When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
The production numbers on the first gen cars are low: from '53 to '62, the total number of cars produced was 69,015. The most prolific being the '62 model year, with 14,531. Second most being the '61 with 10,939 units. There were almost twice as many Sting Ray's produced between '63 and '67....117,964. By comparison, over 550,000 Ford Mustangs produced in the '64 1/2-'65 model year. Corvettes were never really very high production, IMO. With less than 70k c1's produced, the newest of which is 57 years old, I think it is highly optimistic that there are 30,000 of them out there driving around. I also agree that no Corvettes, or any respectable car, 'cry out to be resto-modded'. That decision lies squarely on the shoulders and psyche of the resto-modder.
The only thing conflicting in my statements you have cited is the word scarce which was actually the OP’s word that I was responding to and I should have left out.
So to better clarify what I-was trying to convey:
The survival rate for C1 and C2 are much higher than C3s. Both were already being “collected”/saved back in the early 70s.
They are still around but seldom seen on the roads today. There are still plenty of them around unlike most metal cars that are now in the fenders of Toyota’s. About the only 60s cars you see advertise more than Corvettes are Mustangs that they made millions of.
I do not disagree with this. It seems to me that C1 & 2 survival rates are in the 40-50% realm while C3 survival is probably down around 20%.
I was at a Corvette show last week and there were only 9 50'S Corvettes in the whole show of about 70 or 80 Vetts.
Whenever I drive mine, I get a thumbs up from a large varied spectrum of people. It's very nice to see people have a comment interest despite their vastly different history's.
No Corvettes, no matter how common or low horsepower, “cry out to be restro-modded.”
I have never told anyone I'm building a restomod. I'm restoring an old car that was no more than rubbish. I just happen to be restoring it the way GM would do it if they were doing it today. If someone decides to name what I've done that's on them!
Last edited by Robert61; May 28, 2019 at 06:21 PM.
I have never told anyone I'm building a restomod. I'm restoring an old car that was no more than rubbish. I just happen to be restoring it the way GM would do it if they were doing it today. If someone decides to name what I've done that's on them!
" Rest - o - creation " fits the build with less George Barris and more update GM technology. Few deviate from the original lines of a true classic. Drive train, suspension, electronics, and interior comforts have taken such advancements its hard to look in the other direction.
At twelve years old, our dream cars graced the pages of Hot Rod Magazine. Today, no longer ordinary cars but high stakes trading commodities. Every day I can walk in my shop and gaze into the past. The best medication and memories available to senior health.
I have stumbled on yet another nice original C1 that has been resto-modded. At least I am assuming that the car has been resto-modded.
The car went from Florida to down under (Australia) around 2010 or so.
The car was a nicely restored top flight, and went through the judging process. The car has original documentation, including the original delivery document.
Once the car made it to the bottom of the world, it was pulled apart. A mechanic in the Melbourne, Australia area ended up with the engine.
Questions about what this engine really was were recently posted on the tri-five chevy forum. Here is a link to that thread:
This makes me quite angry, although I have no right to be. But still, I find the arrogance of those who take a pristine original historically significant car and turn it into their mis-guided 'dream car' will only leave a legacy of an out -of -style hot rod 100 years from now instead of a vehicle of historical reference. I have no issue with project cars being customized or modified, but taking rare and sought after cars and chopping them up to me is simply arrogant, selfish, and ignorant.
Yes.
It's like giving the Mona Lisa to a 5 year old kid so he can scribble on it with magic markers.
Whether or not the person can afford to do so, is irrelevant.
On the plus side, the motor was probably a restamp NOM, made up from ebay sourced parts.
Doug
Maybe on the motor, but it did get past NCRS judges.
And realistically, how "historically significant" is this 1962 FI Corvette? There are plenty of them around, even FI cars, with over 1900 manufactured.
I am not saying this was the right thing to do, and I am also revolted by the thought of doing this to a nice original 62 FI car, bit lets be honest, it is the trend. And that appears to be happening more and more "down under",
This makes me quite angry, although I have no right to be. But still, I find the arrogance of those who take a pristine original historically significant car and turn it into their mis-guided 'dream car' will only leave a legacy of an out -of -style hot rod 100 years from now instead of a vehicle of historical reference. I have no issue with project cars being customized or modified, but taking rare and sought after cars and chopping them up to me is simply arrogant, selfish, and ignorant.
I totally agree. How many of us have endlessly searched for a true survivor FI car ( that we could fit in the budget ) for decades ? Apparently some " well to do " took a judged pristine example only to tear it down and change. He could have purchased two drivers for this car value.
Yes I want one with a modern tech drive train but I would never change a piece on my big brake car. Basket case abused 61, step forward.
Maybe on the motor, but it did get past NCRS judges.
And realistically, how "historically significant" is this 1962 FI Corvette? There are plenty of them around, even FI cars, with over 1900 manufactured.
