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Parked For 47 Years! 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

After sitting around twiddling its thumbs for the past 47-years, the time has come for this 1965 Corvette Convertible to head off to a new home. The owner describes it as being super solid, and he floats the idea of returning it to a roadworthy state and then driving it as it currently stands as a viable option to undertaking a full restoration. It is certainly a possibility, but I can’t help but imagine just how stunning it would look if fully restored. The Corvette is located in Lake George, New York, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Corvette has been about as spirited as you might expect for a desirable classic like this, with 26 bids pushing the price along to $26,000. The good news is that the reserve has been met. That means that the new owner for the Corvette is getting closer by the minute.

It’s not hard to imagine just how eye-catching this classic must have been when new. Finished in Nassau Blue and with that side-mount exhaust glinting in the sun, it would have been a car dripping with attitude. Sadly, those days are a long way behind it, but there is no real reason why it couldn’t be returned to its former glory. The owner does mention the concept of returning the vehicle to a driveable state and using it largely as it currently stands. As you will see as we proceed through this story, I would be taking the revival process well beyond that stage. Anyway, the owner does state that the frame is super solid and that there are no signs of any prior accident damage. Somebody has molded a spoiler into the rear of the body, and it really destroys the flowing Corvette lines. For my money, that would have to go. The paint is looking really dilapidated, and I would be seriously considering completely stripping the body to make sure that any new paint is being applied over a solid and clean base. There are a few trim pieces that are missing, and some items will require restoration. The owner says that there is no hardtop with the Corvette, but a soft-top of unspecified color or condition is included in the sale.

The Corvette is a numbers-matching vehicle, featuring the L75 version of the 327ci V8, which is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission. That small-block would have been good for 300hp when the car was new and would have punched this classic through the ¼ mile in 14.6 seconds. Sadly, the news here isn’t that great, because not only does the 327 not run, but it is actually stuck. It isn’t clear whether this is merely the result of five decades of inactivity, or whether some form of internal failure may have been the catalyst for the car being parked in the first place. That is something that will require some investigation, but looking around inside the engine bay allows me to return to an earlier point. I mentioned how I would be inclined to undertake a fairly thorough restoration of this vehicle if I bought it, and it is the physical appearance of the engine and its surroundings that has brought me to that conclusion. There is an awful lot of corrosion visible in there, and it makes me wonder just how dry and warm the storage environment has been for this car. I know that the owner claims that the frame is solid, but I would be willing to bet that it has its share of surface corrosion. That is something that I would want to address quickly before it has the chance to become something distinctly more serious. It is also very likely that many of the rubber components like suspension bushes and hoses will have deteriorated in that sort of environment, and it is all of those factors that have motivated my line of thinking.

The interior of the Convertible is trimmed in Medium Blue and White vinyl, and at first glance, it doesn’t look that bad. Certainly, everything needs a good clean, but if the next owner is keen on getting the Corvette up and running ASAP, it is quite serviceable. We can’t see the true state of the carpet, but apart from a seam separation on the driver’s seat, the upholstered surfaces look to be in generally decent shape. There are a few items missing when you start to take a good look around, including the cranks for the vent windows, along with the grab handles for both doors. Nothing extra appears to have been added, with the original AM/FM radio still in situ. Once again, there are a few items that are showing significant surface corrosion, which seems to reinforce my case for treating the car to a full restoration.

The potential to own a potent American classic sports car lies hidden beneath the crusty and flaking paint on this 1965 Corvette Convertible. It could be something very special, and I can picture in my mind’s eye just what it would look like if it was fully restored. I suspect that the nine people who have submitted bids up to this point might share a similar vision, so hopefully the winning bidder will follow through, and will return this classic to its absolute best.

Comments

  1. Avatar 19sixty5 Member

    The fender flares (with an appropriate wheel/tire combo) don’t bother me at all, but that rear spoiler is another story!

    Like 3
  2. Avatar dave Member

    Wow, does the spoiler wind around the fender tops? Yeeech!

    Like 2
  3. Avatar unclemymy Member

    Sorta like Marcia Brady being hit in the nose with the football. The spoiler must have been put on there 47 years ago – after which the poor car was too embarrassed to be seen in public.

    Like 10
  4. Avatar TimM

    Why desecrate the body of a corvette like this??? It looks awful!! No wonder it was hidden!!!

    Like 6
    • Avatar 19sixty5 Member

      I had a friend that bought either a 65 or 66, glassed in the headlight doors, moved the lights into the grille opening, flared the fenders, and had a similar spoiler, but not as dramatic and didn’t extend out into the fenders, Hooker side mounts on a cross ram equipped, General Kinetics cammed nasty little 327. But that’s what we did in 1970 or 1971. At the time, it was pretty cool. Very few people knew the potential value of many of these cars at the time. We were 18-19 year old kids!

      Like 8
  5. Avatar stillrunners

    Is this the same one that keeps popping up on here ?

    Like 7
    • Avatar Poncho

      That’s what I was thinking when I saw the listing. Either a deadbeat bidder or something else. Numbers matching 1965 blue Corvette Convertibles with a locked up 300 hp 327, needing paint, and has ugly fender flares can’t be that common that they keep popping up here. If there are that many of them, that should help drive the price down to affordable levels enough that a normal blue collar worker could afford to buy and fix/restore.

      Like 2
  6. Avatar Jay Morgan

    Love it as is. We’ll running would be good.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Keith

    Seen this car on eBay before, should have sold if it’s so called “desirable” Something fishy going on here.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Poncho

      Adam Clarke wrote another article just back on May 13th, 2020. Same writer, same car, 2 articles about 2 weeks apart.

      Like 1
  8. Avatar Al

    Horrible mess. Hide it again. No, I don’t own one, yes I’d like one, just not this one and it’s not far from home.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Francis

    26,000 thous and and at least 30 thousand in restoration costs if it’s done correctly overpriced considering it has no motor probably no transmission either

    Like 1
  10. Avatar Bob McK

    Why did someone do those horrible things to what was a beautiful car? I wonder what it would cost to reverse that mess.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar George Mattar

    Money pit. Not worth it.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar ruxvette

    Looks like a lift under the car. Too bad they didn’t use it to get photos underneath. It sure seems like a lot of caked on grease for a 19,000 mile car.
    1965 was the first year for 4 wheel disc brakes. To bad the original owner saved $65 buy going drum.
    The car is a hot mess. I feel sorry for the buyer.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar dogwater

    The car has a good foundation replace the flares spoiler spray a stock paint job
    you would have about 6k in bring it back drive it …………….

    Like 0
  14. Avatar PRA4SNW

    Indicates that it was sold for $29,600, but it is now relisted.

    Like 0

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