I wish more sellers would include pictures of the day they found the car they’re selling – it just adds to the intrigue and allure of owning a barn find. This 1961 Chevy Corvette is more of a lean-to find, as it clearly languished in deterioriating conditions for some time. The Corvette is freed from this grim existence, and is located somewhere near Haines City, Florida. The asking price is $17,500 and you can find the car here on Hemmings. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Brent for the find.
The seller describes the Corvette as a project he’s selling instead of a recent discovery poised for a quick flip. Regardless of intent, the disclosure that the frame is rusty changes the scope of this project into one that will require a good deal of time and cash. Color would suggest this is a “Fawn Beige” example, with a non-matching hardtop. It’s hard to tell with the many layers of paint, but if it is indeed factory beige, that’s one of the rarer colors offered in ’61.
Not that that’s reason enough to buy this Corvette. There’s no engine and the front clip is heavily damaged. There’s the aforementioned rusty frame and the hardtop is the incorrect color. Combined with the seller’s lack of clarity about what parts are included (though there are two photos of various parts piles with no explanation as to what they contain), this Corvette definitely needs a few questions answered before someone bites off a $17.5K project.
Now, as we all know, the VIN breakdown on a car like this tells the story about how you should proceed. Positraction? Heavy duty brakes and suspension? 245 b.h.p. or 270 b.h.p.? Given the cars in the background, the seller likely has some idea as to what this Corvette’s value is as a finished product, but is its value as a project $17,500? When you can buy a more complete example like this one for $14,600, it does beg the question.
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