I am not saying this was the right thing to do, and I am also revolted by the thought of doing this to a nice original 62 FI car, bit lets be honest, it is the trend. And that appears to be happening more and more "down under",
Are there? And you know this how?
For all we know, they may only be 50 left, or 10. Nobody that I know of has conducted a survey of how many of these cars still exist - in that condition. We do not even know how many C1s (or C2s) still exist in drivable condition. What would that value of that car be if it was the LAST 62 Fuelie?
I remember Boyd Coddington doing this to a pristine, all original, survivor Ford on his show. Although I never liked Boyd's style of car, I would watch the show....until this episode, when I lost all respect for him. All about the ego, and not about history or preservation for future generations.
For all we know, they may only be 50 left, or 10. Nobody that I know of has conducted a survey of how many of these cars still exist - in that condition. We do not even know how many C1s (or C2s) still exist in drivable condition. What would that value of that car be if it was the LAST 62 Fuelie?
Well, we know it is not the LAST 62 fuelie, since it was built in October of 1961.
Somebody (I do not recall who) was doing a survey on 1962 Corvettes, but I do not have that data. I do know that, according to the Black Book, 1918 cars were ordered with Fuel Injection.
But, having known Dale Pearman for many years, as well as knowing Ken Hansen for many years, I can hazard a guess.
105 of the 762 1962 Corvette listed on the C1 Registry are indicated to be FI 360 cars. That is about 13.8% of the cars listed. Extrapolating that to the total production gives us 2002 cars, But we know that only 1918 FI cars were built, so this tells us that a higher percentage of FI cars are listed in the registry than were originally produced.
So, if out of 14531 total production we have a 75% survival rate (and I think that is low, given how many basket cases have been resurrected), that is 10898 1962 Corvettes that have survived. Call it 10,000 even, just to be conservative. I think that a 75% percent survival rate for FI cars is low, but again being conservative there were 1918 FI cars built, so 75% of that is 1438. Call it 1400, heck, call it 1000.
That is still a significant number of cars. I just do not see a 62 FI car as a particularly rare car. Desirable, yes, but not extremely rare.
And I will say it again, I absolutely do NOT agree with the decision to make this very desirable red on red FI car into a resto-mod. But I also do not think that a significant piece of history has been lost by doing so.
I have seen too many C1 cars, completely totaled, into piles of fiberglass next to bent frames, in the 1970s, to believe that 75% still exist. The motors and any usable chrome parts, sold off in the 1960s.
I don't mean a crunched fender and the bumpers removed. I mean a PILE of broken fiberglass, or others that were completely gone from the dash forward, and others from the doors back, where two cars were later made into one car.
A lot more FI units survived, than cars,and made it onto non-FI cars.
I would say survival rate is in the 30-40% range of cars originally build are running or restorable.
I too call BS on 10,000 '62's surviving out of a total production of 14,531 57 years ago. No way. I agree with Doug. And the numbers are only as high as 30-40% because they were expensive and special cars in the first place. But it's a two-edged sword: a lot of them got wrecked BECAUSE they were high performance sports cars and were driven as such.
Without hard data, we are all just guessing at it.
Lets call it 50%, that is still 7265 cars, and 959 FI cars.
And that really is not the issue.
We all agree that losing a top flight lever FI car to a resto-mod effort is wrong, almost criminal.
But we all also understand that it is their car, and they can do what they want with it.
Didn't I read earlier that one of our esteemed members is planning on burning his 56 to the ground before he passes.
FYI: There were, as of about two years ago, a total of 246 1958 Corvettes registered in the State of Florida. Total 1958 Corvette production was 9168. So,almost 3% of total 1958 Corvette production was registered in Florida two years ago.
I too call BS on 10,000 '62's surviving out of a total production of 14,531 57 years ago. No way. I agree with Doug. And the numbers are only as high as 30-40% because they were expensive and special cars in the first place. But it's a two-edged sword: a lot of them got wrecked BECAUSE they were high performance sports cars and were driven as such.
But how many have been resurrected because they are expensive cars. Lets get real here, we have all seen a lot of basket case Corvettes brought back to life. And that is still happening. I helped sell a 1962 basket case Corvette 3 weeks ago. It is going to get restored as an original car (at least at this point).
This makes me quite angry, although I have no right to be. But still, I find the arrogance of those who take a pristine original historically significant car and turn it into their mis-guided 'dream car' will only leave a legacy of an out -of -style hot rod 100 years from now instead of a vehicle of historical reference. I have no issue with project cars being customized or modified, but taking rare and sought after cars and chopping them up to me is simply arrogant, selfish, and ignorant.
Who is to say which car would be more valuable in the future. See below.
An image of a portrait underneath the Mona Lisa has been found beneath the existing painting using reflective light technology, according to a French scientist. Pascal Cotte said he has spent more than 10 years using the technology to analyse the painting.Dec 8, 2015 I wonder witch painting would command the highest price?
