Owned For 50 Years! 1959 Chevrolet Corvette

Sitting in this garage is a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette that has belonged to the same person for fifty years. It is a stalled project that needs finishing, but it is solid and comes with most of the parts to return it to its former glory or cultivate a more muscular and purposeful appearance. All good things must end, with the owner listing the Corvette here on eBay in New Salem, Massachusetts. Bidding has raced past the reserve to sit at $27,589.

If the paint combination on this Corvette is correct, it is 1-of-535 ordered in Snowcrest White with Silver coves. That makes it a relatively rare beast worthy of a faithful restoration or refurbishment. The new owner faces a long road to the point where they can wield their spray gun, but there isn’t much bad news. The paint is tired and the fiberglass has flaws, but the body appears generally sound. The seller includes the original hood, but the winning bidder also receives an aftermarket item that provides increased engine clearance. There is a factory hardtop that looks restorable, and the overall impression is that a competent person could whip the panels and paint into shape in a home workshop. The positive news continues when we delve below the surface because the frame wears nothing beyond a light coat of surface corrosion. I would probably approach this as a frame-off project if it were parked in my workshop. That would ensure the frame received the protective coating it deserves and would allow the new owner to achieve a high-end result. The glass is in good order, while the chrome is either acceptable for a driver-grade build or worthy of a trip to the platers.

This Corvette’s interior retains most of the parts required to return it to a roadworthy state, but there are many aftermarket additions that the new owner might choose to remove. These include gauges in the center console region and a Sun tach on the dash. The factory gauges are intact, and the seats are included. Their covers and the remaining upholstered surfaces look pretty good, but the buyer needs to assemble a list of smaller items to recapture this classic’s lost youth. These include a carpet set and a few small bright trim pieces to replace damaged items. There are no significant purchases on the horizon, meaning this could be the most affordable part of this build.

Buyers seeking a running or driving project have come to the wrong place because this Corvette doesn’t do either. It isn’t numbers-matching, because the included engine is a 327ci V8 of unknown origins or specifications. It hasn’t run in many years, meaning the new owner should probably budget for a rebuild as a precaution. However, it appears that most of the peripheral parts are included, along with a pair of four-speed transmissions. The winning bidder receives a wide-ratio Muncie with a Hurst shifter and a T-10 with the correct Corvette shifter. There are numerous other small items, and it appears that virtually everything is there to piece this classic back together.

This 1959 Corvette isn’t original and, barring a miracle, it can never be numbers-matching. However, that hasn’t deterred potential buyers, with eighteen bids submitted at the time of writing. More than a week remains on this auction, leaving scope for the bid total and price to climb significantly. Even if it appears beyond your budget, monitoring this auction to see where the bidding heads could be fascinating. That might also provide time for you to rethink the budget and throw your hat into the ring on this classic. Are you tempted?