The owner of this 1965 Corvette Coupe says that it is all original, right down to its beautiful Red leather interior. It is a striking looking car, and it is one that I think that most classic car enthusiasts would love to find parked in their driveway. If you are the sort of person who would love nothing more than to transform that dream into a reality, then you will find the Corvette located in Charleston, South Carolina, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Corvette has been extremely spirited, with 103 bids to this point. While that has pushed the price along to $50,000, the reserve hasn’t been met.
The Corvette is finished in Ermine White, and the owner states that it has been garage-kept for its entire life. It certainly presents well, with no signs of any significant flaws in the panels or paint. The external trim and chrome appear to be flawless, as do those beautiful, and very desirable, cast aluminum knock-off wheels. The owner describes the Corvette’s condition as being “near excellent,” which I personally find to be an odd expression to use. Regardless of this, the Corvette certainly seems to be in fantastic condition, and from a cosmetic standpoint, it would appear to need little. What the owner doesn’t reveal is the state of the frame, or whether the vehicle is suffering from any rust issues. Sadly, this is an owner who doesn’t feed us as much information as most of us would ideally prefer, as you will see.
For the 1965 model year, Chevrolet took the decision to slightly widen and re-profile the seats in the Corvette in a bid to improve comfort and driver support. The newly widened seats in this Corvette were upholstered in red leather, and those original covers remain in place today. Their condition looks very impressive, with only some minor stretching of the leather visible. In fact, if you look across the entire interior of the car, what you find is something that presents exceptionally well for an original survivor. According to the listing, the Corvette has been fitted with a CD player. However, this must be a hidden installation, as the original radio is still fitted to the dash. Otherwise, the interior appears to be unmodified, and the original owner chose to equip the Corvette with the Teakwood wheel, power windows, and air conditioning.
Now we get to the part of this story that I was referring to earlier, where I wish that the owner would feed us with more information. What we know is that the Corvette is fitted with what I believe are its original 327ci V8, Powerglide transmission, and power disc brakes. The owner doesn’t provide us with any photos of the engine, which is quite frustrating. He does tell us that both the engine and transmission have been rebuilt. On the negative side of the ledger, he doesn’t tell us which version of the 327 is hiding in the engine bay. However, the inclusion of the Powerglide does indicate that it is either the standard engine, or the optional 300hp version. We also receive no information regarding how well the Corvette runs or drives, but with a freshly rebuilt engine and transmission, you would have to hope that it does drive nicely.
When you look at the overall condition of this ’65 Corvette Coupe, and then you factor in the desirable options such as the factory air condition, power windows, and the aluminum wheels, you begin to really understand why the bidding has been so strong on this car. Taken on face value, it would seem to be a car that wants for little beyond being driven and enjoyed. From a value perspective, probably its greatest weakness is the fact that it is fitted with a Powerglide transmission because these are nowhere near as desirable as those fitted with a 4-speed. Even so, a car in this condition will usually command a price of between $60,000 and $65,000 in today’s market, although it could even push a little higher depending on which 327 is under the hood. If someone can secure this Corvette for a price below those figures, then it would appear that they’ve scored themselves a pretty reasonable buy.
OK, this is just getting weird! This is like those “Left Behind” books. Do these C2 owners have some inside information (From a higher source) that they won’t be needing these cars soon. I’m scared . Too many for sale all at once.
Those pictures sure looked old . . . and then I looked at the listing . . . Some ARE 15 years old!!!! Too much trouble to take current pictures???? Makes me wonder if there is even a car there . . . Hard pass . . .
Yeah, that’s more than slightly misleading; kinda like posting a 15-year old photo on a dating website.
or a Realtor.
The Vin is listed in the ebay ad. Someone please decode it for the 327…. Beautiful example of paradise!!!!
All a 65 VIN will tell you is that the car is a 65, and if it’s a coupe or convertible. VIN’s didn’t include an engine code until 1972.
Since this car has a Powerglide, it can only be a base 327/250, or a 327/300.
I have to agree it’s disappointing to see 15 year old pictures. Sounds like the seller either has something to hide or there’s problems not shown in the old pictures. At least in the pictures the front bumpers are present.
Oh, and not a teak wheel. That is the “walnut” plastic one. The tele is a cool feature. Some neat options, at least 15 years ago.
I agree, that’s the standard “simulated walnut” wheel, not a teak wheel. I wish the Barn Find writers would learn the difference between the teak and plastic wheels, and stop claiming almost every midyear Corvette posted, has a “teak wheel”.
It looks like it might be a nice car, but based on the lousy, old pictures and poor ad, how would you know for sure.
Definitely not a teak steering wheel. The above picture is of the teak wheel out of my 66 coupe. I cleaned it, hand rubbed it with teak stain and used boat builder wax to seal it. Couldn’t bring myself to recoat with clear urethane as they were from the factory. The Corvette Restorer (magazine from NCRS) had a great article written by Joe Clark many years ago, describing the story behind the teak wheel option. I don’t remember the issue number but photocopied it for my Corvette file.
Chevrolet sublet the job to a clock maker in Zeeland, Michigan – the Howard Miller Clock Company. They hand manufactured them, using segments front and back of the wheel with the segment joints staggered so no front and rear joints matched. Howard Miller made 6700 wheels for 65 and 66. Chevrolet sold 2259 option N32 teak wheels in 1965 and 3941 in 1966. The difference between production and Corvettes originally sold with opt N32 (about 500) were used as service replacements or sold over the counter. At the time the article was written, good used wheels were said to sell for as much as $300! Now if you find a good original on eBay, expect to find an asking price of $2000-$2500.
WOW , Horsepower not important . This is a perfect Corvette . After all , who in their right mind would drive this vette hard . A Sunday Spring or Fall day in nice weather only . Got to go play the power-ball for tonight .😍
This car is add a dealer and therefore is already overpriced. One positive is being a Powerglide, it may have been owned by a woman or at least not torn up and beat to death like a stick car. A 65 VIN only denotes coupe or convertible and thatvit is a 65 model built at St Louis. Too much money. Plenty of C2 cars forcsale because A people who own these cars are getting older, B they need money or C there cars are too valuable to be hit by an illegal Mexican driving a 25 year old POS with no insurance. End of story
What is it with you and the “Illegal Mexican: thing? Did your wife leave you for one or are you just a dick?
He’s only being factual
or all 3; A, B & C at the same time George…
Or get hit by an overweight U.S.A. citizen with a large smartphone drinking a large to go soda driving a 25 year old POS minivan on there way to get food stamps.
Another sports car with an automatic transmission!!! No thanks!!!