As you live your life your tastes change. You look back on pictures of you and wonder who bought you those funny clothes. Just look at Elvis. Elvis’s style got frozen in the 1970s by his unfortunate passing. He is forever known for Graceland and sequined jumpsuits. This 1968 Corvette convertible being sold here on eBay is kind of in the same predicament. Evidently this car got shoved into hibernation sometime during the decade of gaudy customization known as the seventies. How else can you explain woodgrain and tufted vinyl seats on such a car? Despite these oddities, this matching number Corvette seems to be a good starting point for someone looking for a project. Bidding is currently at $7,800 with a healthy volume of bids.
1968 was both a great year and a rough one for America’s sportscar. General Motors Styling and Design under Bill Mitchell hit a bases loaded home run with the new body for the Corvette. While it had the same frame and basically identical running gear to the 1963-1967 car, the styling was very close to the 1961 Mako Shark show car. Nobody could deny how gorgeous the new Corvette was.
Unfortunately, there were problems. The design change ran one year later than planned and Zora Arkus Duntov, Corvette’s chief engineer, had been shuffled out of the Corvette program. When the new car was debuted, there were a lot of quality control problems. Famously, Car and Driver magazine refused to test the example they were provided because of how poorly the car was built. With egg on its corporate face, GM brought Duntov back from exile and the problems slowly got handled. This basic body style amazingly soldiered on until 1982.
The 1968 Corvette convertible we see here comes with little in the way of description or options. The seller tells us that it is a straight car that has been sitting for a long time and will need a full restoration. We are also told that the odometer reveals 61,000 miles. Of course this is on a 54 year old car from an era when odometers were rolled back as a matter of course on used car lots everywhere. As you see, the movie Used Cars is not a comedy. It is a documentary. Sort of like the movie Idiocracy is prophecy, but I digress…
While we are not provided with a photo of the trim plate, the pictures show that the car had few identifiable options. It is a four-speed car with side pipes, but that is where the fun seems to end. Power steering may be there, but there is no sign of power brakes, air conditioning, or any other creature comforts. Oddly, most Corvette experts believe 1969 was the only year you could order up side pipes as an option.
What the car does have is two owner added styling touches that make us scratch our 2022 heads. The first is a woodgrain of some sort added to the back panel around the taillights. National Lampoon’s Vacation came out in 1983, so any Family Truckster inspiration would be 15 years down the road from the original purchase. The other eye catcher is the tufted vinyl treatment on the seats, door panels, dash, and even the emergency brake cover. While an interior like this would look at home in any American luxury barge of the era, it is a bit off putting in a Corvette.
Under the hood reveals that this is a small block equipped car. The painted intake manifold and plain valve covers point to this being a low horsepower car. There is nothing wrong with that if you want a driver. Higher horsepower versions of this car struggled with keeping cool on even moderately warm days. Sadly, most restorers are looking for well optioned cars with fire breathing engines to justify sinking the mandatory small fortune into a full restoration.
The beauty of this car is what looks to be a low entry price into one of Corvette’s most beautiful years. The seller is even meeting you halfway with a no reserve auction. While the custom touches applied to the car back in the day offend our modern sensibilities, you can see how a modern-day owner might feel tempted to apply their own tastes to this black drop top. This could be a beautiful car when finished, either as a numbers correct concours restoration or as an Earth-shaking resto mod.
Leave it as is, after making it safe, of course. Beat around it it to your hearts content without worries someone will scratch the paint. A buddy of mine’s mom had a 71 Vette she drove every day. It was a low performance small block, Dk Green with a automatic tranny. Winter salt, rain, tornados, you name it. She had the frame replaced twice as they rotted at the rear wheels and when number three was due she sold it. It had over 300,000 miles on it.
If Naven R Johnson had a Corvette…..
Every notice, the Miami car owners never provide frame photos?
No ac is an issue in fl but it would be a really cool thing to clean up and drive. I like the idea of keeping the custom touches. Really like the 2 tone on the paint.
I’m glad to see the prices on some of the low optioned cars staying reasonable. There are some people who want to drive and enjoy as opposed to taking on a restoration challenge.
Somehow I just knew this car would end up on Barnfinds. This 68, and another being sold by the same person, were discussed on the Corvette Forum a day ago. Take a look at the link below, if you want to see what it looked like a week or so ago, before the flipper grabbed it and threw some paint on the nose.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c3-general/4651267-buyer-beware-1968-convertible-projects-in-miami-on-ebay.html
Nice going gbvette62! You did great job exposing the seller.
Same crook selling the Blue one as the Black one ? The Blue ones got A.C. the Black one doesn’t, deceitful people, seems to be an awful lot of very needy Corvettes for sale in Miami,,,,,,,,,,,,, same seller ?
See how rusty the seatback is where the upholstery is ripped away? That’s why there are no frame fotos.
No thanks.
I’ve heard that the ’68s were of poor build quality compared to subsequent years. I had a ’70 that was an excellent machine, so always assumed I’d be disappointed in a ’68.
There were some quality issues with 68’s, but what first year model car doesn’t have “teething” problems. The new C8 Corvette has had a handful of problems, recalls and service bulletins. But after 54 years, all of these old cars have either been repaired, or driven into the ground, making issues they had when new, mute now.
The real issue today with 68’s, is that they have a lot of one year only parts, making them a little harder and a little more expensive to restore.
I always questioned the cars this guy was selling, and I know very little about Corvettes. I am certainly not defending this guy, especially after reading the link provided by gbvette62 What is interesting though is the seller’s ebay feedback, it is basically very sound, including one guy who states he has bought 14 Corvettes from this seller. As they say, buyer beware!
Ok the first c3 had it problems but this car at the right price would be a good project ruvette and gbvette if you are really corvette guys or seating on the couch with a bag of chips a beer
I have been known to sit on a couch with chips and beer. For what it’s worth, I have had 20 Corvettes ranging in vintage from 1959-2011. I am NOT a Corvette expert by any means but having an interest in them for the last 56 years I know a little.
This car at the right price certainly could be a good project IF the frame is reasonably free from rust. But figure out what you want the end result to be before you plunk down money. If you don’t care that the paint is a mess, the front end around the grille is wonky, the interior is disaster, it’s missing various marker lights, gas cap, etc. But. if can do a lot of work yourself, you can probably do a lot of body work sanding, and painting for $5-10,000. In that same garage pull out the interior and replace it with new for $5-7,000. Rent an engine hoist so you can get the motor out to clean up the engine bay, put on a clutch fan, hook up the tach, fix the vacuum cannister for the wiper door (and probably the headlight doors) for another $2500. Then let’s just increase the total by 20% for ‘stuff’ and you’ll be at $25,000 plus the price of the car.
Also, side pipes were not a 1968 option. Off road exhaust was an option but it was underneath the car.