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Dusty Garage Find: 1961 Corvette

UPDATE 6/4/12 – It has been re-listed!

There aren’t many car nuts out there that don’t dream of finding a C1 Corvette hidden in a little old ladies garage or barn. We know when we come across one it gets us pretty excited. There is just something about the way these early Corvettes look all covered in dust that gets the blood pumping. This 1961 Chevrolet Corvette is a two owner car and has been parked in the second owners garage for the last 44 years. They have finally decided to part with the car and are offering it here on eBay. This Vette is currently located in Las Vegas, so if any of you are in the area, give the seller a call and setup an appointment to check it out.

It’s hard to tell exactly what kind of condition this Vette is in with the 40 years of dust its accumulated, but from what we can tell it looks to be solid. Given the dry climate of the Las Vegas area, we doubt it has any serious rust. We wish we could be the ones to carefully rinse away all that grime. Hopefully the paint is still bright and shiny underneath, which it should be, that is as long as the cat didn’t scratch it all up.

This car has a beautiful red interior, which should look stunning with the grey exterior. For the most part, this interior looks good, but the desert heat has gotten to the dash cap and the driver’s side door panel. These parts shouldn’t be too difficult to source, as red was a popular interior color for the C1, but the dash could be pricey. Hopefully the rest of the interior will clean up nicely.

This Vette was obviously driven regularly up until 1968 when the owner parked it in the garage. In the short 7 years that the car was on the road it accumulated 93,422 miles, but we doubt the mileage will have any impact on the value of the car. These cars where meant to be driven and we are glad to see that someone drove and enjoyed the car, let’s just hope that next owner will be get her back on the road soon.

Power is provided by this 283ci Dual Quad V8, and while the carbureted engines didn’t produce as much power as the fuel injected ones, it is the 270 hp version. 1961 was the last year that the Dual Quad setup was offered in the Corvette, as the fuel injected engine not only produced more power, but was also easier to calibrate then the dual carburetors. The engine looks to be as dusty and dirty as the rest of the car and it hasn’t been started since it was parked in the garage, so we would plan on a complete rebuild.

Its going to be a job just digging this Vette out of the garage, but we are sure that the new owner will find that it was worth all the work once they have it out on the open road. This car has a unique mixture of options that include AM radio, 4 speed manual gearbox, hardtop, and 15 inch wheels. A power folding top was also on the list, but is not included. The auction has already hit $24,000 and we suspect it will only go up, but if it stays under $30,000 and the numbers all match up, it might be a good buy for anyone looking for a solid Corvette project.

Comments

  1. Avatar 2VT

    I left Las Vegas 35 years ago. The car was still warm then and probably not near as dusty.

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  2. Avatar Foxxy

    I love this. since it is in the desert, it will probably run with a little work. a rebuild will be needed due to the miles on it, but I would bet it runs. great find. I could never do this.

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  3. Avatar J. Pickett

    Oh Lord I wish I had the scratch. I really would like a C1. If it is complete, it would be nice just to make it a driver. I’m sure you could find a door panel. As for the dash, well can live without it for a while. The engine and clutch would be the hard part. Rings and brgs at least. It needs the sheild for the ignition, Flush fluids, As for the exterior, It looks like there are no major blemishes, if it’s dull remember GM then used cellulose lacquer, I worked in a body shop in the 60’s careful work with a buffer and some compound could bring it back to life if there’s enough paint. Beautiful project.

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  4. Avatar alex elkins

    this is exactly how i found my 68 camaro conv. it was in the arizona desert forever in the original owners garage. i bought the car with 28k original miles for $8k and drove it for a few years. i then sold it for $27k.

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  5. Avatar Faygo

    Ah, to be rich. If I were, I would buy it and call that Danny guy at Counts Kustoms who is always on Pawn Stars, have him go down the block and pick it up, restore it (not tricked out) and call me when it’s done. That has great potential in the right hands.

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  6. Avatar scot c

    ~ fantastic find, ’61s &’2 are the cars that cinched my life-long love for ‘Vettes.

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  7. Avatar Will

    I recently rescued a suzuki gt550 from a garage with this much dust accumulation. Hopefully the dry climate has been nicer to the paint than it was to my bike. Dust is harsh.

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  8. Avatar Al Neri

    It always surprises me when these cars go on the block. There must be many local people who knew about the car and periodically asked the owner if he/she would sell it. The best cars often get sold this way.

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  9. Avatar eldo72000

    this is the real thing here!!!!!

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  10. Avatar DJS

    I would love to see a follow up on this car please try to post a follow up if it was bought , and what it took to get this old ride on the road again please This is a must see cleaned up vet TKS .

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  11. Avatar Chris H.

    They had a barn-find exhibition during Corvettes @ Carlisle last summer. They displayed them as found, replete with dust. Very cool!

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  12. Avatar Chris H.

    Imagine finding one like this 100 years from now! It would be like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Wrench”!

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  13. Avatar erikj

    I will bid on this one. Wow!!! if i get it my 68 roadster and a 71 340 duster will have to go, but this one special. Wish me luck.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Chris

    Didn’t this just drop out of the belly of a shuttle in “Heavy Metal”?

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  15. Avatar Chris H.

    Love the “Heavy Metal” reference, I had forgotten all about that..

    Like 0
  16. Avatar T. Pat

    Nice ref to great song. now if it would land in my driveway that would be really cool !!!!

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  17. Avatar Keefy

    Reached $39,100 reserve not met last time around! This time at $37,900 with < 22 hours to go.

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  18. Avatar Foxxy

    Isn’t this car like the vette that was chained to an airplane in the movie “Con Air”m ?

    Like 0
  19. Avatar alleycat

    oh yeah

    Like 0

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