Garage Find Fuelie for $30K? 1957 Chevrolet Corvette

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One of the most sought-after American cars is a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette with a fuel-injected engine.  There are Corvette collectors who will do unspeakable things for a chance to park one in their garage.  Add to that the fact that undiscovered, original versions of this car are almost unheard of at this point.  So, the day after Christmas, up pops this 1957 Chevrolet Corvette for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Wilmington, Massachusetts.  Pictures show a carburetor on the engine, but it has fuel injection badges on the fenders and trunk.  To add to the amazement, the seller has $29,999 as the price in the ad but also mentions the car going to the highest bidder in the description.  Is this a real fuelie garage find emerging after 40 years in hiding?  Is this a scam?  Thanks go to Jamie G. for this holiday gift!

Before we begin the discussion, let’s go over what the ad has to say.  The text is exactly as follows: Non running vintage corvette. Make an offer. We also have old transmissions and random vette parts. Garaged for the last 40 years. NH title. Sold as is. Already multiple inquiries overnight. If you’re serious make an offer and the deal will go to the highest bidder. There’s already a couple over asking.

Sad to say that just isn’t enough information for anyone to make a firm decision on a vehicle of this caliber.  It is enough to entice someone into making a snap decision and take a risk to secure the car.  I am not saying that is the case.  I have no idea.  Many rare cars get sold for pennies on the dollar because the seller doesn’t know what they have on their hands.  Conversely, we have all seen the ads for rusted-out prewar Fords with asking prices that would do a Duesenberg proud.

We have also seen ads where a rare car’s pictures are copied off the internet by an overseas scammer and used to get “deposits” via Cash App, Venmo, or some form of cryptocurrency.  Any investigations as to where the money went lead to a foreign country that considers fraud a part of its GDP as long as it is perpetrated on foreigners.  It makes you long for the days of emails from African princes who need help securing their rightful fortunes.  These scams are rampant, and, to their credit, social media companies do put a lot of effort into stopping them from happening.  Some feel that they could do more, but how do you stop a flood of fraudsters?  Some even have the backing of their home country and asking for extradition is a joke.

If this is a legitimate ad, then this car is quite the prize.  The pictures reveal a nearly complete 1957 Corvette convertible with the required amount of garage dust on it and stacked up junk in the background.  The car is painted Venetian Red, and it was not apparently gifted with a contrasting color in the cove.  Most of the trim is in good shape, save for the rust in the rear bumpers.  Even that is not so far gone as to prevent re-plating.  The cloth top is likely a goner, and there are enough rough areas that the new owner would be in a conundrum.  Would you polish what is there and try to repaint just the problem areas, or just restore the whole car?

The interior also raises questions.  The car appears to be equipped with the optional AM radio.  The seats, however, must have been recovered by the eight-year-old down the street.  We can also see light in the floorboard area.  That, along with the missing shifter, is not a good sign.  There may be even more light or perhaps a reflection a little higher up on the driver’s kick panel.  The driver’s door panel area is hard to decipher.  There just isn’t enough light to make a good identification of anything.  I think I see a knob, an armrest, and a window crank, but am not certain.  What do you see?

Under the hood, it is good to see the missing shifter.  It appears to be lying in one of those paint roller pans you get at Home Depot.  A used one, of course.  The finned aluminum valve covers are there along with the “ram’s horn” manifolds.  What we don’t see is the fuel injection unit.  Chevrolet made 1,040 Corvettes with the fuel injection option.  As it was cutting-edge technology for the time, mechanics who had no clue how to work on them convinced many owners to ditch the unreliable fuel injection unit and slap on a carburetor as God had intended.  Replacement units are available, but not having the original sinks the value of the car.

It would be nice to have some of our resident Corvette enthusiasts go over these pictures.  Like CIA photo analysts, some of our readers can decipher a lot from the jumbled mess we see here.  As for this being a legitimate ad or a scam, we would love to have your opinion on that as well.

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Comments

  1. BoatmanMember

    Fascinating. Following closely.

    Like 1
    • jim knight

      seems that some of us on site is surely close by and for a small fee say tank gas could go by and look in person and if turns out legit buyer could compensate them

      Like 1
  2. mike

    Another crazy SCAM. Tried contacting him minutes after it was originally listed on marketplace as I am close by and was interested.
    Never heard back even after another message was sent..

    Like 16
  3. Jerry Bramlett

    Here’s what I see: a waste of time.

    Maybe a real ad, but probably not. Maybe a fair price, but probably not. Maybe an honest seller, but probably not. But in the end… definitely a waste of time to pursue.

    I wouldn’t bother to respond even if I lived in Chickenlips, MA, just down the road from this seller.

    Like 10
    • mike

      I think Jerry is correct !!!!!!!!!!!!

      Like 8
  4. gbvette62

    There’s no sense in worrying about things like the missing fuel unit or whether to just touch up the paint, this car needs a complete restoration.

    The Fuel Injection emblems mean nothing, especially on a car with a repaint, at one point half the 57 Corvette’s built ended up with Fuelie emblems. The 7 fin, straight across hole valve covers identify the heads, and likely the engine, as being replaced (straight across valve cover hole heads started in 59). The missing cove molding trim with filled in clip holes mean the car’s been repainted at least once.

    Real 4 speed 57’s are pretty rare (less than 700 built, and only available late in the year), so this car likely started life with a 3 speed or Powerglide. The trans tunnel was probably cut up when someone installed a 4 speed and that Hurst shifter.

    There are some clues the really educated can use to identify a real fuel car, but it’s really a mute point, like most early Corvette project cars today, I think this 57 is destined to become a $400K restomod. It looks like a great starting point for a restoration or restomod build, but the smart money in the hobby is heading in the restomod direction.

    Like 2
    • mike

      The guy won’t even reply to a multiple sent messages minutes after it was originally listed so as far as worrying about anything I have to assume it doesn’t even exist.

      Like 5
    • Jerry Bramlett

      I think you mean a “moo point”, not “mute”. You know, like a cow’s opinion… nobody really cares.

      My wife says it’s a “moot point”. But of course she’s wrong.

      Like 3
      • Phil Lawrence

        you’re wrong! MOO lmao!

        Like 3
    • Jack Quantrill

      I drove one of those 700 , FI, 4 speeds back in ‘58. Sirott Motors in South Gate, CA. All white. Salesman, took pity on us and let us test drive. What a car-60 mph in 1st gear! Never forgot it.

      Like 2
  5. BoatmanMember

    Listing NLA.

    Like 1
  6. ROBERT MULVANEY

    i think its real ,the guy puts it up cheap ,not knowing he is going to get a slam dunk on multi calls , and one caller says ok to the advert OF 29K ,but he gets another saying (ill give you more) that is where the comment started HIGEST BIDDER, SO NOW ITS A BIDDING WAR HELLO

    Like 2
    • Jerry Bramlett

      Robert, Robert, Robert…

      Maybe it also has a former owner who is a real celebrity. You know, like Santy Claus.

      Like 3
  7. Edward

    Maybe the seller can give us the VIN, or engine number, or some other identification for the car?

    Like 1
  8. Frank Sumatra

    I must be getting dumber everyday. As the most important piece of a FUEL- INJECTED Corvette is missing, this seems like a pretty misleading ad and write-up. I don’t think it’s a fuel-injected engine without the big thing that sits on top and injects the fuel. Capish? Maybe the FI badges are meant to make it a “tribute” vehicle. LOL.

    Like 2

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