Some of the best barn finds we see are are the ones sitting in our reader’s barns and garages. Some are finds that you guys made years ago and have already restored, while others are cars that you have owned for years and are waiting to be restored. Well Reader Glen M has owned this car since it was brand new in 1965, of course it wasn’t a barn find at that point. Glen actually has a nice collection of cars, but he thought we might be interested in seeing his 1966 Corvette 427 Coupe the most. It is amazing to think that he has kept this car for all these years. Read
I actually bought this car new on Oct. 19, 1965 and made out the order for it sometime in July. A while later the dealer called me when it came in and I drove home from college to check it out. The rumble of the side pipes sold me from the beginning… it was sweet! How he acquired the name “Clyde” has been lost, but Clyde the Corvette always sounded good. This car is an early 427 car and is the earliest known to have the hazard flasher option (even predates the Corvette book). On the window sticker it was noted as a 400 hp 427 rather than a 390. There are no power options……they added weight and cost money and horsepower. LOL! The early high horse 427’s was 450 hp.
The car is up in the air because I started putting a new set of brakes on and have just never gotten it finished. Who would have thought that nearly 50 years later I would still have this guy. I actually own two of these… the other is a near matching roadster with both tops, the 427, and the same color combo (silver and black interior). I am putting a set of side pipes on the roadster so they sound the same. I have this car in prime and will soon put it back together. Oddly enough the cars were built within about 16 days of each other; the roadster being later. And to go along with Clyde’s license plate of BGBLK66, the roadster wears license 66BGBLK.
Glen has some other interesting rides parked in his barn, but we will save those for another time. We can’t imagine what it would be like to still have one of our first cars, especially 50 years later. It is amazing to see that he has not only been able to keep this Vette, but the fact that he is still excited about it all these years later is impressive. We can only assume he has some great memories in it! We want to thank him for sharing this small glimpse into his barn with us! Do you still own one of your first cars? How about one you’ve owned for several decades? If so, we would love to hear about!
I still have my 1963 Chevy panel truck,1/2 ton but with 3/4 ton 4wd,from the factory.less than 100 built,I bought that in 1977,Im still driving my 1979 Toyota,that I bought in 1989. close to 2 million miles. The Chevy was a US Army radio truck,and I racked up the milage on it also,but the speedo cable was always broken the whole time I was driving it
Guess they tow the trailer so the kid has a place to ride
No, he rode behind the seats at that time. The trailer carried the luggage. LOL! Actually it was my dog house.
Ah, the good old days when you could ride behind the seats… in the foot well… on the roof… if you fit it was all good :-)
Wow glen, congratulations on keeping it for all these years, they both look amazing and congratulations on getting ‘sister cars!’
Very nice. . You should be very proud to have kept your vette from new and still have it.many of us car folks ,and I am one,had a lot of neat cars and then at some point they had to go away. I cant even start to count the ones I had.The car I had the longest was a 1968 chevelle ss convt..I had that one for 14 years,average for all the vehicle’s I had was days to maybe a few years. I would sell one because something else popped upi had to have,, and so on.
That chevelle had so many memories, all the girls,late night cruises even wrecking it on my honeymoon with the long since past x-wife,set the tone for that time in my life.And bringing my first child home from the hospital
glad you kept the vette all these years and your still driving it. as for me rust and lust kept me from owning anything longterm. look forward to reading about the rest of you cars. thanks
If I was as smart as Glen M, I would have kept at least one of the early cars I owned, preferably the ’62 Austin Healey 3000 tri-carb I bought in 1963 for $1,850.
Last time I saw it was on a side street in Boston back some decades ago. You always know a car you owned, took care of, and worked on, and a bunch of little things told me it was the one I owned. I hope it’s still around somewhere and been cared for all these years.
I had a 1969 Pontiac Laurentian [Canadian] two door hard top which I ordered with a 427 390 HP and a four speed. The options were a radio and power brakes. I didn’t want power steering as it would sap the horse power. What a mistake that was. When I got married in 1970 I had to sell the car since we couldn’t afford the car payments at the time. The wife left me 8 years later. Sure wish I would have kept the car ! I also have in my barn a 1981 Iraqi taxi. It came stock from GM Canada with a Chev V6 , ac ,ps,pb, amfm cassette radio and 3 sp standard on the four. They were 4 dr. sedans made for export to Iraqi and after Gm sent around 20,000 of them over the deal went sour and they were stuck with some 10,000 or so stuck in a ware house in Nova Scotia. They sold them off through their dealerships for cost just to get rid of them.
I have the 1942 Ford GPW WWII Army Jeep that brought me home from the hospital in 1949. My grandmother bought two of them in 1947, and drove both of them (sequentially, obviously) from California to her home in New York. I inherited the remaining one in 1971, and have since restored it to original Army condition. She runs and drives, and I use her frequently in the summertime.
I still have the ’47 Ford pickup I bought for $90. back in May ’67. I’m the second owner and I was hoping that I would have it completely fixed up to give the original owner a ride in it. But jobs, moving around and life kept it on the back burner until lately. I’ll get it done eventually, and hopefully, have some more fun with it before it’s time to let someone else take over. I told my wife that the old truck will perform one final function at that time, and that will be to take me for my final ride.
Great Vett story,
Now what if I told you I found “Clyde’s” sister here in Indiana? Yup…A 1965 sits behind a vacant home on the Southside of Indy. As a car lover myself I ran across this house with an inground pool and Clydes sister catching a tan for the last 10 plus years. All matching numbers and a beauty. I have contacted this owner who has left her vacant for SO many years and trying to get him to sell. If Clyde is looking for his sister I think I found her. Have pictures if you would like to see her. Blessings Chris