This 1964 Chevrolet Corvette is a total one-off creation made by the son of a body shop owner who purchased the car as an insurance company write-off. Originally a heavily damaged convertible with no engine following a theft, the seller then began converting it into a coupe with custom body work and a high-performance build of a 409 engine. It’s been parked for 50 years, as the seller was not able to drive the car much after finishing it. Find it here on eBay with a $90,000 asking price and the option to submit a best offer.
$90K is a huge ask for a car like this, and I’m not sure how you assign a realistic value. Truthfully, the bodywork looks quite sharp, and I dig the nose with its clamshell-style hood. The body features a targa-style roof and integrated rear spoiler. The rear bumper appears to be custom, as does the back glass panel. It’s sort of like a Saab Sonnet and ’64 Corvette made sweet, sweet love to produce this one-off.
Unfortunately, the asking price does not include an interior. The dash is barren with the exception of the homemade gauge cluster seen here. I’m not sure what happened to deem the original interior unusable, but there’s no mention of it in the listing. Presumably, a stock Corvette dash can still be dropped in, but I’d assume nothing on a custom build like this. The original inner panels and door mechanisms are included.
The 409 features a high performance cam with solid lifters; high performance intake manifold; twin carbs; and a custom exhaust. The seller contends there is less than 300 miles on the build, but doesn’t elaborate if the engine was fully torn down before the go-fast parts were added. While I don’t think he’ll see $90K, if the quality of the work can be verified, it may be worth more than we think. Agree/disagree?
This was just listed on 29 October…my comment copied from that posting:
Let’s see…(IMO) a total bastardization of a classic style, dormant for 50! years, and a $90k (asking) price of admission?! BWAW-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!! I’m sorry, but although the exterior body work may demonstrate some skills, that dash panel has the look of a first year woodshop project. Noting about the interior says Corvette, other than the shape of the panel!
August 29. I thought maybe it was cleaned up since then, but it looks just as good as before…
Seller also has wooden *ssholes listed. Why doesn’t that surprise me? Think I am joking? Go look at his other listing.
The dash reminds me of an outdoor chair with a table on the side that folds down…the tech and speedometer holes are the cupholders. Anyone remember those chairs?
My offer would be whatever the running gear is worth and give the body back to the fiberglass gods.
There used to be a VW kit called the Shala-Vet. This is just the grown up version of that. $90 large is dreaming.
$90K sounds like a “the wife told me to sell it” price.
It is NEVER gonna sell for that money.
…but at least he can say, “I tried to sell it honey. Nobody could afford it!” :-P
PERHAPS $90K was a typo??
Should have been $9K……………..
Why can’t human beings trust the free market and put things like this up for $500 and let the bids go where they may?
Why can’t people clean their cars before listing them?
Why is it that Dad was so passionate about the car that he stored it for his whole life but didn’t drive it that the heirs (with no sweat equity) decide that the car is worth tens of thousands in a fit of imagination?
Why do people in the comments here worry about what someone did to change around a classic collector car for which there are ten thousand other non-messed-with cars that nobody has to correct to enjoy? Nobody’s driving any of them around anyway, otherwise you’d see them on the street now and again.
It’s not just this car – there’s a recurring theme here that winds through our hobby.
The owner found it too embarrassing to drive for the last 50 years.
Park it for another 50…
Grear steering wheel, put it back in the sub.
$90k? Is the “k” a typo?
Lord have mercy.
There’s a huge difference between an experienced auto body shop repair person and someone with skills learned from gluing Revell model cars together. Somehow the transition got lost here. That car(?) is hard to look at.
PS…Love that loose, unattached rocker molding, left to flap in the wind.
Zora Arkus Duntov is spinning in his grave.
LOL, I just had to take one more look and am sorry I did, but I noticed the lovely headlight arrangement that resembles something missing a tooth.
Why were so many beautiful vettes in the 60’s messed with? I’m much rather they messed with the front end of a ’79-81 firebird. Nothing would be lost there!
Jim Rockford agrees
The number of bids is up to zero. So there’s that.
