Bill Mitchell served as GM’s VP of Design for the better part of two decades, and his passion for the Corvette led to a customized 1958 Corvette called the XP-700. After Mitchell drove the car for about a year, GM gave the XP-700 an overhaul and it toured as a show car previewing the upcoming 1961 Corvette’s revised rear bodywork along with some fantastical features like a double-bubble top and periscope rear view mirror. The Mitchell XP-700 never hit production, ergo this 1961 Corvette in Bakersfield, California likely wears an aftermarket XP-700 front-end, probably from Acme Fabrication. This car’s restoration is well along, and features some interesting features including a numbers-matching fuel-injected V8. The listing here on eBay asks $45,000 via Buy It Now. With no other purchase options, this one could vanish at the click of a mouse.
As if the XP-700 nose isn’t interesting enough, a top-dog Rochester fuel-injection system fuels the original 283 cid (4.6L) V8. This potent choice made 315 HP in 1961. Exactly which numbers match escapes the listing, but once you commit to the XP-700 front-end, you’re having more fun than factory; who cares about those numbers?
The silver paint looks great. The OCD among you will certainly notice that nearly every picture of the car leaves one edge of the subject outside the frame. While there is some artistic precedent for this technique, car buyers outside the art community will appreciate your taking a step back to put the entire vehicle in the picture.
The already-restored steering wheel combines with the other completed elements on this special Corvette to demonstrate a trajectory to the final destination of one show-stopping vehicle. The traditional ’61 hard top (included with the soft top) is a nice addition, but it does makes you miss the show car’s bubble-top. Nevertheless, the striking nose will turn heads at any car show or roadway. This could be the perfect bonus for any Corvette-heavy collection, or someone who likes to hear those necks snap as they drive down Main Street. Do you remember the XP-700?
If this isn’t the original car,shouldn’t it be called a replica ?
Funny thing, I’ve seen this body in pictures before. Only thing I think of when seeing it is an anteater’s snout.
I think of a manta-ray, but then again, I did a lot of drugs in the 80’s ………..
I see a fish-mouthed Buick
I see a sunken submarine….
A sideways Edsel.
Or a ’58 250 TR.
Considering that the ’61 Corvette looked like a Wurlitzer jukebox stock, I don’t have a problem with the modifications. The price actually seems to reflect the cost of being different, so it looks like a buy to me.
Seeing that hood fit somebody has a lot of work ahead of them
I’m not running for anything, and I approve of this car.
This must have been designed at the beginning of the drug era.
What drug era…it was designed for a Sheetmetal paper weight!
IMMVHO, the asking price is waaayyy to high for what is here, but, as they say, every dog his day and who am I to tell some rich dude how to spend his money?
Yes…Yes…Yes… Please say something….The poor sap that will buy it needs his eyes checked and his bank card destroyed…PLEASE!
The Cyrano de Bergerac of Corvettes. Poor little guy. It would never be able to park like other Corvettes.
The 15 year old me really liked the original of this car. The 75 year old me, not so much.
The all of me says WTF!
I’ve never seen pics of the PX-700 before and I can’t figure out if it looks kind of cool in a “space age” way or just weird. It is different for sure but sometime different is’t always good. I think I would grow tired of explaining that I did to my Corvette at the local car shows.
$45,000.00 for an amateur uncompleted copy? I don’t think so!
I’m with Steve Clinton on this one. $45,000.00 for a bastardized replica, no thanks.
Bastardized ! You would have to keep explaining to everyone why!
$15K and an expensive fire extinguisher.
Don`t tell me….the fire extinguisher is filled with muriatic acid!!!
If anyone buys this an swaps the fuel injection for a carburetor set-up. Please pack up the fuel injection parts and send them to me. I get all excited about engine technology and how far back many of the principles go. As for fuel injection, this one marks about the half way point in the chronological order.
How much does Barn Finds get for selling these cars. The write ups are certainly glorified!
Beauty is in the eye of the Beer Holder…
You know…. after about 10 beers, I love the car!
Stu, you are a fast learner. It took the design team 10 kegs of beer to develop this “thing”.
JMB#7, are these kegs of beer European or north American?
I took another look at the actual XP700. It’s much more than just that nose.This one has a 58 hood. The real one had a very different hood. The real one had 56-57 like scoops on the fenders. The real one had rear brake scoops. Oddly, there was no door for the gas filler. The standard cap appeared to be external. And most importantly, it had a clear, double bubble, roof, with a periscope rear mirror.
Miss Piggy , Mike Ernst wrote about this in a NCRS publication in the eighties .I bought one of these front ends years ago , Later traded it off for other parts .
UGLY , imo