Look carefully at the picture above and remind yourself that Corvettes, even C2s, were once simply used cars. While everyone knew they were special and worth preserving, these sports cars went through the same cycle of depreciation that every car experiences. Some were modified in ways that would make an NCRS judge come down with a case of the vapors. That is okay too, as even these customized Corvettes tell the story of a unique time in our automotive history. If you have the urge to add an unconventional Corvette to your garage, this 1965 Corvette convertible for sale on Craigslist in Iredell, Texas could be your candidate. Still exhibiting its seventies custom touches, this rough but complete custom time capsule is offered at $27,000.
The seller tells us that this 1965 Corvette convertible was a seventies show car. This was an era when customization took off. Building on the groundbreaking work of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, the Barris brothers, Kenny “Von Dutch” Howard, Bill Mitchell, and others, people across the country began to modify their vehicle’s appearance. Some of these creations were pure abominations, while others were intricate works of art. Many custom cars ended up as movie stars, like the highly modified Corvette in the movie “Corvette Summer.” Perhaps the biggest honor of the era would be an invitation to display at one of the many World of Wheels car shows held throughout the country. Shows like this were a collection of amazingly modified vehicles, with some of them being so outlandish that they simply wouldn’t be practical for the street any longer. Many of these cars were customized below as well and would sit on stands that allowed you to see the builder’s handiwork in strategically placed mirrors. Some of those stands even rotated!
Corvettes were especially popular candidates for customization. Part of that was the fiberglass construction made body modifications much simpler. Another reason was that the Corvette aftermarket was alive and well at that time, with folks like John Greenwood and Ralph Eckler providing custom parts. Perhaps the most understandable reason was that the Corvette was a sports car that already had amazing body lines from the start. C3 Corvettes were the usual canvases on which these artists worked, but the occasional C2 got the full treatment from a customizer who either liked those lines better or found one at a good price.
While it would be nice to hear about this car’s history, the seller does not provide any information about this car in its heyday. Perhaps they don’t know. What we do know is that it has a 327 cubic inch V-8 under the hood that was running. However, it has been sitting for a long time and the carburetor is missing. We are not told if it spins free. Looking at the picture below we see that the car has the usual add-ons of valve covers, headers, chrome valve cover wing bolts, and Accel spark plug wires. The rest looks to be stock, right down to the single-pot brake master cylinder. The interior is largely stock as well, other than the tufted seat inserts and the Hurst shifter. It is hard to tell from the picture, but this car may have come with the optional factory wooden steering wheel. We are told that the factory hard top is the only form of weather protection that will come with the car.
As for body modifications, the car has flared fenders on all four corners, a 1967 nose, and a customized rear panel with a duckbill spoiler molded in. The front end has its headlights mounted in the grille section, with the factory retractable headlights missing in action. The side vents are also copies of those found on a 1967 Corvette. Also curiously attached to the driver’s rear quarter is what looks to be a fuel-fill nozzle, which is normally found in the center rear of the body of these cars under the lid that is still on this car. The car also sits a bit high in the rear and the track is wider than normal, making one wonder if someone put a solid axle rear end under it. Regardless, the car received its two-tone gold paint job back in the seventies. A set of vintage mag wheels rounds out the modifications, and these are shod with Cooper Cobra raised white letter tires. These were popular budget-minded choices in the eighties and early nineties, which may be a clue as to when this car was last on the road.
Unless someone finds out this car was originally a big block car with a few other rare options, it would probably be better to just give this car a light restoration and use it as it is. It is hard to find a time capsule custom car like this, as people’s tastes change. Remember, Avocado Green was a popular color choice during this period, as were every shade of brown, orange, and gold you could think of. What people found to be awesome back then may not be our cup of tea today. Still, preserving this car, and others like it, is important. It would be neat to go to a show today and see this car as it would have been way back then. Love it or hate it, custom cars are part of our automotive history and deserve to be represented as well.
Do you remember the World of Wheels shows? Did you ever have a customized car or have a favorite on television? What would you do with this car? Please share your memories and thoughts in the comments.
If someone is going to restore this, then they need to really restore it…. bring it back to its factory configuration. Anything else is just restoring an abomination.
Non original nose, vert top missing and fenders flared.
I think its 18-20K and leave a hot rod….
Find a vert too frame..
Loose the flairs..and rear plate..
Repaint
I see Alphine white , nasssu blue or original color
I’m thinking that thing ‘curiously attached to the driver’s rear quarter is what looks to be a fuel-fill nozzle’, is/was a ‘frenched in’ radio antenna (or, perhaps, it was a side-of-the-road P-tube for on the go going).
The car is kind of a mess and (guessing) all the mechanicals need to be refurbished you’ll be in way too deep before you think about body and paint work.
Pass.
This car makes me sad. It would be a financially foolish purchase at any price unless you’re in love with its current appearance or intend to ruin it further as a Modo-Thingo.
Making the fiberglass stock again with new paint would cost at least $25,000 at a good body shop. The interior needs about $1,500 worth of new parts. Mechanical and rust repairs… who knows?
This car has a base-motor tach and very few options. You can buy a Corvette equipped like that in good driving condition for maybe $50,000 to $60,000 without looking searching long.
Very hard pass.
This thing is so far gone, the only thing to say that comes to mind is quote by George Thorogood: “Leave this one alone”
I’m a contrarian.
I’d keep the body modifications as is, except for that weirdness on the driver side rear quarter panel.
Fresh two tone paint, maybe blue/silver.
It has a L88 style hood scoop, so slap in a 427 BB.
Update brakes, suspension.
Polish up those Crager SSs.
