It is always great to see another old car come out of hiding and have a chance at a new life.  This 1969 Chevrolet Corvette convertible hasn’t moved in several years and is said to be a roller that needs a complete restoration.  It comes complete with a small block Chevy V8 engine and a 4-speed manual transmission.  This Corvette is up for a No Reserve auction where the bidding has stalled at $12,200 with 4 days left until closing. It can be found here on eBay and it is located in Miami, Florida.

Corvette engine choices for 1969 featured the 300 horsepower 350 small block V8 backed by a 3-speed manual transmission as standard.  A 350-horsepower version of the 350 V8 was the only small-block option.  The listing does not state what engine this car has or was born with and the top of the currently installed small block engine has been covered with aftermarket parts. The lack of the original Corvette engine dress is somewhat disappointing but the Muncie 4-speed manual transmission should make for a good consolation prize for the next owner.  The 4-speed could have been ordered with any engine option and the M20 was most likely the choice on this one as it was available on both versions of the small block 350 V8.  The 4-speed was more common than the automatic in 1969 Corvette production according to information found here on the GM Heritage Center website.

The interior features that nice little white ball sticking up out of the console that reminds you a manual transmission sits below.  At some point in time though, someone thought it would be a good idea to reupholster the seats with some gold crushed velvet. A new set of original seat covers would go a long way toward making this interior look nice again along with a few other details. The owner claims that this is a rare color combination that is original to the car.  Riverside Gold was also available with a black interior, but the original literature states you could choose any color you wanted outside of the suggested combinations.

The body of this car is said to have the proper gaps between panels and nice body lines.  Looking at the gap between the body and wheels, this one seems to ride a little high.  It would be wise to take a good look at the underside of this car before bidding and find out what is going on down there.  It also appears to have been treated to an amateur coat of splotchy metallic paint at some time in the past.  Gold can be one of those controversial colors that not everybody goes for, but in this case, it is the original color on a 4-speed Corvette and it does not seem to be hurting the interest level of the bidders.  What about you?  Does the Gold strike a cord?