear bumpers on either side of the license plate.
This Corvette had a professional analysis done when the vehicle had 32,765 miles, the results of which can be viewed from this eBay photo. The 283 cubic inch engine is said to be original and numbers matching. The manual transmission and rear-end have been replaced with period corrected cases and have all new mechanicals. The analysis also states that the frame and undercarriage are in very sound original condition, and also that both the convertible and hardtop are in very good condition.
This Corvette looks really sweet from every angle, and with the low mileage and so much of it still being original, I’m guessing it will likely find a very happy new owner. What are your thoughts on this 1959 Chevrolet Corvette? Any ideas on what you think it may sell for?
Original be dammed. (can’t use that n, might be bad) Why not put a 5 speed in her, disc brakes, upgraded suspension? All this investment BS is killing the fun of this hobby. Cars are to be driven, why not improve what is there yet still retain the essence of the car?
Looks to me as if it would be a lot of fun to drive just as it is. Another fine example of why a difference of opinion is what makes horse racing possible.
Yeah Ike, but will it get driven?
Resto mod a junk 59 not a nice 59.
I am surprised there was no mention of the icing on the cake…dual quads! Very pretty, but upon looking at the pictures closely, there are quite a bit nicks and damage…plus, non-matching tranny and rear end…
“The 283 cubic inch engine is said to be original and numbers matching.”
No such thing as a numbers-matching engine in a ’59 as they didn’t start stamping VINs on the engines until mid-1960 (per longtime dealer/expert Corvette Mike). You can, however, tell if an engine was built around the same time as a particular chassis, which may be what is meant here.
i had a 62, it had matching numbers
I’m in the same corner as Gary. Pull the original frame (save in case you ever wanted to take it back along with the tranny and rear) and slip in something like a MotorSports frame that uses C4 suspension, put that in along with a Tremec 6 speed and you’d have a canyon crawler that would have the beauty of a C1 and the handling of a newer Vette. Add in things like 4 wheel disc brakes and to me it would be the best of both worlds. You could always take it back to original condition if desired and no mods were made to the car during the conversion.
My 2 cents
I like your thinking, but if your going to do all that work to mod the car, why take it back to original? I own a 68 Vette headed down the restomod highway. Did a frame off on it and put modern tires and wheels only to discover the suspension can’t be aligned properly to take max effect of the tires. So, I put a modern suspension on it. While it was fairly easy to do, I would never take it back as it rides so much nice now. Next up, that pesky M-22 shifts like a 53 year old transmission, T-56 anyone? Once that’s in, its really never going back.
I had a 69 coupe. It must have been fun separating body from frame.
Originality, right down to the period correct nut and bolt has become in my old age how I prefer classic and antique motorcycles and most cars/pickups. This one is beautiful! But, because it’s not original I agree with the previous commenters. Outwardly original but upgraded to modern standards where the sun don’t shine. Then, drive the hell out of it! Ugh though, I live on a heavily traveled gravel road 2 miles from the highway. Give me a rough ‘vette and well, 75 MPH on gravel? No problem.
Yeah Ike, but will it get driven?
What’s your opinion on this this one Frank?
If it was a rolling junk by all means resto it. Why spent asking price and then jack up the radiator cap and put a new vehicle under it. Resto vehicles at some point will be like the 60’s and 70’s Chopper motorcycles. People do this because financial they can. Then its its time to sell and reality sets in.
These were my intro to lust. Girls came a few years later.
I had a 75 4spd coupe, rode rough but handled better than my other cars. The guy I bought it from had a big tank 67? Vette, a mild custom 57 Vette (no bumpers, dark blue paint, 5 spoke wheels, hot 283 4spd) a 69 427 4spd Vette convertible, a 425hp 4spd 64 SS Impala and a nice 69 Z28. I could have had the 57, 69 or 75 Vette for about the same price but I chose practicality. Should have bought the 57.
Frank has the right idea. Why waste your money, build your own resto, buy the special chassis put a repo body on it and leave the good original to the guys that like them.
I only have one question, why do people not put a cove color on these oldies?
They look so much better/classier with white in there.
I would add this to the collection, but for this price, the only thing I would want that is not original would be the air in the tires. I’m thinking 32-35 buck. No more.
Made it to 60K, but Reserve Not Met.