While we don’t have a lot of information on this gorgeous 1968 (the first year of the C3 type) Corvette convertible, there’s no denying its excellent cosmetic condition. Not only that, but it may be a survivor as well. The car is located in North Stonington, Connecticut, and is listed for sale here on eBay. Thanks to reader Larry D. for submitting this cool find, which has a buy-it-now price of $35,500 but lower offers are welcomed by the seller. There’s still convertible cruising time available this year if that’s your thing!
If you weren’t around in 1968, you may not realize how dramatic the “coke-bottle” styling was in an era where most American cars had just begun to have straighter styling lines. I’m old enough to remember how cool the first die-cast toy 1968/69 Corvettes were (I erroneously called them Mako Sharks after the show car) and even though I was brought up in a Mustang family, the lines of the early C3 Corvettes still thrill me. This car is no exception and I wonder if original GM paint could still be this shiny. The seller offers video calling, so there’s a chance to contact them further for more information–possibly critical to the value of the car.
Long-time Barn Finds readers will remember the debates we have had about luggage racks on this generation of Corvette. I’ll just leave that here. Given the shiny exhaust tips and what appears at this distance to be flawless paint, I have to believe this is a restoration/refurbishment rather than the original. Unfortunately, the link to more pictures promised in the eBay listing isn’t working at the moment; hopefully, it will be fixed during the course of the auction so we can learn more.
The interior also appears original and belies the 112,556 listed miles. I’m going with the high probability of an honest seller here for not going with 12k miles as indicated on the 5-digit odometer. The ad states that they are selling the car for their grandparents; while that story is used a lot, perhaps it’s true this time? Considering the big block and all the torque it has, the automatic transmission seems appropriate (especially if you keep the whitewall tires).
Right there on the air cleaner for all to see, Chevrolet proclaimed that this 427 cubic-inch monster had 390 horsepower. Even bearing in mind that is 1968, pre-downrating horsepower, that’s still a pile of ponies! A quick swap to non-glaring blue plug wires would have this engine compartment looking pretty nice. Would you like to be the new owner doing that before cruising into autumn? I sure would!
Nice car. Over the past few days I’ve see negative comments about whitewall tires on the Corvettes that have been listed on BF. Now I was around in the late ’60s and early ’70s, deeply immersed in cars as I am now, but I don’t remember seeing a Corvette during that time that didn’t have whitewall or red line tires on them. Obviously didn’t see them on the drag strip or in a road race but street cars, you bet. When I bought my first new car, it was an MG Midget sitting next to an MGB that was sitting next to a 289 flat side Cobra in the showroom, all with whitewall tires. Don’t remember seeing any of the original Corvettes as a kid too short to see the interior without opening the doors, but I remember the white wall tires that seemed to be on all of them from that point on. What’s the deal here?
Bob, nothing against whitewalls! I think they suit this car just fine! 😁
Agreed, but I have to say I didn’t like whitewalls on sports cars back then, either. Saw quite a few, including on Cobras, but preferred blackwalls. Wasn’t crazy about red- or gold-stripe rubber either. It was, and is, the owner’s choice.
Oh, there was one exception, and some racing fans who are a) as old as I am and b) grew up in Southern California will remember: Max Balchowsky’s wonderful “Old Yeller” racer proudly sported whitewalls in every race I saw it in. And, according to Max, they were recaps, too! Went nicely with the Idaho license plate the car sported, supposedly chosen because Idaho plates of that vintage said “Famous Potatoes” on them….
Ray, I’ll ask for one more exception. As a Triumph lover, I find the redlines on TR250s and TR6s as they were equipped for the N. American market quite iconic. What do you think?
When I bought my 66 conv in 1972, it had white walls.
RayT…’89 I bought a full up Bugeye race car and tons of spares from a guy in Oklahoma City who just happened to have just finished a very long restoration on Old Yeller 2, which I understand was was the one car out of the bunch that had been really wrecked. Owner Dave Gibb wasn’t planning on racing it as he said he’d retired from the track and was into Vintage car shows and weekend gatherings. One thing he mentioned was the wide whitewall tires he couldn’t find as he only had 3. last I saw of Dave and the car was in a Vintage car magazine pictured at a huge gathering in California.
After Max built OY III and II was pretty much retired, I really bugged my father to go over to the shop and buy it for us to use on the street (P.S. He wouldn’t). I had seen Max and his wife Ina driving it to a few Cal Club races.
I saw OY II at the Monterey Historics circa 1999. The owner (pretty sure not Dave Gibb) had replaced the Stromberg 97 carbs with downdraft Webers, something I believe Max would NEVER have done.
I don’t remember it being wrecked; must have missed that. Eric Hauser wrecked OY I at Riverside Raceway after he bought it from Max, who in turn had bought it from the original owner/builder, Dick Morgensen, and replaced the original Plymouth flathead “six” with a nailhead Buick.
Before I quit babbling about this stuff, I also admit to having seen showroom-fresh Frogeyes and a couple of E-Types with whitewalls. And I’ll give TR250s and TR6s a pass for redline tires; can’t see ’em when you’re driving one!
This has the look of a gently aged restoration. I don’t think 1968 Corvettes shined like this when new, let alone 52 years later. The great irony of lacquer paint: keeping it clean and polished eventually destroys it.
Good information RayT. The ’97s were on the car when we saw it in ’89. Had two of them on top of my Merc powered ’32 5 window years before. Really hadn’t seen any until we tripped over Dave and Old Yeller 2. Hope the cars are still out there for folks to see. They are seriously unique.
I miss engines with the Stromberg’s, especially a flat head ford in a model T. The look is awesome to me !
Good to see whitewall/whitestrip tires have replaced luggage racks as objects of derision.
A large percentage of C3 Corvettes received a significant amount of dealer repaint work either before or shortly after delivery to the original owners. The St. Louis factory paint line was notorious for missing the proper paint coverage down low on the cars, so the lacquer paint often had thin spots, grainy texture or a mottled look.
In 1973, a friend of mine picked up his new green convertible at the factory in St. Louis and drove it to Oakland to be shipped over to Hawaii where we were stationed. The paint was about a 30 footer right from the factory. The factory paint was so mottled looking from thin spots all over the car that the dealer did a full repaint under warranty.
My guess is that many, if not most, early C3 Corvettes came with white stripe tires.
My ’70 convertible had them according to the tank sticker: “F70x15 White Stripe Tires”
There was nothing on the sticker to indicate if the rally wheels came with it or were added on later. I wouldn’t have minded if it came with the factory wheel covers.
I think this Corvette was born to wear the PO3 option wheels. This was a Grand Touring Corvette vs.a Road or Drag racer. And this car was toured for 112,000+ miles as it was meant to be. And it is gone!
Rally wheels (slotted) were standard on all 1968 Corvettes, as base wheels. The center caps and trim rings were standard, as well. The PO1 full wheels covers were an option, which were placed on a standard slotted rally wheel.
My Dad put white walls on his 72 c3, and I hated them at the time. Now, almost 50 years later, I kinda like them.
Funny how our dads got smarter as we got older.
“There’s still convertible cruising time available this year if that’s your thing!”
In Southern Nevada, where I live, there was a about a week of convertible cruising time before the 3-digit temps rolled in. I’m hoping for another week or two in the fall.
This is an absolute steal at this price. Even with the luggage rack… If it’s in halfway decent shape mechanically, as well as frame and birdcage. Almost seems too good to be true.