I don’t know if it’s just me, but this custom Corvette looks like a mashup of a Saab Sonett and a Lamborghini Miura. It’s absolutely absurd and I hate to admit it, but I kind of love it! If you sat it next to a Sonett or a Miura, I’m sure you wouldn’t see much resemblance, but you can see individual features that seem to have been inspired by the two cars. The overall shape of the front clip is reminiscent of a Sonett II (of course with the C2 grille opening retained and a big scoop), the roof vents are styled like those found on the Miura, and the rear window treatment looks like it came off of a Sonett III. It’s a strange mix of things, but if you think it’s weirdly cool like I do, you can find it here on eBay in Portersville, Pennsylvania. And if the looks aren’t ludicrous enough take a look at that $90k opening bid price!
I’ve done my fair share of bodywork, so I know it takes an insane amount of work to make something look straight and smooth. While the mixture of styles here might not go together perfectly, the body actually looks really straight with good gaps around the doors and hood. Clearly, the seller spent a huge amount of time putting this thing together and I’m sure it wasn’t cheap to do, but unless this thing has some incredible history they aren’t telling us about I really can’t see it fetching this kind of money! Even if it started life as a fuel-injected L84 car, you couldn’t affordably put it back to original at this point. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that the seller did something with it rather than let it get crushed, I just think their asking is out there.
The color filters on some of the photos aren’t helping the situation here, but at least they provide lots of photos so that you can kind of tell what all is going on. What’s under the hood could this car’s strongest selling point. It’s a 409 V8 paired to a 4-speed, which had to make this a wild machine to drive. They aren’t sure what all it’s going to need now since it has been parked for the past 30 years. It might run with minimal work or it could need a total rebuild. There’s no word what car it came out of, but with the dual quads and performance cam this thing was likely putting out over 400 horsepower!
Whether you love it or hate, you have to give the seller credit for building something that is truly unique. The interior isn’t amazing, but the rest of the work appears to be really well done and I have to give them props for that. I really would love to know whether they were inspired by the Sonett and the Miura when they were building it or if it’s that’s just my imagination. Honestly, if their starting price wasn’t so high, it would be an incredibly tempting car to bid on. Just think of all the looks this thing would get everywhere you’d take it. So, what do you think of this Corvette? And how much would you be willing to spend for this one-off creation?
Let’s see…(IMO) a total bastardization of a classic style, dormant for 50! years, and a $90k (asking) price of admission?! BWAW-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!! I’m sorry, but although the exterior body work may demonstrate some skills, that dash panel has the look of a first year woodshop project. Noting about the interior says Corvette, other than the shape of the panel!
The owner is a heavy drinker. It would take so much money to unscrew this car. I’m not even sure it can be done!
I thought you were joking at $90k so I had to go see it. You weren’t! That’s a complete joke of a car. Hideous to say, would be giving it credit. I was thinking this in the $15k area. Only good thing about it is that 409 eng. Pops had one in his ’64 Impala w/ fact hi-rise mani & dual quads. Huge AC box sittin on the hump. This car would fair well for a ’64 with a bent frame looking to restore. Sawzall that whole rear clip please “someone’ do that before it sees the road again. Please!
Prime example of money and skill does not necessarily make a good design.
Sorry, this is one custom that should not have been created IMO. Better to have returned the body back to original profile. Whether the drivetrain changes should have been done, that’s another question. I like the 409, it’s an impressive engine to say the least and have questioned why it was never an option in the first place but then again they didn’t ask me.
IMO this one should not see the light of day.
They missed their mark by thousands of miles…
And, TENS of thousands of dollars!
Its a statement of someones taste, I guess. Personally the beauty of this Vette in its stock form can’t be beat. Guess the owner thinks he has gold- to me this is hard to look at. Certainly is different!
Cheers
GPC
For some reason, I kind of dig the custom body on this—at least more so than the vast majority of bastardized Corvettes. It looks like a kit car, but the proportions and lines are generally decent save for the overly-large wheel wells. It would certainly draw a crowd once cleaned up and tweaked a bit.
That said, asking $90,000 for this is lunacy. Pure, barking madness.
I am waiting for Steve r he seems to have a wealth of knowledge it will be interesting
Wealth of knowledge, but many times incorrect knowledge
More a matter of excessive wheel gap than the arches themselves being out of proportion; slightly bigger rolling stock would resolve that.
That price makes it look like a weak attempt at a sale to satisfy a nagging spouse.
Built from a totaled convertible with no drivetrain. Seems to be it would have been better to let that convertible rest in peace. Sheesh.
