Update – This amazing Corvette sold for $89,900 with 14 bids. We are glad this Corvette has been pulled out of storage and we hope the new owner will show it, so the rest of us can enjoy it too. We will keep an eye out for this car at the next Bloomington Gold Corvette Show.
The Corvette is one of the most iconic American sports cars ever built and finding one in a barn is the dream of many a car nut. When the Corvette debuted in 1953 it made a splash, with its European styling, fiberglass body, and impressive performance. It instantly became an American classic and over the years it’s held a special place in the hearts of many enthusiasts. While many owners cared for their Corvettes with great pride, time wasn’t kind to the Corvette and many of the early cars have been lost to rust and shattered fiberglass. When we came across this 1957 Corvette we didn’t believe that it was a survivor, but the car has been inspected and is believed to be completely original. It’s being sold by the second owner, who has had it for 35 years. The car is in Los Angeles, California and can be found here on eBay, with a current bid of $59,600 and the reserve not met.
This Corvette’s odometer is showing 52,000 miles and the seller claims these are original miles. The first owner traded the car off for a new one at the current owner’s car dealership in 1976. The car was then placed in a warehouse with a cover over it and apparently forgotten until just recently. After being pulled from storage, the Vette was sent to a professional to be cleaned, detailed, and serviced. Every piece of this car is believed to be original and in working order, including the Wonder Bar radio and all the gauges.
In 1957 there was only one engine size offered for the Corvette, the 283 cui V8. But there were several fuel configurations available for the 283. This car came with the Dual Quad carburetor setup, but the car could be had with a single 4-barrel carb or Chevrolet’s new fuel injection system. The fuel injected engines produced more horsepower then the carbureted engines, but the system had many reliability issues. This made the duel 4-barrel setup the more popular option. The Dual Quad setup came in either 245 or 270 horsepower form. Without checking the block stamp we can’t be sure which this car is. But we would guess that it’s the 245 horsepower model, since it’s bolted to the Powerglide Automatic transmission.
This car was well optioned and it’s amazing to find one with everything still in working order. We are always skeptical about claims of total originality, but if the claims are true then it is worth a large sum of money. That being said, we still hope the seller has set the reserve at a realistic amount. While a few of these cars have hit the $110,000 mark recently, we don’t see this car hitting those kinds of numbers. Then again, if you look at recent auction results of other cars, anything is possible when it comes to an all original example of an important automobile.
Wow….I’m not a huge Corvette fan but this thing looks sweet.
56 & 57 are my favorite Vettes. All that power hooked up to a powerglide is a shame though. 2 speed wasn’t it?
I’m a Corvette fan 2,this 57 vette is well deserved!!!!
A fellow I knew in MT found a ’63 in a barn, paid 2500 back in ’93. He expected to have a full resto needed, but cleaned it up, discovered all it need was a taillight bezel and seals in the engine. Single carb and a 4 spd, included a targa top. Had us teens hunting through barns and fields for months after. Did find a complete 289 powered Montego with power back glass, but didn’t have the income available to returns the motor. Oh well.
*refurb the motor.
man what an incredible find. i really like that color combo. its not a common color like red or white. and yes the powerglide is the 2 speed slushbox lol.
I hate to think what a “targa top” on a 63 means???
I never cared much for the vetts after the ’70’s but those earlier vetts were awesome. This one is beautiful! I would buy it if I had that kind of dough.
Hope they replaced the seals on the engine at least, yikes!
Dealer optioned fiberglass targa top. Kinda ugly, actually, but kinder to the finish on the boot.
WHO! trades in a ’57 ‘Vette for a ’76??? I mean, even at the time, it was a new ‘Vette, but still. Bet that guy’s kickin’ himself now. lol.
Back in the 90’s when I worked at OCW (Old Cars Weekly) our editor and I rode down from Iola, Wi. to the vette show in Bloomington, Ill. in his 57′ 2×4 bright red conv with the white coves in sunny July, a ride I’ll take to the grave :)
Patrick: That guy is probably too old to be kickin’ anything…if he’s still with us.
Patrick/Fred get this one. My great uncle traded in his 67′ CamaroSS 427 (yes, factory, long story) for a first year 74′ Mustang II and I think he even had to add cash to the deal. He was getting old and wanted something more tame. I got my license in 74′ and was in auto shop in HS and wanted that 427 so bad but my parents said I would kill myself in it.
My dad has a ’67 Camaro convertible with a 6-cylinder and Powerglide. It’s a slug. But I’ve heard so many people say that the Powerglide is actually a pretty good transmission when mated with a torquey V8 that I’ll reserve judgement about how this car might drive. Apparently the Powerglide was/is a popular choice for drag racing as well.
Its definitely not original paint and has been restored once probably in the early seventies, although my favorite year and color combo of a vette…..The powerglide is unfortunate, but still easy to change to a 3 or 4 speed as the engine block stamp is the only way to tell what it came with. I would keep the powerslide and drive it……..
a favorite of mine also.