Although the Corvette remained in its first-generation state through 1962, some changes and modernization were taking place as the fifties decade progressed including a new body style in 1956 and an upgraded nose in 1958 that featured quad headlights, the latter which carried over unchanged on the ’59 model but when things looked this slick up front I guess the design team at Chevy were thinking why mess with it.  This 1959 Chevrolet Corvette here on eBay needs restoration, but it seems solid and probably a worthy candidate if you’ve been searching for a C1 project.  The ‘Vette is in Walker, Louisiana, with bidding already up to $30,200 without the reserve being met, but with a buy-it-now price of $32,000, the amount appears close to what the seller may be hoping for.

This one’s got a fun story behind it, as the seller tells us his Corvette had been napping for 30 years in a hay barn in Mississippi until recently and was originally a Louisiana car, to where it has now been returned.  Black is also the factory color, even though a lot of the finish is either faded or in the case of the trunk, not that color at all, but the body is believed to have never been hit or damaged and is said to still have the bonding strips intact.  I’m enjoying how the wide whitewalls make the outside appearance scream fifties, but being that the tires are likely decades old it’s time for a new set as soon as the new owner gets this one running.

No attempt has been made to try and start the car, plus the seller thinks it’s got a NOM, with what he believes is a 283 from early 1957 under the hood now based on the casting and date code.  With all this idle time, the entire drivetrain will probably need a good going through, but if the 283 is indeed originally of the twin 4-barrel variety as the seller notes the powerplant may be worth retaining and sourcing a correct intake and carbs then returning things to factory specs instead of swapping it out for something else, as this sounds like a pretty cool setup to find in a ’59 if that’s accurate information.

Here’s the kind of cosmetic deterioration 30 years in a hay barn will do to a topless Corvette, but most of the instruments appear to be intact and the floorboards seem solid from the photos we get to view.  The seller also provides several pictures from the underside, which show a platform that looks to be well preserved overall with just a few areas of surface rust present, so hopefully the areas down below will require only a minimum of attention.  With its sound frame and decent body, I think this one will likely be worth the effort needed to get it back on the road.  What are your thoughts on this 1959 Chevrolet Corvette?