Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find

Daily Slideshow: Barn find Corvettes are everywhere these days. But how about two unique C1 scores from the same piece of property?

By Brett Foote - October 17, 2018
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find
Pair of C1 Corvettes Equal Ultimate Barn Find

One Field, Two Corvettes

Barn finds are all the rage these days, especially in the Corvette world. Which is pretty amazing given the fact that we used to turn up our noses at anything less than capable of winning a Top Flight award. Nowadays, the real news is Corvettes like these two amazing finds uncovered by Super Chevy, both of which were carefully extracted from the very same piece of property!

Attention Grabbers

Who would have thought that two old, ratty, moss-covered Corvettes could draw as much attention as multi-million dollar restored rarities? But that's exactly what Kim Walker, the man who discovered these C1s, ran into when he towed them to Corvettes at Carlisle.

>>Join the conversation about these C1 barn finds right here in Corvette Forum.

Long Wait

Walker found the Corvettes in Muncy, Pennsylvania, where he had known of their existence for a long 15 years. And apparently, he wasn't the only one. “Every Corvette guy in the county knew about these cars and the owner had been approached several times,” Walker explained. But he just refused to sell them.

>>Join the conversation about these C1 barn finds right here in Corvette Forum.

Collecting Cars and History

It took many years, but Walker finally struck a deal with the help of a third-party. With both cars and another '60 in his possession, he started to also collect history on the cars. The '56, for starters, was purchased by the original owner in 1957 and used as a daily driver until 1972.

>>Join the conversation about these C1 barn finds right here in Corvette Forum.

Time Capsule

The '56 still wears its original Venetian Red with Polo White exterior paint combo and beige interior. The car also has a 265 V8 and 3-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately, Walker has thus far resisted opening the hood because he doesn't want to disturb the vegetation growing on it!

>>Join the conversation about these C1 barn finds right here in Corvette Forum.

Natural Patina

In fact, leading up to the show, Walker's wife actually went to the trouble of watering the vegetation so that it would remain intact for the show! And heck, why not. This Corvette earned that natural patina after sitting outside for 45 years.

>>Join the conversation about these C1 barn finds right here in Corvette Forum.

Clean, Not Original

The 1954 Corvette, on the other hand, wasn't consumed by plant matter. It was purchased by the previous owner in 1964 and parked only a year later. It was originally Polo White with a Sportsman Red interior, though it has received some changes over the years.

>>Join the conversation about these C1 barn finds right here in Corvette Forum.

Unfinished Product

The original 235 V6 and 2-speed Powerglide transmission are in place, and the odometer shows only 68k miles. But the owner did pull both for a rebuild back in 1965 and even performed some minor bodywork. He lost interest shortly thereafter and it sat inside until 2013 when it was moved outside to a carport.

>>Join the conversation about these C1 barn finds right here in Corvette Forum.

Careful Reassembly

Walker didn't want to just haul the '54 to Carlisle in parts, so he took the time to reassemble it. He also took extra care as to not disturb the car's patina while doing so. 

>>Join the conversation about these C1 barn finds right here in Corvette Forum.

Second Chance

Ultimately, both cars were then sold to the same individual. The '56 netted $10,000, while the '54 went for $20k+. The new owner plans to restore the '54, but no word on what fate awaits the flower pot '56. If nothing else, we're just glad both are once again in front of the eyes of people who love them!

>>Join the conversation about these C1 barn finds right here in Corvette Forum.

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