The Cambridge Dictionary defines “subtle” as not loud, bright, noticeable, or obvious in any way. That term in no way reflects the appearance of this 1960 Chevrolet Corvette Gasser. The buyer can’t hope to blend seamlessly into the background with this classic. Its custom paint ensures it draws crowds who admire the work of Psychedelic Dave’s House of What The Funk. The V8 under the hood will deliver exciting performance, theoretically making this a complete package. The Corvette’s next journey could be to a new home, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Curvette for spotting it listed here on eBay in Bohemia, New York. Bidding has reached $29,100, which is below the reserve.
Chevrolet offered 1960 Corvette buyers a choice of seven paint shades for their new purchase, and an equal number of two-tone combinations. However, none were as extroverted as what we find gracing this Corvette’s seemingly flawless fiberglass panels. Psychedelic Dave has wielded his airbrush with abandon, and the results are stunning. The individual colors would seemingly clash under normal circumstances, but work remarkably well on this classic. If someone had told me I was about to view a C1 Corvette finished in Red, Light Metallic Blue, Green, Yellow, and Orange, I would have braced for the worst. Somehow it all comes together, creating something genuinely special that is easy on the eye. The paint is in good condition, and the underside shots confirm that the frame is rust-free. The glass and trim are in good condition, and the trunk contains additional items that will enable the winning bidder to complete the build.
Considering the custom paint, I could never criticize this Corvette’s interior for its lack of originality. It features vintage-style racing bucket seats, custom-painted steel, an aftermarket wheel, a Mr. Gasket shifter, and a later AM/FM radio. The trim combination of Red and Beige works well, and everything is in good condition. There are no major cosmetic issues, and the only reason to change would be if the buyer doesn’t like this interior’s appearance.
Every Corvette produced in 1960 featured a 283ci V8 under the hood. Technically, not much has changed with this car, except that this 283 is date-coded for 1967. Its double-hump cylinder heads are a matched pair that started life on a 327ci motor from the same year. The V8 inhales deeply via a pair of freshly rebuilt 500 cfm carburetors, while spent gases exit through headers. We can only speculate about output figures, but the power feeds through a four-speed manual transmission to a 4.11 rear end from a ’62 Corvette. An electric fan keeps engine temperature under control, while the Anson scatter shield is a sensible safety addition. The seller confirms that the 283 springs to life easily, with no smoke or odd noises. The car runs and drives, the transmission shifts smoothly, and it won’t take much work to make this classic genuinely roadworthy.
Listing statistics can often tell the true story of a classic, confirming whether it has struck a chord with potential buyers. This 1960 Corvette tells a tale of desirability, having received 27 bids at the time of writing. However, that number pales into insignificance compared with the Listing View and Watch List tallies of 733 and 103, respectively. People like what they see and are prepared to let their wallet do the talking. Predicting a sale price is virtually impossible because customized classics are always worth what someone is willing to pay. Do you think this Corvette will find a new home? If so, what do you think the winning bid will be?
I personally do love this era of Corvette but not as a Gasser but I am sure it will go up! I don’t see it going into the 40’s but I have friends the that love the Gasser Vibe and would buy a car like this. However, they are all younger than I am. Not a big deal most people are. I graduated from high school in 1961. Do the math! And I want a 61 or 62 Vette as bad now asI did then ,I just don’t want it to look like a race car!
Your from a really tough generation Joe! Guys your age and older are a tough bunch. I don’t think there will ever be another generation like you guys! I just lost my Father, born in 1936 and I swear up until his last year he acted younger than me at 60
Also graduated Milford High School in Milford, Ct. 1961. Started Schocks Auto Body in 1967 with brother Bob. I was a Corvette Specialist. Did all the Vettes in the area. Still in business in Stratford, Ct. Don’t do Vettes anymore. Barn Finds still has some great finds. Richard Schock.
I graduated in ’69 and I love this old Vette! I would drive this EVERYWHERE!!
Can you drive it anywhere though? I am wondering if this can be registered for the street.
If so, imagine the crowd at any Cars & Coffee.
You’re a few years ahead of me (I graduated in ’68) and I love the old Vettes as well but I definitely don’t have any use for a gasser no matter how cool, and this one really has that part down pat. Although.. cars and coffee would probably be a lot of fun. :-)
Yes ❤️ she will definitely find a home. I’d love to give it a home. It’s cool, it’s a blast from the past like me! Seriously, I would love to have it if I could. Someone will adopt it. Funny, I just built a scale model of a 62 Corvette Gasser. A really old kit that’s probably 45 years old.
The question is . . . . what do you do with it? It’s probably too far gone to restore, money wise. It needs a lot of work to make it track legal at any sanctioned drag strip. I’m not seeing a roll bar, belts, fuel cell, etc.
It won’t be a decent street car with the straight axle, and putting it back to stock will take a ton of work. The only thing I can see is making it a serious drag car, but that will take a bunch of money above the current $29K price. And half finished race cars generally don’t bring much money.
Safety equipment is based on ET, a mild combination that would run slower than 12.0 and will not need a roll bar, fuel cell only OE style seat belts. Everything else is basic, limits to the length of rubber fuel line, radiator overflow, no holes in the firewall, etc. There is no mention this was ever a race car, it’s not likely it will see much, if any track time, most “gassers” don’t unless there is a car show in the paddock.
Steve R
John I ,thanks for the nice comment. I will tell you this, it is harder in your 80’s to act like you are 16, but my wife says why why do you keep trying and not in a real loving way!
John I ,thanks for the nice comment. I will tell you, it is harder in your 80″s to act like you 16 and, my wife asks why do you that and keep trying and not in a real loving way!
