Hard to tell. But I would like to think so just in case I find it sitting in a shed somewhere. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
You're probably right, or he just didn't care. A full on side shot reveals its true homeliness. Then again, there's no accounting for taste. Look at Big John's 'vette. He did those goofy squared off wheel openings but thankfully did it on a less grand scale.
There are multiple pics of this car the way you see it here. If he changed it and it looked better, good for him. If it was kept as is then my opinion sticks.
Some of you guys can believe that Pete Arends 63 was ugly but I actually like the car. If I was at a car show today and there was a stock split window next to it I would spend 1/2 a second glancing at the stock car but would love to study what Pete did with his 63. He was a super competitive guy with pretty deep pockets and wanted to put a big block in a era when it was still in it's infancy. Big block Chevies were pretty much a concept when he built the car and he ran it in 64 with what I believe was a FE Ford motor. For 65 he switched to a 426 Chrysler hemi. Car was heavily modified all around and his car was chosen as the "Best engineered" car at Indy in 65. That is saying something IMO. How many hundreds of cars were there and how many had some pretty good engineering in all probability. I always found early drag racing interesting to see what guys came up with and I seem to remember chuckling when I saw how well some guys ran and how out of control other guys ran. I remember seeing guys with setback have trouble keeping their car under control and as much as I would shake my head and cringe, I still liked seeing the cars run. I also like the picture and I talked to the guy that took that picture at Indy, interesting character to say the least.
Great engineering, good taste and attractiveness aren't mutually exclusive. It could have a chassis designed by Colin Chapman, an engine built by Smokey Yunick and be driven by Bob Glidden. It's still ugly as catbox. It may sound funny but I find absolutely nothing wrong or silly about a beautifully stock or restored car, whether it's a Sting Ray, Ferrari GTO or Duesenberg. If every possibly historic car is butchered what happens to the historical aspect of the marque? I'm not saying a 'vette shouldn't be modified or raced, after all, it is a hot rod.
I would have to agree that the car should not win any awards for superior wheelwell design but I still like the car. I also like the wide bodied John Greenwood C3s and some of the C2s that ran road courses with some questionable wheel wells. My grandfather was a large car collector who started collecting classics and antiques in 1938, long before I was born and and I was around fine motorcars my whole life. I like original antiques, classics, muscle cars, luxury cars and even Corvettes. I also had a shop for 16 years in So Cal where I restored cars to 100 point status and am restoring a 1903 Cadillac now to 100 point status- I hope. My customers questioned my personal Corvettes in my shop and I had to explain why I had such pedestrian cars in my shop. I appreciate stock but I also like some cars that are modified and even some that are wild if they are done right or well engineered. I am not sure I would use Sting Ray in the same sentence as a Ferrari or Duesenberg-they are more iconic and certainly well engineered IMO. The Sting Rays (and Stingrays) are nice but they are for the most part production cars and they made tons. We can sacrifice a few to the modified gods in my opinion. Here are a couple of pics of Arends Mongoose. If I could have only stood next to the car back in the day, I can imagine I would have had a smile on my face.
A neighbor of mine has a 63 split window that's been back-halved. I would take a photo and post it but don't want to be responsible for someone getting worked up and popping an embolism.
A back-halved car in itself "shouldnt" be all that controversial, but an IRS and certain tires and wheels would get the bums rush for sure.
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