After using the same platform for a decade, the 1963 Chevy Corvette was designed from the ground-up and the five-year run of the “C2” ‘Vettes would become iconic. Both coupes and convertibles were offered and nearly half of the latter were ordered with a removable hardtop. This sad-looking C2 Corvette has been languishing outside for many years, but the auction house has little information to share about it, other than its lot # 48B. No model year, no drivetrain details, just some photos of a forlorn machine. Located in Evansville, Indiana, this Chevy is available here on HiBid, Indiana division. The next bid cast will be for $4,250. Thanks for the tip Mark Sturgeon!
The 1963-67 Corvettes were the handiwork of Zora Arkus-Duntov, a Belgian-born American engineer whose work on the Chevrolet Corvette earned him the nickname “Father of the Corvette.” He’s sometimes mistakenly referred to as the inventor of the Corvette, but that title belongs to Harley Earl. While some Corvettes experts in the Barn Finds circle can probably shed some light on what model year this Corvette is, I don’t see enough for me to try to make a call.
What we do know is the car looks to have been abandoned out behind a house that backs up to some woods. Mother Nature has been working very hard to consume the Chevy and may have succeeded. The roof looks to have a big hole in it and the back glass is out, allowing the elements to take over the interior. Did it have a 327 V8 when new? We don’t know. Bidding on this car would seem like a shot in the dark as some things are just better left where they are.
65 or 66 roadster based on side vents and broken rear window.
I am not one to easily abandon saveable projects, as most will attest. This Marlboro Maroon example may well be my breaking point. The birdcage will tell the story. If it’s shot, the car is done. If not (unlikely) there may be hope.
’66 . . ’65 didn’t have the Corvette script on the front of the hood.
its a 66 says corvette on hood dr side main difference between 65 and 66
it’s a 1965 66 said Corvette stingray on hood lower front Dr side
ment a 66
Sad but that’s life.
Pictures look like a guy’s looking for his car,
using his parking space number.
Maybe it’s been a while since he parked it there.
Side-pipes and everything…I just welled up a little…need some tissues…
the car looks like it it is in what’s left of a garage. It wasn’t parked outside, the outside came IN to it! probably how the roof got smashed. maybe on concrete with debris that thick and not sunk in. WOW!!!!
1966, hood emblems were different on 65’s and 66’s
Good body lines.. must be a no hit car. Better bid. 😂
If the hood is original, it’s a 66. 66 was the only year with a Corvette script emblem on the hood. Though it’s hard to make out in the photos, it appears the rear emblem is also a 66. I can’t imagine there’s much left of this car’s frame, and the door hinge and lock pillars are probably shot too.
There are some other interesting cars in the auction, though most are as rough as this Corvette. There are some 64-68 Mustangs, an early Jag XK120 or 150, an XKE, a 28/29 Model A Ford, a yellow 73 Corvette coupe, a white 70-72 Corvette convertible, a modified white 79 Corvette (the auction company calls a 78), and a yellow C4 convertible. I assume that none of them have titles, and that they’re all being sold with a Bill of Sale.
It’s even got a sunroof!
What birdcage?
If you meant “what is a birdcage”, it’s a light steel structure that runs across the car within the cowl area, tying together the dashboard, door hinges & windshield frame. A short section of it can be seen beneath the glove compartment, which is also where the VIN tag and ID plate are mounted. Due to it’s location and importance, damage/corrosion to the birdcage can be the difference between a project or a parts car.
Thanks Carm, but actually what I meant was “What birdcage….is there even one left here somewhere in this mess?”
This sure looks like a nightmare auction to me. I have no idea how it works, nor am I going to participate to find out.
I would be there on April 7 for the on-site inspection if I was planning to bid. Also, I would insist on a written explanation of the legal status of the car complete with a VIN.
From the fine print: “ALL LOTS THAT END WITH “B” ON DETROY ROAD MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BE PICKED UP DUE TO LOCATION OF ITEMS ON PROPERTY.” Wut?
Bid on a car that is in this condition, but can’t pick it up because the property is land locked and there is no access or right of way to get the vehicle out across an adjacent property owners land. You may have to pay to access the car and remove it. Doubt you could remove it by helo without any of them folding in half. 1966 small block four speed corvette convertible…i’ve been wanting on of those for years. For F sake people, If you can’t at least put a roof over a vehicle to protect it somewhat, sell it before it rots into the ground. Someone can give the vehicle life again if you can’t.
My guess is that this Corvette was stolen in the seventies and possibly stripped of its drivetrain, hubcaps, and seats back then.
There’s probably no VIN tag on it now. That means when the buyer finally uncovers the frame to find the VIN stamping, he’s stuck with stolen property. According to the auction Terms and Conditions, he will have no recourse.
It appears to have very good fiberglass. That alone would make the car worth $5,000. BUT… only if you can legally own it. The auction company is putting the research load on the buyer without giving full disclosure. Shame on them.
Stolen. Last seen in 1970. :)
Such a shame. It was once someone’s pride and joy. Whatever you attach the hook to, that’s all that is coming along. You’ll pull it out in pieces.
This auctioneer must think someone is nuts. Its like going into the store and buying something,but you can,nt take it. Bet no one will be their–IF THEY READ THE FINE PRINT. Sounds like someone passed away or some one is breaking the law. I wonder when the law will get involved with this. Someone is wanting this propert and the property cleaned ip and they waited for the owner to die. To grab it. I,d like to hear the neighboring partys side of the story.
