Chevrolet’s Corvette holds a special place in the American automotive landscape, and if everything checks out, this 1962 Corvette has seen few changes in its 62 years. The East Aurora, New York classic spent most of its life in Texas, according to the seller, and the undercarriage looks solid and painted or undercoated some time ago. It comes to market after a once-over by the Texas Corvette shop that sold it to the current owner, according to the listing. The odometer shows 39,624 miles, which the seller believes is original. Check out more pictures and details here on Craigslist, and thanks to reader T.J. for spotting this fiberglass beauty.
Once you’ve decided to use fiberglass, it’s time to get creative with deep contours and features that exceed the limitations of stamped steel. The ’62’s quad headlight buckets and snout combine sporty space-age styling with more typical ’50s elements in this final-year of the first-generation Corvette.
This is about the best shot of the interior, depicting its originality, though I’m not sure a coat of wax would reduce its authenticity. The cue ball shift knob and gathered boot simulate a manual shifter, and the two-speed Powerglide automatic should do fine for mellow cruising. My Dad’s 1953 Roadmaster Riviera was much better than I anticipated with its two-speed auto. I recently enjoyed a ride in a never-restored two-owner first-generation Corvette that would chirp the bias ply whitewalls at all three upshifts. I didn’t ask who was President when the tires were mounted. Some questions are better left unanswered.
Like the stern of a power boat, the fiberglass Corvette’s understated design keeps things clean and elegant. Molded fiberglass eliminates weld lines and other superfluous visual interruptions.
Cast valve covers with Corvette script add show-car class from a time when most engines cheap stamped steel. Cast valve covers suppress engine noise as well, adding to the sense of luxury in America’s Sports Car. I’d probably write a small novel as a description instead of four lines before asking $65,000 for a car, but to each their own. What’s your opinion of this highly original Corvette?
Some don’t like my “personalizations” of these posts. We seem to have lost the “human” connection, but not me. I look at the 1st pic, and try to imagine what this dude is thinking. The year was that all too famous, 1962 ( where were you in ’62?), and this guy fresh out of college, or peace time military( got out just in time) and landed a good job, the ’62 Vette was his baby. He met Peggy Sue( mom) with it, you know. Even though mom wouldn’t admit it, but the car was the cheese.
(cue violins) And now today, relegated to the back yard, perhaps listening to the ball game, driving days ka-put, medical bills for ol’ Peg a mounting, the Vette has got to go. He’s so bummed, he’s not even going to clean it. Far as Vettes go, it’s not some F.I. monster, or big block 4 speed, just a regular Vette, and should sell easily, provided pops drops the price a bit. It’s obvious for that price, he doesn’t really want it to go.
Howard – Always appreciate your remarks – in fact I miss them on Hemmings – where it seems no one is commenting any longer!
You can still comment on some stuff. Although there’s not much there. Whatever happened to “car of the day”? That’s where the action was.
I think this guy always wanted a Corvette (maybe from watching episodes of the TV show “Route 66” as a kid) and he made a late-in-life purchase. He says in the post that he bought it from Corvette Warehouse in Dallas. Maybe owning it didn’t achieve what he had hoped (reliving his youth, making him more virile, etc.). He obviously does not expect to come down on the price because he says he “will entertain offers in person accompanied by substantial non-refundable cash deposit.” What buyer says nonsense like that?
Rather, what kind of “seller” would say that.
I think he means… you don’t need to bring all the money with you but if you say you want it then you need to put money down. That doesn’t sound so way out there to me. I am sure it often happens that buyers change their minds and meanwhile sellers tell other buyers ‘not available’. I’d GUESS that just like the Corvette on Route 66, and most all 1960’s cars with more than 65,000 miles, the owner realizes it is not really reliable enough for Chicago to California any more. Or maybe he has his eyes on a different prize. $65k for an old car is a daydream to me. I wonder why today’s cars all look like my 2012 Chevy Cruze? Who wants a new one when they all look alike? What a stunning beauty the 62 is!
You are right, these old gaffers hoping to live one last memory, are a bit of a dying lot. His last shot at the old days just came up on the rocks. No one will pay more than a standard price – too many old 50’s and 60’s stoves out there getting put out to pasture now. Look at the glut of ’55-’57 T-Birds …
Well Steve, I too see fewer people among the young who understand cars but… I (with absolutely no research so I’m talking out of my ….hat) I DO think that the STYLE of old cars appeal to the young compared to todays cookie-cutter styling. So, I hereby put forth the proposition that RESTOMODS – that actually could make it NY to LA – might become much more desirable than the unreliable engineering of O.E.. Why? Because they could use them for daily drivers. They pay $45k plus for style-less new car and can get a rest-mod for much less.
I suspect he’s trying to politely say “I am open to offers, but please don’t be an asshat and try to negotiate the price via text messages before you’ve even seen the vehicle” as far too many people try to do these days.
I sold an old Honda XL250 recently, and I actually had two different people write to ask how little I would take for it. As if I was going to make lowball offers to myself.
I agree.
The few times I’ve sold a car on CraigsList, I received several of those types of emails – “how much (little) will you take”, “I have cash”, “hold the car for me, I will be right there”
Your reply is the same as mine – come down, have a look, and then we will discuss price. Some would still try to lowball, but I would tell them to make their best offer and I would get back to them. If they said now or never, they were sent walking and offer rescinded.
THe cars still sold for fair prices.
Nice car. Not sure I’d use Craigslist to try to get 65 grand for a car
Really nice car, would be better with a 4spd.
Steve R
Waaaaayyyyy better!
Yep….although on the rare side….he most likely paid less than a clutch car.
Re: the remark about deep contours in stamped steel, my company used to do work for the now-defunct Armco steel Ashland KY plant. ( site of the first continuous sheet metal rolling mill in the U.S. 1927 ) We could requisition their material to make stuff for them. Those thin sheets were wayyy softer than common 1020 low-carbon steel. I remember there was a big panic at the mill when the metal they provided Pontiac to stamp the 1967 Pontiac GTO hoods from would crack in the hood scoop area . It took a couple of weeks of panicked bru-haha to get the problem solved.
Overall this looks like a pretty original and rightest 62. About the only changes I see to it are the valve covers (this looks like a 327/250 so it started life with stamped steel covers), the flex fan and the addition of the ignition shielding (this is a no radio car so it wouldn’t have had ignition shielding). I guess someone added the shielding to dress it up, possibly at the same time the valve covers were changed. It does appear to still have it’s original aluminum radiator, generator, etc.
As a no radio and base motor car, with the only option being the Powerglide, I think asking price is pretty optimistic, but for $45K-$50K this would be a nice car to have, clean up and enjoy as is.
The first two words says it all. Start spending most of your SS check on the beginning of replacing and repairing all of those 62 year old parts.But that’s kinda the joy of old projects.Agree with gbvette62 $45K max.I have a 62 FI that would add some eye candy.
A friend bought a new 62, red & white, or white and red. It scared me when I hit 2nd gear! It was stolen and stripped less than a month after he bought it.
Beautiful car.
I wonder, what is the deal with the top? It actually looks like its the wrong one for the car.
While I’m no Corvette expert, this one seems a good bit overpriced.