That thing is a disaster. Sell the motor and trans and rent a dumpster for the rest.
I ordered some more Spastic Plastic, I’d sure like to know just what on earth your using so much of it for? Geez, I already said I was fixing something. Now, don’t get your blood boiling.
When I was 16, about 50 years ago too, I might have built something like that – but I’ve outgrown a lot of bad habits and questionable choices!
Blasphemy!
Bob
Is the turnbuckle actually holding the engine in??
I personally would put it back in the barn and not tell anyone this was my work …..needs a new body ,new interior ,new paint ,new wheels and tires ,drivetrain rebuild , suspension rebuild ,etc. 90k to purchase and 90k to restore it …I think I would just buy a 63 split window driver instead .
yuck.
I’m confused,built in 64, has 300 miles but tag says 76?
Its interesting, but 9 grand is too much?
The headlights are spaced crooked and the battery hold down is hose clamps?
We had more sense when we were 16!
The first word that comes to mind is HACK!
I bet trying to balance the two carbs was a challenge with the way the linkage is set up. There is NO POSSIBLE WAY that the car would run off idle with the carb linkages like that. Anyone that would hook them up that way scares me enough to not even want to look at the rest of the mess.
I be done some dumb things in my life but have never asked anyone to pay $90K for them.
One man’s Parts car; another man’s Masterpiece. 👎🏻
I just threw up in my mouth.
$20K – $25K car at BEST in today’s Corvette Market.
With all the Fat, 65 and Up Corvette owners selling out or dying there are still LOT’S of Mid-Year Corvette project cars dreams that never got built to be had!
Good windshield, valve covers, was going to offer $50 but listing closed. Wife must have relented.
This car isn’t even worth 9 grand more less an extra zero. Imagine having to go thru that nightmare and trying to repair/replace every inch of that hibernating monstrosity. Not knocking what one man’s vision was 50 years ago, but that car will never sell.
This is going to give me nightmares for the next 6 months. This is the one you really wish you could un-see. I’ll give him $1K for the engine. He can keep the rest and put it up again for $89K.
Wonder how much he would ask for the 409 motor??
Another persons idea of what cool is!!! Like the designers at Chevrolet didn’t know how to do it and he could do it better!! I would give him $900 just so I could take the big block and scrap the rest!!! Wake up call !!!! It’s not cool and it’s not worth $90k!!! It’s insulting to ask someone to pay that price for such a POS!!!!
Yea Sir Mike- i’d pull the w motor and tranny and quietly make the rest disappear. Wonder why this guy wasted the time listing this. SMFH>
Cheers
GPC
Nothing about this car says Corvette. Is that zero in 90 a misprint ? Sad.
I believe it said that it was built out of a write off car. So you really don’t know what your getting, bent or cracked frame members come to mind for starters. As expressed in above posts that the consensus is that it’s a very big POS. What I say is it is also a DEATH TRAP…!!! This car should have stayed written off and stripped for parts back in its day. In fact it shouldn’t even exist anymore. so I say strip it down know sell the parts and scrap the rest. And by the way that engine is nothing more than a core for a potential rebuild.
I’m not a Vette guy so I have to ask…was there ever a 409 in a Vette?
No.
ok…think about it…from the front, loose the screwy headlights and you get a Bill Mitchell Stingray vibe. Kinda cool. Ok so there’s nothing about the rear that works other than it looks like a Fiberfab Avenger GT. Heck might even be where he grafted the tail from. So, with the plethora of Stingray parts out there, graft a correct 64 Stingray roadster tail on it or even graft a coupe body on it. Can’t cost ya more than 10k…right?
Now you just tell everybody its a Bill Mitchell inspired custom. EEEveryone will like it….right?
I’ve always said….if i can paint it then it shouldn’t be in a museum And if i can design the dask board it shouldn’t be in a car. A man should know his limits.
Yea Gas hole–like dirty Harry Calahan used to say: A man has to know his limitations. being an ol grey hair I find myself using this phrase more and more as I find somethings out of my reach–especially these @#&* New cars..cant work on the electronics…Grrrrr
Cheers
GPC