Big Brake Fuelie: 1957 Chevrolet Corvette
Some classic cars will spend their lives being pampered by their owner, only seeing the light of day on rare occasions. Others will live a life of adventure, which appears to be the case with this 1957 Corvette “Fuelie.” It came close to slipping into oblivion following a fender bender, but a passionate enthusiast put in the considerable time and effort required to return this rare gem to its former glory. All good things must come to an end, which means that the Corvette needs to find a new home. If you like what you see, you will find the Fuelie located in Boulder City, Nevada, and listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding has currently reached $39,200, but this figure remains short of the reserve.
Chevrolet produced 6,339 examples of the Corvette during 1957, but a mere 263 featured Aztec Bronze paint with Beige coves. This is one of those cars, making it one of the rarest two-tone combinations for that model year. The car didn’t always look like this because it was involved in an accident many years ago that inflicted considerable damage on that beautiful fiberglass body. The vehicle was in danger of fading into oblivion, but its knight in shining armor appeared in the form of a 78-year-old gentleman who is a lifelong Corvette enthusiast. He purchased the vehicle and proceeded to dismantle the car to perform a complete restoration. He repaired the damaged body, replacing the destroyed front clip. The Corvette was then painted in its original color combination, and it presents superbly. The fiberglass is flawless, while the paint shines beautifully. The trim is in excellent order, as is the glass and the hardtop. The vintage wire wheels that the car rolls on aren’t original, but a correct set of 15″ steelies are included if the buyer wishes to achieve a stock appearance. A written assessment that is included in the sale advises that some frame connections may require attention, but it doesn’t elaborate on what these are. As always, I would suggest interested parties contact the seller, and in this case, the identified issues may warrant an in-person inspection.
The immaculate presentation of this Corvette continues when we open the doors and take a look inside the vehicle. The passionate enthusiast returned the interior to a factory-fresh state in its original Beige during the restoration process. As with the rest of the car, he left no stone unturned, and it now presents well. I would place a question mark over the driver’s seat because the base looks slightly odd. I’m not sure if that could indicate that the foam hasn’t been fitted correctly or whether it’s just a trick of the light in the supplied photos. Otherwise, the upholstered surfaces and the carpet are free from wear and marks, while the dash and wheel are in a similar state. There are no aftermarket additions, which means that slipping behind the wheel would be like traveling back in time.
When we turn our attention to this Corvette’s drivetrain, things become slightly convoluted. When the restorer purchased the vehicle, it was a running and driving wreck. However, it was a genuine Fuelie that featured the 283hp version of the sweet 283ci V8. It has been returned to its former glory, but this is where the confusion commences. The car isn’t documented, but the casting dates for all of the engine components fall within days or weeks of the car’s build date, which means that they could potentially be original. The same is true of the 3-speed manual transmission, although the date on the rear end is significantly earlier. The 3-speed is included in the sale, but the restorer decided to slot a later 4-speed T-10 into the vehicle. That means that the car should be capable of bettering its original 15.2-second ¼-mile ET. This Corvette has one further ace up its sleeve. It appears that the original owner ticked the box beside Option Code 684 on the Order Sheet. This specified the optional racing suspension package with the larger finned drum brakes. The package added an eye-watering (in 1957 terms) $780.10 to the Corvette’s $3,176.32 sticker price. It is a rare choice due to its price, with a mere 51 buyers taking the plunge. The system remains intact and should provide a talking point between the buyer and fellow enthusiasts.
It appears that this 1957 Corvette Fuelie has led a life of adventure, but a truly passionate individual has brought it back from the brink. It features some rare and desirable optional extras that should make it stand out in any crowd. Even though the elderly gentleman performed much of the work on this classic himself, the receipts and documentation that he holds verify that he poured more than $110,000 into this project. That begs the question of where the bidding could go on this classic. The market for these Corvettes has been flat in recent times, although a pristine and documented car should be capable of topping $140,000 with the racing suspension option. This one appears to be impressive, but its lack of documentation will hurt its potential value. I have seen a couple of recent sales of nice examples that struggled to reach beyond $100,000, while a similar car to this but without the suspension option sold for $92,000. I tend to believe that this car will probably achieve that sort of figure by the time the hammer falls, so this is a listing that I’ll be watching closely.
Auctions Ending Soon
1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1Bid Now10 mins$7,100
2003 Porsche Boxster SBid Now1 hours$8,000
1966 Lincoln ContinentalBid Now3 hours$500
2000 Jaguar XJ8LBid Now4 days$1,250
1977 Datsun 280ZBid Now5 days$275
Comments
What a Gorgeous car !!!!!
Good luck to the bidders trying to figure out the true value of this car. It looks great but the more your read, the more you realize it is pretty much pieced together to make this a one-off creation. Again, it looks great and would be a blast to drive. It will be interesting to see what folks think it is worth.
In the resto business, this used to be known as a “bitzerinni”. A piece from here, a frame from there. Still a very beautiful car, but hard to quantify.
26 min remains and only $55,600+ bid. Might be close to the real maximum of its real, not sentimental value.
