Original 1959 Corvette From ‘Animal House’ Located–And It’s For Sale!
Original 1959 C1 Corvette has been found in the garage of its original owner. And he has decided to sell. It makes us wanna shout!
When a cast and crew of talented outsiders descended upon Oregon in 1978 to shoot a film at the University, few could have anticipated the cinematic success that would be Animal House. Following the hilarious antics of the Delta Tau Chi fraternity at fictional Faber College in 1962, the film became an instant classic and is considered one of the funniest films ever.
Featuring star-making turns from the cast, National Lampoon’s Animal House became a cult classic. Side-splittingly funny, the endlessly quotable classic made the late, great John Belushi a bona fide star and is perhaps the quintessential college (or toga) film. It also happened to feature a red 1959 Corvette that left an indelible impression.
On-screen, the Corvette is owned by Delta’s resident ladies man, Eric “Otter” Stratton (Tim Matheson). And like its on-screen owner, the C1 Corvette got some memorable action even appearing on the poster.
So, like many, we wondered what happened to the Animal House Corvette?. Well, it has been located; and in a pretty surprising place.
“The movie was so zany…it wasn’t really of interest to me,” owner Paul Smith said to Chadley Johnson. Johnson sat down with Smith to talk about the movie car as well as do a full walkaround. Smith has decided to sell the car through Eyes on Classics after it has quietly remained untouched in his garage.
If Smith’s name is ringing bells, you might recall his run as a successful racer and NHRA Champion. This is a true-blue car guy, and a pleasure to listen to.
He purchased the Corvette in 1975 from Bob Cochran Motors as a gift to his wife. After he left racing full-time, he started finding work in showbiz working on sets in transportation and as a driver. He heard Universal Pictures was planning to shoot a 1962-era film at the local University of Oregon and Paul was the guy.
The studio rented Paul’s 1959 Corvette for four weeks for $400. As a backup, they also obtained a 1959 C1 Corvette (different owner) to be used for additional footage and promotions.
When the film wrapped, Paul was on other pursuits. It is safe to say that Paul was not star-struck; rather he was focused on his work on-set. Although, you get the sense he’d rather be talking hot rods, and we’d listen to him all day long. When the film wrapped he moved on to other automotive pursuits. And the Corvette? It was parked in his garage, collecting dust and sat idle for decades.
After wiping down the dust, the C1 Corvette is still stunning. It is also in pretty incredible condition. Having a gearhead owner kept it fresh, if unused.
“I can’t ever remember driving it, to be honest,” he says. “It just wasn’t my type of car.” Different strokes. We promise Paul will never be on double secret probation.
Considering how long the car was idle, it is still quite clean and shouldn’t require excessive work. Paul will be including lots of cool extras such as documentation, and rare on-set photos.
No word on the price, but if you are looking to own a celluloid classic that makes us wanna shout, check it out at Eyes on Classics.
Photos: Universal Pictures; Eyes on Classics
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