UPDATE 4/27/18 – The listing was pulled, but the car is now back on eBay.
FROM 4/2/18 – While I’m not a fan of listings that are this sparse on information and photos, but there is something strangely exciting about finds like this! This 1958 Corvette was found sitting on blocks after being parked back in 1975. The only real information the seller provides is that the engine appears to be a 300 horsepower 327 from 1962 and has a dual quad carb setup installed, which is believed to be factory original. You can find this Corvette project here on eBay in Belleville, Michigan with a current bid of $17k.
The seller really doesn’t give us much to go off of. They state that it’s a barn find that was last registered in 1975, the bit about the engine and that it’s a 3-speed. Speaking of the engine, here is a close-up view of the 327. The dual four-barrel setup was offered with either 245 or 270 horsepower in 1958, but there’s no word on which version this car had originally. It’s hard to say exactly how much power the 327 is good for with this setup, but it should be plenty of power to have fun with.
While it doesn’t look too rough in the first photo, but upon closer inspection, you see that is actually rather rough. The body has lots of damage that is going to need to be repaired and the frame looks to be rusty. Of course, the seller doesn’t say what kind of condition the chassis is in, but it doesn’t look hopeful. And of course, it’s going to need the interior redone, but that seems minor after you look at the underside.
It might be a huge project, but it isn’t stopping people from bidding. These cars have been going up in value for the past few years, especially the 270 and 290 horsepower cars. If it is a genuine factory dual quad Corvette, you might actually be able to rebuild it without being totally upside down financially. That’s a big if though and will take some careful consideration to judge whether it’s a project you would want to take on. So, do you think at the current bid it’s worth taking on or is it already over budget?
Cool find Josh. 58’s are my least favorite vette. Looks like a small collision put her on the back bench back in the day. I am sure it will look new some what soon. That frame photo reminds of a song, Spooky little girl like you. Whats up with that dizzy. I see some other stuff going on under the hood but I will leave that to the heavy hitters. Take care, Mike.
Looks like a Mallory dual point distributor,, popular swap back in the day. Missing the trunk spears. Wish it were mine.
I’m astounded that anyone would let a great car get to such a state. A big project for sure. It will need someone with a lot of ambition.
The only C1 Corvette I’ve ever driven was a 58 dual quad 283 4 speed car, black on black with a red interior. Beautiful car & very fast, but that one drive broke me from ever wanting one. With the work it needs, & the original engine MIA, I suspect this one will end up as a mild restomod.
The engine may be factory dual quad, but it’s not original to the car.They really should have provided more photos of the chassis.
327’s did not come out until 1962. C1’s do not have a “bird cage”. Black interior was not available until 1959. Charcoal was available in 58, not black
possibly just the block that’s 62 and there’s some originally stuff… staggered valve cover says original 58 heads may be there
Already gone at $15K
nope!
had a bid of $17,000, can’t sell for 15, says zero bids, guy used ebay to get attention, then pulled add after he got an offer,lol
This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.
Nope!
The highest bid was $20,000. Must’ve gotten an offer that couldn’t be refused.
There are those of us who would give almost anything to have a Corvette of this vintage. It really breaks our hearts to see one that has been left to the elements. I know what I’d do if this one came my way….
I’m surprised to see so many early vettes featured here in this type of condition, they were everyone’s dream cars back in the day and still are for some.
luv the chrome on top of each fender, still havin the early rear end (pre ’64), the “RT 66 side treatment” (separate color), that interior, not this top (only ’63 will drop into the upswing of rear deck) OR too many louvers;
this motor’d B fine…
Old vettes were evidentially trated like step kids back in the day.
When I was going to school in the early 1970s I went to Lincoln Auto Salvage on Aurora Avenue North in Seattle. Right inside the entrance to the yard there were at least 6 early Corvettes stacked up one on the other like cordwood. It was a sorry sight then and much more now in retrospect.
Sad to see it in this condition but it happens all too often. Otherwise there wouldn’t be a Barn Finds site now, would there?