Why restore it to look like a mundane 327 plain Jane ‘Vette?
When you can have a unique ride for cars & coffee.
I got my start as a Auto Show Producer with World of Wheels. What a experience and an education into the promotions business. I worked for the Laravee,s for several years. Then I went out on my own for 20 years. Looking back it was a blast, B list celebrities, Wild Promotions and crazy themed Show Cars anything to try and raise the gate. I was lucky, I got to see it all. At the end I was proud of my show, it was about the cars, But the hand writing was on the wall and indoor car shows were not going to be viable to produce for many reasons. Far too many for this limited space. Times changed and Car Shows have taken on a new Identity and that will continue to change. Just enjoy it, you can’t go back.
Where do you start?
Where do you stop?
If you want a non-stock Vette and don’t mind a little(?) work, this could be the answer. An in person examination is highly recommended to check for frame/ bird cage condition. If my situation were different ( I’m 75 and in Va.), I would definitely be looking this over!
If it interests you, drive it like it is. Just fix what’s necessary. No financial sense for bringing it back to original. It’s not a split window, it’s not a 65 with a 396 or any other big-block car, it’s not a fuelie, it’s not anything. If you want a normal C2, go buy another one.
You are right. Make it safe, fix what needs to be done to make it reliable, keep the exterior as it is and drive it. It’s a reflection of automotive trends from the 60’s through mid-70’s. Not every car needs to be restored.
Steve R
Lose the ugly wheel well flares, pee tube and ducktail; not difficult fixes . Blend a matching gold, lose the Cragers for some era correct 6-7 X 15″ Radirs or Hurst mags. Drive and enjoy while you save up for more mods/repairs.
Too far gone to restore as a base motor, low/no option car. Buy it for much less than asking, get it running, make sure the brakes and suspension work and drive it.
I think your comment “buy it for less than asking” is the key point regarding this car. It is too far gone to attempt to return it to anything even resembling stock, so if you don’t mind the look, buy it, invest a lot of elbow grease and drive it as is.
Hey, Guys – It’s a cultural time piece like pimpmobiles, Volkswagen/Rolls kits, Fiber Fab cars, LowRiders and today’s Japanese drift cars. Do a mild restoration and keep it the way it is. You have to remember that back in the day it was one of the coolest cars on the road. Stop tripping on the idea that it’s going to become a Bowling Green award winner.
Hey, Guys – It’s a cultural time piece like pimpmobiles, Volkswagen/Rolls kits, Fiber Fab cars, LowRiders and today’s Japanese drift cars. Do a mild restoration and keep it the way it is. You have to remember that back in the day it was one of the coolest cars on the road. Stop tripping on the idea that it’s going to become a Bowling Green award winner.
I think this is a great project we all have seen these cars customized in the 70s
27k is not a bad price would be a fun build for a hands on guy
No offense, but 27K is a terrible price.
Have at it brother.
Several years ago, I spotted a C2 Custom at a Corvette show at the Bud brewery in Merrimack, NH.
It stood out for sure, among the stock new and old Vettes, and was one of my favorites of the show.
These flashy Vettes are all but gone now, since the C2 is such a highly valued model and they have all been returned back to stock.
PRA4SNW – I really like that one. Even though I’ve restored cars to NCRS standards, the customs are still cool.
Although the look might be dated, it was still great to see one that had survived in relatively decent shape.
paint it GM 99 grand prix green . it looks black and under some lights shades of green…
my brother had a 65 with 327 365 hp, boy was that thing fast . to bad its gone now. TIME WAITS FOR no one
Can’t believe someone would do that to a nice vette! Must have been on LSD
You must not have been around when the C2 was just another used car.
They were cheap, and people would buy them and customize them to their liking so that they would stand out and didn’t look like a cheap car.
If you think about it, these gave the C2 a deserved second life.
Back when I was a teen in the 70s, I saw more C2s like this then stock ones. At the least, they had flashy metal flake paint jobs, no front bumper, and deep dish slotted wheels.
Any self respecting custom Corvette of this era should have side pipes and triple taillights.
I may be all wet about my previous comments.
Truly, the only problem I see with this “project” would be the amount of dinero you have to lay down for the right to play.
It’s amazing what some folks will do to a classic. A fool and his money….we’ve all heard that one. $27K is a tempting offer to make it yours and un-ruin it.
Ronald, thinking..do you remember back in the day when we all were subject to the availability of funds issues?
It’s all relative. In 1966 we all wanted to have our own separate identity but remain with the whole.
This vette is a very good representation of those days.
Guys, look. The only way to approach this situation is..what ever a person does to it, it has to be done well.
The car won’t ever be original again. Period. That only happens once. Soooo.
The #1 thing that will never be able to be changed is the fact that it is a Chevrolet Corvette. Hopefully a person will leave enough “Vette” in this endeavor to be proud of it.
World of Wheels! I took my first car pictures with a Polaroid at the first one I went to in the early ’70’s in Denver. That show made a HUGE impression on me, went to many more after that.
I love the vibe of this car, takes me back to those great days!
Most people who know me consider me to be a purist when it come to Corvettes. In reality I like most Corvettes; race cars, restored cars, mildly modified cars and even some customs, including this one.
While it’s hardly attractive in it’s current state, it is exactly what most custom Corvettes looked like when I bought my first Corvette in the mid 70’s. Flares, molded in nose with headlights in the grill, “Frenched” antenna and tail lamps, rear spoiler, billboard (panel) paint, deep dish Cragars (though those look like they’re knock off’s of Cragars), Hurst shifter and button tuffed seat covers. It just brings back a lot of good memories for me.