The Chevrolet Corvette ranks high on the list of cars we run across here at Barn Finds for often having an interesting story dating from years back to go along with it, and this 1959 model for sale here on Craigslist is no exception.  It’s also not uncommon for health issues to be a factor in necessitating the sale, and while that does factor in here it’s only part of the overall picture.  The good news is this one has been given quite a bit of attention recently and is running, but it really needs a new owner who has the time to bring it to the next level.  If that’s potentially you, a visit to the small town of Niwot, Colorado will put you in the vicinity of the C1, and don’t forget to pack $42,000 if you’re planning to take this one home.

T.J., thanks for the great tip here!  We can trace the Corvette back to the nineties, when the owner’s stepdad, a welder by trade, bought the car to add to his collection.  By the early 2000s, he had the car running great and frequently drove it to car shows, but a series of unfortunate health incidents brought all that to a halt in 2005, and the ‘Vette sat for the following 14 years without even being started.  The next step involved the stepson, who removed it from storage and brought the car to Colorado.  He states that the exterior is in very good condition, which seems like a reasonable assessment as the car still looks quite good from every angle we get to view.  There’s no information about what kind of refreshing the finish has undergone in the past, but for a driver, it seems just fine the way it is.

The seller believes the motor is a 283, which sounds feasible as that was the standard powerplant back in ’59.  Some bad news though is the transmission, as the car was originally equipped with a manual but was changed out with an automatic, due to the owner’s height resulting in his not being able to operate the clutch.  But some good news is the manual’s whereabouts are known should the next owner want to revert things.  The engine is running and the seller says it sounds amazing, but it overheats and a stuck thermostat is believed to be the culprit.  There are also a few oil leaks that need repair.

It may not be perfect, but the interior is appearing mostly complete and in pretty good shape overall, with all of the gauges said to be functioning except the fuel indicator.  Another plus is the entire car is said to have been rewired just 2 years ago, so hopefully, any gremlins that may have been lurking in the electrical system have already been taken care of.  This one seems like an excellent candidate to take up a notch without all that much effort, and I’m thinking the price of $42k is in the ballpark.  What do you think?