Mecum Indy: 6 Great Corvettes on the Auction Block
Vault-find 1967 L71 headlines banner crop of Corvettes at Mecum Indy.
Auction listings always provide a great opportunity to learn about classic cars. The upcoming Mecum Auction in Indianapolis happening May 16 to 20 affords the chance to peruse some absolutely fantastic Corvettes. Here is a handful of early Corvettes that stand out.
1967 Corvette Coupe With an Amazing Story
Few Corvettes carry the kind of provenance of this ’67 Coupe. The L71 car has the triple two-barrel setup on the 427, but the story behind this unrestored C3 with 8,500 original miles makes it worth every penny of the huge price it’ll carry. Illinois native Keith Litavsky bought this car, his dream car, new after returning from a hellacious tour of Vietnam. He’d sent his combat pay home, and picked it up upon returning. From then on, he cared for it like a family member, which is fitting because it stayed in his family after his death.
Now, the family has placed it up for auction, and we suspect it will give a good return on Keith’s investment a half-century ago. Look through the photos on the auction listing here. More importantly, read the incredible story behind this 427 C3 and watch the video about it.
Auction Lot
Mecum Estimate: Call Mecum
1954 Corvette Hardtop, VIN 010
Second-year ‘Vettes seldom bring the premium of first-year cars. However, this was #10 off the line for the ’54 model year, and it comes in Polo White with the hardtop. While all ’53s came in that color, Chevy offered multiple colors for the first time in the short 3,640-car run. Like all ’53s and ’54s, this has a Blue Flame straight-six and Powerglide. While the classic Corvette market hasn’t been particularly kind to the last pre-V8 year, this represents a rare classic that will bring a solid return.
Auction Lot
Mecum Estimate: $60,000 to $80,000
1967 Corvette Convertible
Few collectible Corvettes have managed to amass as many accolades as this C3 convertible. This well-documented ’67 L71 car has racked up awards from Bloomington Gold and the National Corvette Restorers Society. We’re suckers for the Stinger Red hood scoop over black, and this one is, certifiably, the world’s best ’67 with that combination.
Auction Lot
Mecum Estimate: $400,000 to $500,000
1968 Corvette L88
The L88 version of Chevy’s 427 cubic-inch V8 created peak buzz at the height of the muscle-car era. Essentially a race engine for the street, Chevy advertised the output at 430 horsepower, which was laughably low. Most experts figure the output far higher than 500, and the low production numbers for the L88-code Corvettes make them highly sought after. This one comes with a well-documented history, as well as certifications and awards from Bloomington Gold and NCRS.
Auction Lot
Mecum Estimate: $500,000 to $700,000
1962 Corvette, VIN 009
In the C1’s last year, Chevy upped their V8 displacement to 327 cubic inches. They also offered mechanical fuel injection, and this Corvette, the ninth off the line for the ‘62 model year, carried that Rochester Fuel Injection setup. As Mecum notes, it may very well be the first factory fuel-injected 327 car.
Auction Lot
Mecum Estimate: $80,000 to $110,000
1963 Corvette Z06 Tanker
Corvette may have never built an official factory race car until 1999, but some of the first-year C2s were awfully close to turn-key racers. The Z06 performance package gave bigger brakes and a sturdier suspension to withstand the rigors of road racing. A scant few Z06s were built with 36-gallon fuel tanks, which would allow the 360-horsepower L84 version of the 327 to run long stretches at the 12 Hours of Sebring and other fabled endurance races.
Auction Lot
Mecum Estimate: $400,000 to $500,000
More!
If all of that is too rich for your blood, you can find a good mix of everything from restomodded C2s to very clean C6 ZR1s. Estimates vary from low $10,000s to, well, the sky’s the limit. Check out the full Mecum Indy 2017 auction listings, then let us know what piques your interest!
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