Doing this to a C2 is just criminal!!!
WHY would you put a Cadillac convertible into long term storage with the top and windows down????? Whhhhhyyyyyyy?
I’ve seen episodes of CHiPs among others, where they took a 1959 Cad Convertible to one of the freeway destructo derbys. They destroyed several GTO’s.
For a while, I thought it was mandatory that if you were going to destroy a car for effect in a film, you did it to an XK-E. Must’ve seen a dozen pushed over a cliff, set on fire or crammed into a car crusher.
Speaking of which, Look at one of John Wayne’s last films ‘McQue’. They destroyed a very rare 1973 T/A – Brewster Green – very rare. Mine was white.
Between 256 and 321 Dodge Chargers were destroyed in the production of the “Dukes of Hazard” TV Show. There were 26 used (mostly used up) in the making of the feature Film.
Directors killed a lot of wonderful cars back in the day, in the name of ‘art’. Most of those directors had no idea what the cars meant or what they were doing to the legacy.
Don’t get me started on “Bullitt”.
Hard to believe there are “rare” Trans-Ams. They made a gazillion of them.
Of the 46,313 Firebird models produced that year, 4802 were Trans Am’s. Brewster Green was a 1 year only color. Of the 16 colors offered by Pontiac that year, T/A’s were available in only four: 1) Cameo White 2) Admiralty Blue 3) Buccaneer Red and of course 4) Brewster Green. It is estimated that only 269 were finished in the latter. Very… rare… indeed.
The stainless and inside trim on the hard top is worth a good amount ,plus the bumpers maybe good cores, there is some stuff that might be ok , like the headlight doors. The bird cage parts can be bought for the car . It all boils down to if the frame is any good. Lots of IFS in this car!! It was a jewel in its day
That car would make good lawn art for my garage!
Buy the property, sort out the junkyard later.
Eggcrate grille suggests that this unfortunately treated C2 is a ’66.
Several more Corvettes, Mustangs, Jag XKE in this mess. Sad.
The Jag is sad and its convertible.
https://indiana-b.hibid.com/lot/115474231/old-jaguar—-must-bring-your-own-help-to-load—/?g=all-categories&cpage=5&q=&ref=catalog
I knew of a 66 Vette convertible that sat along side a driveway on the grass as I went through 7-12 grade in school. I stopped several times and I know hundreds of other did too. It was just a small block auto car but still. It sat approx 15 years longer and from what I was told they pulled it in half in front of the rear wheels and tore up the rear body. Quick trip a mile away to the scrapyard she went from what I heard. I also looked at a 58 Vette and a 37 Chevy Coupe that sat outside for the better part of thirty years, the Vette with no top. I pushed on the quarter panel above the left rear wheel and my finger went through the fiberglass. Rotted? I don’t know but they were gone one day when I was out in that direction. I wish I could say they were saved but I seriously doubt it.
Look like Floods Find.
That’s just sad as Hell. Just painful to even look at IMO. Better cars out there to spend your time and money on rebuilding.
“Barn Find” by definition usually means the car is in the barn. In this case the barn collapsed around and on the car causing the roof damage we see. So in this case I would suggest the category of “Find Barn” as much of the barn is in this particular trophy winner.
Donor parts
Clearly, there is mental illness in the mix. No one who has the intelligence to buy so many quality machines would just let them rot as such.
sad, just sad
Yes, RC Graham, today it’s a travesty but when they were killing these cars they were just metal.
Today on CHIPS I saw in the background a 1958 Cadillac Coupe de Ville just parked along side the road with other parked cars. As far as I know, that one didn’t get mangled.
Obviously I get upset when they ruin Cadillacs, Lincolns or Imperials but my big beef is when they smash up 1971 – 1976 General Motors clamshell stationwagons!!!!
Just breaks my heart.
Another hoarder bites the dust
Or
Another hoarder bit the dust
The amount of junk that the auctioneer has listed is surprising
I have been to auctions and they skip the scrap and don’t try to sell it
Maybe it’s the new way since it is done online
As for the corvette , i see the value in the vin and title but there is no guarantee that these are supplied
It would make a very nice flower pot or man cave decoration after you have sprayed it with désinfectant and rat poison …
I know I could get the car out of there without it breaking in half. You would need a shovel to dig around it and under it until you could get a couple of 4 x 6 buy 25 foot beams under it from front to back. Then you could jack them up and put plywood under it. Then plywood and rollers on top of that and set it back down. Then it would be able to roll to a clear area where you could hook the plywood and rollers and pull it onto a rollback. You would need to work out a deal with a neighbor to put down sheets of plywood on the ground so as not to trench their yard while removing the vehicles. Easy right? LMAO. $3000 bucks I and I will get it to the road. Per vehicle. Your on your own after that. SMDH. Better to just part the thing out in place if you can get enough off the car to make it worth your while.
Pete,
I suspect the property owner would gladly allow the remains of the garage to be torn down to access the ‘vette. Clean off the flat garage floor, then use some wheel lifts to allow it to be moved in whatever direction you need. The big thing to remember is NOT to pull, it should be gently pushed in the direction it needs to travel. I tackled far worse over the last 50 years.
If the VIN has been scavenged already, and it has not title its worthless. Guy will have to pay to have it hauled away.
salvage 66 c2 vette rescued after yrs of being abandoed!