1966 Rally Red Big Block Is One Great Barn Find

By Detroit Steel - June 2, 2016

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I’m beginning to think that one of the major prerequisites for lucking out on a great Corvette barn find is persistence.

Sure, timing is important as well. But even after sifting through the countless ads it often takes to locate the car, and then finally finding it, landing that great barn find is often driven by something deeper than just a desire for the car itself.

That certainly was the case for Gary Zawacki. As highlighted in a recent Super Chevy report, the longtime Corvette collector says that even though he’s owned a fair share of classic Corvettes over the years, and had been keeping his eyes peeled for another, he didn’t’ land his first great barn find until 2013. But it was well worth the wait.

When Zawacki scored the ‘66, it had less than 13,000 miles on the odometer after being stored in an Ohio garage since 1976. In addition, the ‘Vette was equipped with a 425-horsepower 427, regular production option L72 — one of only 5,258 built with the engine.

The Rally Red big block also had a set of rare, special, heavy-duty brakes known as the RPO “J56,” one more sign that good things come to those who wait.