What a difference a year makes! A 1963 and 1964 Chevrolet Corvette are almost identical, the exception being the coupe’s split rear window that makes the ’63 so sought after. Now when we’re talking convertibles, the difference between the two years is moot – they’re pretty much the same car – with minor differences. That being the case, let’s examine this 1964 Chevrolet Corvette convertible. It is located in Columbus, Ohio and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $30,100 with 47 bids tendered so far.

The most notable difference between the ’63 and ’64 Corvette is the stainless steel hood “vents”, or lack thereof on the ’64. Other differences involve horsepower ratings which increased slightly for the top carbureted and fuel injected engines. Other changes were more subtle and involved cabin noise reduction moves. The convertible body style in ’64 was 63% of the total 22K Corvette production volume.

The seller states that he has owned this ‘Vette convertible for over 30 years and it has undergone some changes over time. Firstly, the original, vaunted 365 HP, 327 CI V8 (L76) motor has been replaced with a generic 350 CI unit, though the swap occurred before current ownership. While the motor has an aluminum intake manifold, a Holley carburetor, and headers, there’s nothing else disclosed and no details regarding its operating prowess.  A typical four-speed manual transmission is in place.

Originally finished off in Riverside Red, with red leather upholstery, this Corvette is now dressed in Tuxedo Black. The finish presents well but it’s photographed while wet which is a red flag – you want to see it when it’s dry. I’m not certain what the purpose of the bullet-hole decals is, other than to cover up divots of some sort. The ’67 vintage rally wheels are a typical Corvette any year addition, just wrong for a ’64 model. The rest of the exterior shows well, the convertible top is displaying some wear around the rear window, but there is a removable hardtop included -always a nice addition.

The aforementioned red leather interior has given away to a black outfit, not certain if it is leather or vinyl. Whichever, it looks fine and was swapped well. The cargo compartment nylon loop carpet appears to be a more recent replacement as it isn’t faded to brown (note the carpet trim on the bottom of the passenger door panel) which is usually the case with black nylon loop. The original, usually loose, Muncie gear shifter has been given the bum’s rush for a Hurst replacement piece. There are some minor indications of the original red vinyl showing through the black dyed dash (near the ignition switch) – I’d be more concerned about what I couldn’t observe. It’s strictly a subjective call but I find switching the interior hue from red to black to be a head-scratcher.

Considering the non-descript engine under this Corvette’s hood, it is doing pretty well in the bidding arena. The bid detail indicates that the reserve has been met, so someone is going to get a basically nice, C2 convertible, with a removable hardtop. And if originality is not important, this car will have broad appeal. What’s your thought, would the non-original engine put a wet blanket on this potential acquisition, or is it just not that critical?