The definitive book on the birth of the C5 Corvette is titled “All Corvettes are Red.” While some form of red has been an option on nearly every Corvette model made, the color red was incredibly rare on 1953-1955 models. The lion’s share of these cars was painted Polo White, but a few rare colors managed to make it out the factory doors. If you are looking for a restoration project that stands out from the rest of the crowd, then take a look at this 1954 Corvette for sale on eBay in Austin, Texas. While a lot of restoration and rebuilding work has been done, will the rare color for an early Corvette push the bidding past the current $10,100 offer? Thanks to T.J. for the find!
The whole plan for the Corvette went awry from the start. Born from the fertile mind of Harley Earl, GM’s legendary design chief, the Corvette was to sell for an economical $2,000. It was also planned to be a steel car, with the fiberglass body used to speed up getting the car ready for the Motorama shows. By the time production was approved, the company decided to produce the car with a glass fiber-reinforced body. It was also apparent that the $2,000 price would never be feasible. Despite the use of as many off-the-shelf components as possible, the new car would sell for $3,490. Production started in an old factory in 1953 and would shift to a proper assembly line in 1954. The projection was that 10,000 of the cars would be built in 1954.
The first-year cars were metered out to important customers and to people who would be called “influencers” today. One of these was none other than John Wayne. Wayne liked the car, but at 6’4″ the movie star wasn’t very comfortable in his new toy. There were reports that people who wanted the cars that were turned away despite having the resources. This backfired on Chevrolet and, along with the automatic transmission and less-than-stellar performance, created a situation where there were far more cars available in 1954 than there were buyers. Production fell far short of the projected 10,000 cars, with just 3,640 built. Even worse, roughly one-third of the cars were unsold at year’s end.
Surely the marketing department saw the writing on the wall. However, there was little that could be done immediately. One problem was that the cars were only available in Polo White for 1953 and nearly all were built to the same specification in 1954. Color choices were finally added sometime in 1954, with Sportsman Red, Pennant Blue, and black being offered. How, or if, these options were conveyed to the buyer seems like a mystery, for only 100 red, 300 blue, and 4 black cars were produced. The lion’s share of the production was still in Polo White.
The car you see here is described to be one of the original Sportsman Red cars. It has been disassembled, and a large amount of restoration work has already been completed. The frame has been stripped and powder coated, and the engine has been rebuilt, as has the front suspension and the braking system. The body is described to be basically all there and in good shape. The paint, however, is described as “10-to-20-footer” in quality and would likely need to be completely stripped and redone. There are some missing pieces here and there, and the ad is written in a way that makes you think this was an incomplete car when the project was started.
The seller mentions that the rebuilt block is correct and that the car comes with proper paperwork. Any prospective buyer would be well served to speak with the owner about the missing pieces on this car. Only from there could you make an honest decision on whether this car would become a resto-mod, a driver, or a full NCRS Duntov Award level restoration would be feasible. The desirability of the car is evident, it is just the path you would have to take that is in question. Finding numbers and correct parts for early cars is not easy. What would you do with this Sportsman Red project? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments.
This auction makes the Baby Jeebus cry.
The car has already been parted-out. Almost every removable item, nut, bolt, bracket, and screw that could be stripped off is gone. It would cost over one zillion dollars to replace everything that’s been scattered, trashed, or lost.
I guess this Corvette is destined to become a Modo-Thingo. Might as well just shoot it in the cylinder head and be done with it. How very sad. Capitalism at its absolute worst.
With all of the kits being sold today, I wonder if most of the trim can’t be purchased as reproductions?
Hope it get saved
Some of the exterior cosmetic pieces have been reproduced over the years, George, but most of the special fasteners and hidden items have not.
It’s almost impossible to complete an old Corvette as a stock design in a reasonable length of time once it’s been stripped to this degree. And then there’s the possibility that the original VIN tag is gone and already on another Corvette.
This pile of parts has great potential to be a fiscal and legal nightmare for future owners regardless of their best intentions to save it. It is dead. The only question is: Who is the ratbastard who killed it for profit?
It looks like someone painted it with a rattle can. The fit on the doors and trunk lid are not good either. I agree with Jerry, it would take a small fortune to restore this car. It’s a shame what’s been done to it.
If you want a restomod that still has some original look, don’t even think about this one. It would take a billion hours to source originals or reproductions unless you have a complete donor car that is unsalvageable for some reason.
It’s bid to $19,200 but has not met the reserve, Yikes!
By the time you find and install all the missing pieces and parts you are going to be into it for at least $50,000. The only saving grace is if a potential owner owns a “hanger queen” with a totally shot body and frame, yet contains all the original missing parts. Then the new owner can end up ahead of the game.
A restored red 54 just sold at auction for $385,000 last month. Look for enthusiastic bidding.
which, to me, just proves that some people have $$$ but no sense (cents)…. awww…. forget it…. lol
What a racket!
Over pay for a shell and engine.
Then go to the seller’s other listed items to collect the stripped parts for eye-watering, extortionist prices.
Expect this one to owe you 6 figures and a world of pain before restoration.
Chasing a”BIG BUCK DREAM”. Spending big bucks hoping that someone with big bucks will put more big bucks back in your pocket. Doesn’t that sound like an asinine way to spend your money? Let alone your time. Not on restoring a car that will take too long and NO GUARANTEES that the Classic car market will hold up like it has over the past years. Times change, by the time you spend your BIG BUCKS, others will run out. Good luck.