The difference between the flipper and the true enthusiast is that while the flipper may love cars, the enthusiast falls in love with a car – two totally different things. Which is why these great automobiles are left to rot from disinterest and neglect.
Early Corvettes were not really refined and no one should be surprised when they ride like trucks and handle like them, too. Many of the underpinnings were truck-derived with the thought that they’d be “heavy-duty”, a concept popular in the ’50’s & ’60’s that connoted raw, brutish power.
They got the raw & brutish right. Nice find. I still want one.
More like a flipper “likes” cars, but loves money. And there are plenty of enthusiasts who buy and sell cars they like but don’t love. These people would also be above the flipper mentality and want to see the project they are selling go to a good home for a reasonable price.
Not one but two air filters missing . I’m gonna start hoarding them and make a fortune some day
There was only one air filter that covered both carbs.
I worked at Summer Auto Rebuild in Seattle in the 70’s.. used to go to impound auctions every Saturday and buy these for 1-200 all the time. Notice the hardtop?… oh well, too old to care now…
Gen tach drive = smaller dual quad engine
This is a stupid question, but I always wondered if the dual-quad C1s came with one large air cleaner, or two smaller ones. I’ve seen some of the later triangular shaped things, but have no idea what came from the factory. Anybody??
’56-’57 Vettes with dual-quads had the two small air cleaners, while the ’58-’61 cars had the larger single air cleaner. The triangular air cleaners were used on the ’67-’69 427 triple-carb Corvettes.
Somebody is gonna spend too much for it. I can see that already. Over $20k and still has 3 days to go.
The frame looked like Swiss cheese rotted right through. Based on condition I’d say $8k to $10k not a dime more. A DIY guy working out of his residential garage is going to have to commit to a 10 year project if he can hold his interest that long, and his wallet doesn’t disintegrate. You are going to learn many new skills taking on this car. JMO.
If it is a 58, wher
E are the two chrome strips on the top of the trunk?
Nobody wanted C1s in the early 70s unless they were really nice (nice ones went for for $1000 and upwards). Case in point: here’s me at the ripe old age of 14 back in 1971 with my $300 ’60 Corvette, bought with my paper route money (I begged my parents to let me get a motorcycle but they let me get this instead to shut me up). Came originally equipped with a 283 4bbl and Powerglide (when I got it engine and tranny were sitting on the ground next to it) Underneath the Honduras Maroon repaint (from a previous owner), it was black with silver coves to go with its red interior, probably the most stunning color combo one could get in 1960. My dad helped me build the wooden structure in the photo, we used it to hang the chain hoist from to install a replacement 283. When I turned 16, I discovered that insurance just for minimum liability was going to cost $125/mo (about what I made a month on my paper route, equal to approx $700 in today’s dollars adjusted for inflation) so I traded it for a 396 4 speed Caprice. Last I heard, not long after he got it from me, the guy I traded it to had sold it to a collector in Vancouver BC, and the new owner was going to restore it back to original. I still occaisionally have dreams that I kept it (although not as frequently as in years past).
My first dream car was a 1967 Sunfire Yellow 327 Corvette with side pipes. It was my next door neighbors car and when I was 16 in 1983 he was going to sell it to me for $5900. I begged my father to let me get it (I had the money from saving almost every penny I earned mowing lawns, cleaning pools, etc. since I was 12). My father never said no… but he did say he wasn’t putting me on his policy because of the rates. I called everyone in the yellow pages and only Loyd’s would insure me… for almost $3000 a year! Needless to say, it’s something I still dream about.
I ended up buying a 1962 Austin Healey 3000 from someone else in the neighborhood about a year later. Long story how, but I still have that same Austin Healey today and enjoy it with my teenage son… but that Corvette will always be the one that got away.
sounds like my dad – some 1 who’d indulge a kid’s ‘off center’ dreams until reality comes along (insurance costs here). That’s how we learn, eh? Supported by love.