I thought the same thing!
It’s a NFS price.
The only issue with the body mods is the rear wheel opening. Slightly off center?
That origin story is the key thing most here seem to be overlooking.
Nobody but the thief ruined a pristine ’64 ‘Vette here, nor even a rough but restoreable one. It was stolen, wrecked and gutted, and left for dead when still nearly new. At that time there was no financial case to be made for a stock restoration, so I admire the builder’s ingenuity and execution here.
Just think: if a 2019 C7 ‘Vette got stolen, wrecked and gutted today, would you feel obliged to restore it to stock? Or, if you had the means and skills, would you be tempted to use the rolling chassis as a basis for something creative and utterly unique?
I just burped up my lunch. Yuck! 5% of that asking price is too much for this heap.
oh my geez, i dig it too!
kind of a MakoSonnet….aggressive and not cobbled together like so many kits.
sure the original probably looked better and definitely is worth a bunch more but epecially with the dual quad 409 this is a cool creation that i wouldn’t need to drive with a bag over my head
The only thing more ridiculous than the appearance of this poor old car (I can’t bring myself to call it a Corvette), is the asking price.
I agree as the C2’s are a work of art and this is more like letting your pet with a brush tied to his tool work on a Picasso . The end results is a sad miss on a once pretty car.
Now if this was a “Che Vette” one might say okay 3000 dollars for your work 👀📻😏
Your price will also let someone purchase a split window golden champion work of art that maintains its
price.
I hope someone interprets this as your intentions.
At first glance I thought it was a custom Saab Sonnet…
Gotta be a meth issue. Or paint fumes. Not $90,000. Not even $9,000. $4,000 tops.
While I don’t like it, I admire all of the effort and skill that went into creating it. As for the $90K price tag, fuggetaboutit!
My taste in wives is the polar opposite of my taste in cars.
Give me an orphan, unloved and unremembered, ethnically challenged, with clean lines and a sense of grace, of dubious social redeeming qualities any day, and I will gladly take her out for a spin.
This leaves me speechless…and not in a good way.
“There are no other vehicles like this one. ” (Thank God!)
The tailight panel is just underwhelming. Actually the ugliness on a whole is somewhat overwhelming. But I still weirdly like seeing these whack Vettes on Barn Finds.
Josh – if you sort of love this, – did you see the F40-ized parody made out of a Fiero at the Concours ‘d Lemons in Monterey earlier this month! Was it you or Jesse I saw manning the barnfinds booth that day? This certainly ranks right like that one!
I did look at the F40iero, it was hilarious. This corvette seems less over the top than that car to me, but it’s pretty close. It was great to see you at LeMons!
I left early but I believe the F40/Fiero achieved (sic) and award of some sort!
I do believe with a sawzall and a case of beer…. I could probably improve the looks of this car.
In fairness it’s hard to truly judge, without seeing what he started with…and at least in spirit it was saved. From certain angles you can catch glimpses of the Vette trying to escape, so all is not lost. If someone went at it now, I’m sure it could be tweaked cosmetically and made to look pretty cool.
That’s one hell of aSaab Sonett! look at it’s side view.
Looks the the designer of an Opel car had 14 to many beers……………….
I kinda like it. The guy claims he did the work himself in 64 after it was wrecked, and has had it ever since. Price is insane.
Love the Keystones and I would drive the heck out of it with that 409 and a 4-speed, but not for $90,000, maybe $9,000
Nobodys drunk enough yet to make a bid ):
At $90K, it’s going to stay in his garage.
I’m not this ‘thing’ would be worth $90K even if George Barris himself built it.
Now that you mention it – it actually looks like something George Barris might have built!!!
Having seen 100’s of pictures of customized Vettes and also several in the flesh, I have yet to see even one where I thought they improved it. But, I suppose since this one had been totaled we are dealing with a different case. I like the front half. It’s the back half that stops me cold. A lot of straight lines on a curved car. Also, the back wheel wells don’t seem to be centered around the wheel. You can’t fix that by going to a larger wheel. And then all the issues with a car that has been sitting for decades.
I don’t know what a fair price is for someone who would actually want it. $15,000 or $20,000?
Agree with Neil G. Builder obviously flunked Automotive Design 101.
I need some help here gang. I have seen a handfull of 409’s but never one with the dual quads. Can someone tell me what the plate between the carbs and the air cleaner is for? Is that stock for this setup? Thanks for any help. Have a great Labor Day.