Having graduated high-school in 1971, I feel like the young pup here! And yes, my mind keeps writing checks that my body can’t cash. But I’m still having fun in the garage and out at the track when I can get there.
Plenty of guys would drive this on the street. Finish it as a legal street car and you will be the center of attention at every car show, cars and coffee and drive in even though it will be a beast to drive. I don’t think it would take a whole lot to get it there. Gassers are cool.
This, to say, anyone over 60, is the absolute definition of cool. I often ask folks from other countries, did you guys do this? To be clear, this was probably built in the late 60s-early 70s, when paint jobs, and drag racing got serious, and at .35/gallon, gas flowed like Niagara Falls. Typically, and your results may vary, but I read the 283 non-blower gassers usually hit the high 11s, at 128mph. That’s a hands full. Not sure this car could do that, 12s, maybe, which is nothing to be ashamed of, and more of the most wicked street rod than drag strip. Awesome car.
During the late 60’s and early 70’s, Tommy Wells Construction Co. out of Glasgow, Ky had a 57 Vette and 57 Chevy 4 door wagon, both painted red, white and blue. The “Glory Vette and Glory Wagon” The brothers ran these at Beech Bend, Owensboro and Ohio Valley Speedways. They were parked outside after retiring from the tracks for a couple of years and we all sat in them and played as kids. They pulled them into a barn for the next several years and were eventually restored as drivers by the kids in the 80’s. All those kids are in their 60’s now like me! You know you’re getting older when all your toys and cars you drove are now collectible antiques!
Awesome street machine. I am 75 and a big fan of gassers.
I have never understood the appeal of gassers, either on the strip or the street. That’s just me.
Hi Eric, after the war, (WW2) the GIs that did come back, were heck bent on action, civilian life was pretty tame compared to what they went through. Since smaller pre-war cars were a dime a dozen, and the V8 just around the corner, it was a recipe for action. If you look at drag racing clips from the 50s, gassers were the most creative, hardly no 2 were alike. This was kind of the tail end of gassers, but I’d venture to say, it was gassers that started the whole drag racing deal, from “Airport Rd”, to the modern drag strips and cars of today, the gasser did it.
No It’s not just you Eric. I don’t understand the gasser appeal either. I don’t see any value or use in them either.
Big engine, small light car. Got it?
No Davy, I don’t got it. As a street car they just look stupid and unpractical. My .02
The value is the fun factor, priceless. Not every car will appeal to everyone but the ones that like this type of car have more than likely grew up going to races and /or been involved with performance street cars. Personally I would rather have something like this than some boring euro car, oh wait I do.
I really love gassers. Always wanted a early Nova. Who could forget Stone, Woods and Cooks Willy’s.
There is a really nice early nova gasser running around Prescott area, it is spotless.
Where I live there are a couple of gassers driving around on the streets and if I owned this one I would drive the wheels off of it.
It would be interesting to try this one on for size. I suspect with the dished steering wheel you’d have a real “elbows out” driving experience. In 1975 I looked at a 57 Corvette at a Chevy dealership in Fargo North Dakota. I actually had the money and had lusted for a Corvette since I was old enough to know what they were. The salesman gave me the keys and told me to take it out for a spin. I sat in it with my head against the hardtop and the steering wheel tight on my thighs. No way I could lift my leg to operate the clutch. I reluctantly gave him back the keys. I guess I saved myself $1900.00 that day!
I ended up buying my 66 427 coupe in 1978. That one fits me very well, although I’m not too graceful getting in or out especially with the side pipes and shorts on!
It would be interesting to look a little closer at the front suspension. The engine has been set back so that means that the frame has been drastically altered. Makes me wonder about the geometry of the suspension as well as the extent of modifications and the quality of the welds. It would be a shame to hit a bump and have the whole front end fall off.
Looks like the engine has been set back about 6-8” in gasser style.
My brother gave me a 57 Chevy gasser with the 427 slid so far back,you could rest your arm on the valve cover.Beautiful,fast car to a 12 year old kid.Drove it through the apple orchards till I killed it.
gasser for sure!
Gassers are cool, but their original purpose was to go 1/4 mile in a straight line. The 60’s Ford van straight axle was only used to save weight. The handling on the street would likely be a serious problem.
If you like gassers, check out the Gasser Reunion at Kuhnle Motorsports Park, east of Cleveland. It’s the first weekend in June; been happening since 2001 or so. Gene Schwartz shows up with the 52 Chevy that he won E/Gas at the US Nationals a couple times in the mid 1960’s.
This car looks like it’s 85% finished, but if you’ve done this before, the last 15% to finish it usually takes 40% of what you planned to spend. It’s not street legal, and if the motor is well built it might run under 12 seconds in the quarter mile and get you thrown out at tech. It might also run 14 seconds and not be a problem if you put seat belts in it.
One thing that makes me think it was never a race car is the 55-64 Chevy front loader rear end. They were never the best, I have three cars with them and I keep one or two gear sets in stock just in case I get stupid. They usually shear the teeth off the pinion gear if you abuse them.
This thing looks cool, but it will take some time and cash to really do anything with it.
Can’t understand why anyone would think this is an old race car? Obviously it’s a much newer build. The only thing they missed was extending the shift lever 18 inches. It would then be a dead ringer for Ed Roth’s Fugitive Vette. Nice to see an actual build instead of another boring restored car. As to anyone taking it to “Cars & Coffee” 😂 why sit around and talk about cars. Get in it and be talked about. Maybe the naysayers should also turn down their music, you have missed the point of youth.
That’s because most people have never spent any time on the business side of a drag strip.
Steve R
Auction ended on 3/1/2026 with a high bid of $36,100, but did not meet reserve, there were 40 bids and 14 bidders.
Steve R