Some folks think a car is only original once and disassembling a car breaks the “factory seal,” never to be regained no matter how meticulous the restoration. Some folks think that’s a bunch of hoo-haw, but certainly we can all agree that we certainly wouldn’t mess around with the Mona Lisa.
While a mid-year Corvette is a much more complex object than a painting, many would consider them to be one of Chevrolet’s greatest works of art and historical artifacts that should be treated as such.
If you subscribe to all that and like your Vette’s unmolested, with the handprints and stencil marks of long gone St. Louis workers still intact, here’s a nice Milano Maroon ’65 Corvette Coupe.
With a 365 hp, 327 ci V-8, 4-speed, and 4:11 gears, this was a nice balanced package back in the day. Stored from 1975-2000, this matching numbers California car has original fiberglass, teak steering wheel, and a mostly original interior. Pretty remarkable given that most mid-year Vettes are now restored.
The car has been gently touched up with recent paint and a freshened engine with new bearings, gaskets, cam and lifters, pushrods, water pump, clutch, alternator and radiator.
There is a lot of “patina” here, the car is straight but has multiple blemishes and looks worn around the edges. We say it would be a perfect driver and would gladly accept the role as the car’s new steward, keeping it clean and massaging the mechanicals when needed.
All this original charm can be yours for a BIN price of $65K which translates into a thousand dollars a year. Whether a tired but original small block coupe is worth that depends on your restoration persuasion.