In the pics the color is darker than the original, but it is impossible to match with modern metallic.
The fuel injection is hard to prove or disprove as original to the car if the dates are within range .
I would want a dual 4 setup myself.
If you like nothing else about this car, the color should change your mind. ‘Vettes of this vintage all look nice, as long as they’re not that tiresome hugger orange and white.
I think you mean “Venetian Red”
whatever that red-orange color is that half of them seem to have. It’s so common it’s boring.
Yep. “Whatever”
Terry, we have a generational difference. You never ran or biked down to a local station to see one of these cars. Eight year old me couldn’t have been more impressed.
Does present nicely, and a serious buyer would have it inspected, I’d be worried about the mention of the frame needing attention. I would lose those wheels and go back to steelies or torque Thrusts. Good luck, wonder what the reserve is??
Cheers
GPC
I had a shot at an unrestored original Aztec Bronze ‘57 fuelie about 11 years ago when I purchased a ‘65 Shelby GT350. While I was inspecting the Shelby I noticed two other cars under covers in the garage. The seller contacted me a couple of years after and said he was letting the fuelie go and he wanted to give me first crack at it. I declined but am thinking now I should have taken it as it was a nice clean unrestored example, and (being a Shelby/Ford guy) I didn’t realize how rare the color was.
You think you have seen them all, but this page always surprises: The C (or maybe it is B) piller on the hardtop with that trim piece is new to me. The advantage of this car is that you need not fear to drive it, mechanically and bodywise it is not “original” so if you mess it up, you can fix it, and it won’t be worth any less. And, having owned a ’54 (semi-dog) and driven a ’62 (a great car) for a while, this is a sweet spot car – the early body with the advanced drivetrain, suspension, and brakes.
kind of off-putting for the seller to call eBay bidders cheapskates and low-baller idiots. But I dutifully slogged through the description and…to the seller’s credit the re is a litany of disclosures in addition to the front clip being replaced, the dash was replaced, the rear was “derived from a donner car” but the door jams and vin were salvaged from the original car. Oh, and frame VIN missing/altered. If I’d built it up from a destroyed vehicle I’d be proud as heck at the accomplishment, but with a boatload of additional caveats in the description…all I can think is thats 20 minutes of my life I won’t get back. WAY more problems with this car than the barnfinds discussion revealed.
Very kool! Buy it drive it like you stole it, wreck it, sell it, repeat! Awesome!!
One more superfluous comment. In 1956 when Zora was dialing this in, why go with drum brakes? I don’t get it. It surely wasn’t budgetary. Does anyone know?
Who wanted disc brakes in the ’50’s? Chrysler had some I think Airheart? Horribly expensive and foriegnish! Probably just a fad?
Regarding the text on this car, the correct name for the color they are talking about is Aztec Copper. And according to Corvette Black Book and Corvette DNA, there were 452 made in this color. But Chevrolet did make some cars in 1966 in Aztec Bronze.
And as far as how rare the color was on them, there is no way to tell if this was the original color. None of the C1s had trim tags. Additionally, there were no window stickers before ’58 to prove the color. So unless there is concrete validation of original paperwork showing the exterior/interior colors, it’s just a guess.
A link for a pic of a ’57 in Aztec Copper.
https://www.corvsport.com/aztec-copper-1957-chevrolet-corvette/
It doesn’t matter what color it is as it is a smorgasbord of parts and pieces. No knowledgeable Corvette purchaser would bother looking at it. It is a “driver” and that is all it will ever be. As stated above, it is a tribute to the builder and a great looking car and that is all it ever will be. Plus the seller appears to be a King “Richard” He knows exactly what he has. Every Corvette seller has a story. A few of them are true.
I’d look at it. All Corvettes are drivers. You wouldn’t meet yourself coming down the road. Would rather have this then a blaise’ red, black .white one. If you are looking at the price on this and can afford it, what’s the difference in 10 grand or whatever. Where I’m going, they won’t have ’em so I think I’ll enjoy them here.
@Clay Bryant
You wrote: “Would rather have this then a blaise’ red, black .white one.”
I wouldn’t mind this car if it were the right shade of Aztec Copper which this one isn’t. But my favorite color on 1956-57s, since it really gives them that 1950s flair is Cascade Green which is a misnomer since it is really more of a turquoise color. And it needs Beige coves.
https://www.corvsport.com/cascade-green-1956-chevrolet-corvette/6754109-1956-chevrolet-corvette-std/
Whatever the color is, I like it a lot better than the Aztec Copper. Just sayin’.
What a bunch of nick pickin couch potatoes, none of u an afford it what ever the price tag is! If u had the $ ur fat ole lady wouldn’t let u even go out & look @ it! It’s a beautiful car & I’m a Ford man & like runners & wouldn’t mind having it amonst all my fords, side by side next 2 my AC Cobra in the front
No sale at a maximum bid of $55,655.
It was relisted and made it up to $65,200 and still didn’t sell.
Cowboy up Barn find toads, put ur car expertize w/ur pennies & bid her up or shut up & build 1 urself, nice Cars aren’t heap