Kinda liked it until I saw the rear end, then…
I imagine the plate is meant to keep only cool air from the hood scoop feeding the air cleaners (carbs) and seal out hot engine air. Just about any factory ram air system tried to do the same thing.
Thanks scottymac. Makes perfect sense.
How to ruin the looks of a 1964 Corvette, well here it is. My question, why? Pull the 409 & tranny out, both doors & whatever else is Corvette & junk the rest.
That’s what a sane buyer for $4500 tops would do.
leinedude–surely you jest?? Havent you ever heard “my 4 speed dual quad positraction 409??”
Just breaking your chops. This ol grey hair would go back to 62 with the Beachboys in a Heartbeat!
LOL gaspumpchas, heard the song many times and now it will be an ear worm for me the rest of the day. She’s so fine. Take care, Mike.
Wait! This is clearly an ultra-rare missing link; the car that led to the ’68 Stingray design. What a marvelous piece! Piece o’crap that is! Please people, if an automotive manufacturer doesn’t pay you to do design work as your full time occupation, it’s for a reason. So stop trying to do it on your own and creating such poorly executed eyesores!!!
To quote a line from the movie American Graffiti “What a waste of machine”. Also a waste of labor, materials and probably beer!!
For $90,000, I could buy a near perfect 67 coupe and have something that will likely never depreciate. This clown is drinking too much and watching Barrett Jackson. What a disgrace this hobby has become.
Last time I saw this design was in a Japanese made 1/32 scale slot car set back in 1966.
Was the original rolled multiple times and all that was left is the frame? The only thing that possibly was not molested is the frame! Another Corvette that a lot of money was spent to ruin its appearance and value.
I live about 5 miles from this location. I have never seen this car either driving around or at any car show. I’m not sure where it came from, but at that price,I would NEVER even care if I saw it. Not sure what this guy is smoking but it must be good. I can’t even say he is off one zero. I’d take that and then cut the price in half…. maybe
No. Probably not. What a mess.
I feel bad for the soul of this car. It’s tortured existence should be ended. It can’t be parted out because There’s nothing left to want. Maybe run it through a shredder.
Yuck.
Someone said $9000. Hmmm, let’s see:
Rebuildable (?) 409 motor, dual 4’s, HP cam/lifters…4 speed (prob the ’64 Muncie), a couple vert doors, windshield/cowl, some miscl parts, MAYBE a frame.
I could do $9000.
The builder put his “all” into this car. It just doesn’t work.
NO, NOT NOW, NOT EVER !
90 bucks ?
I am all in.
I am going with not understand the use of the decimal or the comma. $9,00.00 obo.
Ok I am not a fan of the car BUT the one thing that I DO NOT understand is from DAY 1 of the build, I would not have been able to proceed without getting the rear wheel to be centered in the rear wheel opening. Honestly it MIGHT look kind of cool but that is just a terrible fit. Sorry. I can’t see 90K even IF it were in #1 show quality condition.
This guy wrote a book!!!
It’s called: ” How to Destroy a Classic Corvette”
As you know it’s not a best seller!!! His car won’t be either at this price!!!! The things people get in there mind and think is cool is always something that blows me away!!!!
Yes – Sonnet-like profile with Muira-like air intakes behind the side windows. Good call!
Oh ! so that’s where my 409 went ! No hard feelings. I’ll give him 2500 for the car.My 64 impala SS has been waiting for a long time, LOL.
I wanted a Saab Sonnett for my birthday, but my parents bought me a Corvette instead…
Just think, for a little less than two thirds of the asking price you could have brand spanking new C8
The rear end isn’t brilliant, but if it had come out of an Italian design house, we’d be all over how unique and brilliant it is.
And as usual it’s being criticised by people who probably couldn’t make an omelette, never mind build a car.
Well done to its builder, but $90k is rather ambitious to say the least.
Rather like the E Type with the LS3 that’s been going around and around for weeks.
Best thing would be to start an auction with a reserve, that way one gets to find out what the market thinks it’s worth.
Even better would be to get it running, but perhaps he’s too old now. Happens to us all in the end.
While my Corvette gently weeps…
Turnbuckle adjustable front end, Check!
the crusher would have been a mercy
They would have to pay ME, to take that car. And my 1st stop would be; the dump.
Lamborvette! :D
The rear has something of a 250GTO about it.
The front perhaps a De Tomaso Pantera.
The shape of the gauge panel is also not far from a 250GTO.
It’s a good looking car, even if it’s no longer a Corvette.
Just not $90k good.