1967 Convertible
1985: After being "Vetteless" for 3 years, I spotted this outside the back door where I worked.
We brought it home the next night! Price: $10,000.
We intended to make it into a clone of our beloved 63. Then we discovered the tank sticker, showing that it was a 435 hp big block car, now with a small block engine and hood. At that time, big block midyears' prices were going through the roof so we decided that this was the wrong car to be further modifying! So, we just drove it for 5 years, maybe putting $500 maintenance into it.
Topsham Mall show
Sebasco Lodge
With Sandy at Wiscasset waterfront
Readying for Bath parade
Pit stop on Club run to BaHaBa
At Damariscotta Lake
Sandy tries her hand (and clutch foot) on it
Sandy tries her hand (and clutch foot) on it
Christy takes off...
...and returns
Skyline Drive Corvette Club show, Split Rock Lodge in PA.
Memphis trip, 1985
Show on Mud Island
On the way home
Visit to Corvette Plant in Bowling Green KY
Visit to Biltmore, Asheville NC
Bar Harbor trip, August 1986
First visit to Mira Monte Inn, for Sandy's 40th birthday!
On the Acadia National Park loop road
Gate City Corvette Club's "Octobervettes", Laconia NH
Scenic stop on Kankamagus Highway
Show site.
Getting itchy...
By the Summer of 1989 the urge was building to find another car to recreate the 63 as a show car.
Accordingly, we made a vacation trip to ProTeam Corvette in Napoleon, Ohio. We told the owner, Terry Michaelis,
what we were thinking. After carefully looking over the 67, he made us an amazing offer: $20,000 cash, PLUS our choice
of 6 midyear convertibles! It seems that he had a correct date-coded 435 engine on a stand looking for the right home:
This was it!
We looked over the 6 cars offered, but weren't too enamored with any of them. We thanked him, saying we would give it some thought, and moved on Mershon's, a relatively short drive away. Terry must have called him: He almost immediately made the same $20,000 offer plus choice of 2 (pretty ratty) converts. He did ask for a copy of the tank sticker. We called home and fortunately our daughter was there, was able to find the sticker, and faxed it to Mershon. We headed home, armed with the knowledge of the real world value of this car!
The following January 1990 was when I found the old 63 for sale in Auto Trader. After deciding we would buy it back, we contacted ProTeam. Terry remembered the car, and agreed to $30,000 cash, and sent his driver to Maine to pick it up. Tom West arrived with the flatbed, looked the car over, said yes, that was what they remembered, but he was only authorized to give us $28,000! We said "Sorry you wasted a trip"! We went to dinner, and have actually been friends ever since!
Next step was putting an ad in Auto Trader. A guy from South Carolina responded almost immediately. We gave him a ton of info and sent dozens of photos. He agreed to the $30,000 cash asking price. He also had a correct date coded 435 on a stand looking for the right home!
For a month the 63 and 67 overlapped and shared the garage. The 38 got to stay outside.
Farewell!
The bearded guy is the buyer who flew up from South Carolina.
I had sent him a stack of photos showing every flaw on the car. He thoroughly examined the car and pronounced it "110% as advertised", handed over a cashier's check for $30,000, and drove it back to SC. Not a bad return on our $10,000 investment, with 5 years of fun to boot!
Bye!
We got a Christmas card from him. Enclosed were these photos of the fully restored car, with correct engine, hood and sidepipes.
Everybody is happy!
Life is good!