1959 Chevrolet Corvette - $109,900 - Orange Village, OH - Stunning resto-mod that retains the spirit of the original. 250 miles on a fast, reliable, fully-sorted cost-no-object build available for a fraction of the price of construction.
Hailing from rust-free Arizona, this was already a clean Corvette before the work started. Don’t worry, purists, it wasn’t a numbers-matching fuelie or anything like that, just an ultra-clean old ‘Vette that needed some TLC. The original body needed very little work to get back into shape, but after being media blasted it was sanded and filled until every surface was smooth enough to refract light. Once it was in shape, the body was covered inside and out with PPG 2-stage urethane in Viper Silver, an icy color that is neither modern nor retro and as a result looks fantastic on the old Corvette curves. With the paint dry, another substantial pile of money went to the chrome shop where every piece of original trim was refinished to show standards. Despite the radical look, not a single exterior component was altered during the build—heck, it even still has a single side mirror!
In a fitting tribute to GM stylists, the interior was restored to factory specs as well. The silver upholstery works with the Viper Silver paint job to give the car a trick monochromatic look, but the patterns and materials are pretty much what you’d get from the factory in 1959. The lovely door panels feature original trim, handles, and red reflectors and the stock buckets were retained albeit slightly re-bolstered to help hold you in place. All the gauges were rebuilt, with the tach being converted to electronic operation and the ammeter converted to a voltmeter, and that wheel may look original, but it’s a trick billet reproduction wrapped in matching silver leather. All the wiring is new, of course, and it has been fitted with a hidden A/C system that uses slick eyeball vents hidden in the sides of the center stack. It also carries an Alpine AM/FM/CD stereo with iPod interface and speakers cleverly integrated into the kick panels as well as behind the dash in the stock location. And unlike a lot of modified early Corvettes, particularly those rolling on tube chassis, this one retains a fully functional trunk with spare tire and black Haartz canvas top.
The 358 cubic inch V8 features a full roller valvetrain, aluminum heads, and a big Edelbrock underneath a stock air cleaner. Corvette finned valve covers highlight the monochromatic engine bay, along with a lot of chrome and polished aluminum jewelry. Block-hugging headers dump into a custom-fabricated polished stainless steel exhaust system with reasonably quiet Flowmaster HushPower mufflers and tips that exit through the rear bumper as original. Underneath, the frame was sandblasted and both it and the floors were done in high-gloss black to act as the background for the many painted, polished, and plated suspension components. A Muncie M21 4-speed re-creates the vintage sound and feel, complete with a cue ball shifter and feeds a custom-built aluminum driveshaft from Denny’s and a Currie 9-inch with 3.50 gears and a Track-Lok limited slip inside. Jim Meyer Racing supplied the entire suspension, from the highly adjustable A-arms up front to the 4-bar rear setup, complete with Panhard rod, all of which was chrome plated before installation. Front and rear sway bars, QA1 adjustable shocks, and a ride height that can be tailored to just about any driver mean that you don’t need to have an expensive tube chassis to have a car that handles like it’s on rails. Gorgeous 17-inch Torque Thrusts look period correct and wear modern 225/45/17 front and 245/45/17 rear Goodyear Eagle performance radials.
The car runs and drives as it should, with acceleration that’s the equal of most anything on four wheels and handling that you can’t fully explore without a race track. On the other hand, it’s docile enough to idle in traffic without overheating, the A/C blows cold, the stereo sounds great, and it does all the things you’d expect a fully engineered car to do. Thanks to the long-travel suspension, it rides quite well despite the lowered ride height, and with careful engineering, ground clearance is not an issue. If you want a no-compromises supercar that merely looks like a vintage Corvette, this is it.
For more details and photos, please visit www.VintageMotorCarsUSA.com.