Barn Find 1954 Corvette Doesn't Go Far in 50 Years
What sounded like a hoax turned out to be the find of a lifetime.
1. The Unwanted 1954 Corvette
It isn't every day you see original paint and only 33,000 miles on a 1954 Corvette on Craigslist. So when Indiana resident Kevin Harris ran across this barn find, he was obviously skeptical. Especially when he had just read an article about the exact same car in Super Chevy's Rare Finds. And when Harris reached out to the seller, he repeated the same story. This was his grandfather's car up until he died in 2011. The Corvette was parked in 1966 and used as storage space. Nobody else wanted it, so he took it. Harris was in California at the time but arranged to have his brother John go look at it.
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2. Barn Find of a Lifetime
Once John arrived at the car's location, a farm just north of Ft. Wayne, he was admittedly overwhelmed with what he saw. The seller, Dave Leicty, proceeded to tell him all about the car's history. Turns out, a doctor in Churubusco, Indiana bought this and another new Corvette in 1954 - one for himself and one for his wife. The wife didn't like it, so she traded it in for a 1955 Thunderbird. That's when Leicty’s grandfather, Donald J. “Tod” Pressler, bought the Corvette used. He drove it for 11 years before the car was parked for nearly 50 years.
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3. An Amazing Preservation
To his credit, Pressler did a fantastic job of preserving the car. He put it up on jack stands, pulled the spark plugs, oiled the cylinders, and drained the gas before leaving it be. The original paint and top are in pretty darn good condition. The only thing missing is the ignition shielding. There's a scratch on the fender that occurred back when Pressler's daughter attempted to pull the car out and wash it for him one day. And there are a few rust holes in the muffler. Otherwise, the old 'Vette is in amazing shape.
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4. A True Time Warp
Incredibly enough, the car sits roughly 20 miles from the Chevrolet dealership it was originally sold at. Peeking inside the car, you can tell that it's barely been used. John believes that the passenger side window has never even been rolled down. And even the 1966 Indiana license plate remains on the back of the Corvette.
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5. A Deal You Can't Refuse
Based on his brother's recommendation, Miller bought the car without seeing it himself. Amazingly enough, the seller was asking $53,000. When Miller asked him how he came about that price, Leicty told him that he had had it appraised two years prior at $63,000. We'd wager that the amazing find is worth a little bit more than that today.
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