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History The Found Corvette of Le Mans

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ryan, Feb 7, 2022.

  1. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    I wonder what they will do about the motor...

    Dude... I wasn't coming down on ya. You are one of the good ones.
     
  2. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Documentation is everything with old race cars and half of the old cars that ran in those races have been rebuilt and redone times over due to wrecks or even to make them appear as current (at the time) year model.
    I'd figure that they will come up with mostly original 60 parts to replace the modified parts and an early Corvette specialist will cut and splice the nose back with an original nose from a donor. The block, heads and intake have to have the correct date codes and casting numbers.
    The car may have come with specific to that car or those three engine codes but a CS code block is probably appropriate according to the GM Heritage center archives pfd pages (gmheritagecenter.com)
    Not to get off subject but as far as old race cars go, it seems that if you have the original chassis you can build or add everything else including building a new body.
    Back in 2006 or maybe slightly earlier this Devin bodied car showed up for sale. Sharp eyes figured out that the chassis was a Specific Ferrari race car chassis.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Something that Highlander and a couple of others may know far more about than I do. I was just a big fan of Devins having had a body in the raw at one time. Last word that I had was that they were basically building the Ferrari back to it's original race livery appearance from scratch.
     
  3. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 14,811

    Jeff Norwell
    MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    Anything Briggs Swift Cunningham touched... is Gold.
     
  4. indyjps
    Joined: Feb 21, 2007
    Posts: 5,377

    indyjps
    Member

    Yes, amazed it was transported back to US, but once it got here it was an outdated wrecked race car. The team likely stripped the factory racing parts off for spares on the other 2 and sold what was left. Looked for funding, or a ride, or a team for next year and never thought twice about it.

    Very interested in the story from hitting the dock to now. The paths some cars take, particularly vettes can be a winding road. Consider how many corvette race cars were on the strip in the 70's, and how many miraculously untouched low mileage original engine cars there are now. It just dont jive.
     
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  5. I love the history, the mystery, the subsequent story of discovery and the 'LIVE' posting! As for its being owned by at least two different people that had no idea of its history, let's just say that we are not all alike and those of us that love the history of a car are the reason we are here on the HAMB in the first place and others are just horse traders.
     
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  6. I don't know if you subscribe to Motortrend, but they featured the number one car on an episode of Autobiography I believe in Season 2. They even spoke to the guy directly who fought for ownership of the car before it was auctioned off.
     
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  7. MCjim
    Joined: Jun 4, 2006
    Posts: 954

    MCjim
    Member
    from soCal

    Exactly...It can't.
     
  8. I love that a now historic Corvette race car was painted purple with a Pontiac engine and drag raced…I would buy that guy a beer!
     
  9. mgermca
    Joined: Mar 2, 2008
    Posts: 261

    mgermca
    Member

    OK, I read carefully and am trying to follow along...... ( "Then, last night I got a note from Anderson...") but who is Anderson?

    Also not surprised no. 1 came back from Europe, wouldn't a bond have had to be paid to get the cars into France so they'd have to leave to get the bond back , if left there I believe additional costs would be incurred?
    I seem to recall a story about ol' Carroll telling someone to dump the Cobra Coupes in the channel 'cause he didn't want to pay full transport all the way back to the 'states? That would have been a good move, right?
     
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  10. hotrodjack33
    Joined: Aug 19, 2019
    Posts: 4,128

    hotrodjack33
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    It's a matter of perspective. If you even change the air in one of the tires, in theory, it's not the original "as raced" LeMans car anymore. It comes down to, how many parts can you change restoring the car back to original, and still call it the #1 car?
    With the chassis number verified, my guess is a lot:)
     
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  11. junkman8888
    Joined: Jan 28, 2009
    Posts: 1,035

    junkman8888
    Member

    Wouldn't it have been fun to buy that Devin on the Ferrari chassis and replace the Devin body with one from a Corvette?, that way you could irritate not one but two groups of insufferable automotive purists at the same time!
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2022
  12. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 23,757

    Deuces

    I believe that's the video I mentioned earlier... I knew I seen it on the tube... Should be a video about it on the net...:)
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  13. Anderson
    Joined: Jan 27, 2003
    Posts: 7,155

    Anderson
    Member

    He's just this guy, you know?
     
    HEMI32, bowie, Tman and 1 other person like this.
  14. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 23,757

    Deuces

    Your kidding, right????....:rolleyes:
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2022
  15. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 23,757

    Deuces

    That purple piece of crap sold for $785,000.00 bucks!:confused:
    Hope it gets restored back too the original #1 car....
     
    VANDENPLAS likes this.
  16. Nope not kidding at all, at the time it was just a car, I think it’s a great part of the car’s history. As @Ryan said I believe cars have a life and a journey, I wish they could tell their story’s…
     
  17. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    Wish we had a “like the shit out of that” button.
     
  18. Anderson
    Joined: Jan 27, 2003
    Posts: 7,155

    Anderson
    Member

    thanks for that heads up! I guess we’re all late to the party on this one. The car is under full restoration currently it seems. They did install an original ‘60 front clip…the original one for the car was destroyed in the LeMans crash. The person restoring the car had been collecting parts to do this restoration long before they even found #1. He is the same guy who restored #3. The folks who bought #1 are the Briggs Cunningham family. This has a very happy ending.

    The restorer, who had been looking for these cars for quite some time, acquired the VINs to all three by writing the LeMans racing guys and simply asking for them. So when this car surfaced, they already had the VIN to check.

    I might be able to find them online, but since I am too lazy I took shots off my TV. Here’s the car in its customized form from back in the day. Not too bad I still say. One of the tell-tell signs indicating it is the #1 car is the passenger side windshield wiper which was relocated to the center.
    F0C97956-7BC7-4AE0-A382-CAACAB056ACF.jpeg E8681DD4-F63B-43CD-ABAB-EF8B376056D7.jpeg 46072099-E0B4-4E55-AA8F-DA3A6B7DFB00.jpeg
     
  19. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member


    Good find!
     
  20. That's why I've always said I think of my old cars as "time machines" as they pass through our lives and that's why I rarely sell one the ones that I have. I connect to them and their history. I wish that there was a "button" on the dash of each one so I could let them take me down the line at the Ford plant and out the door into peoples lives . I'd love to see the roads its traveled and the people whose lives it has touched. As a kid, my generation and many others have made owning their first car the most important thing, a spiritual experience, in our lives and it hasn't changed much for me in the last 50 years.
     
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  21. The value and story is in the provenance. Every part can be replaced, copied or faked. The actual physical car is almost irrelevant. The story is known, NO original parts are left except body chunks and maybe the frame so make it “look” correct and be a rock star!
     
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  22. You guys really are my people. You get it. I hope for each of us and our cars that the next guys who own them include us in the cars' stories.
     
  23. ronzmtrwrx
    Joined: Sep 9, 2008
    Posts: 1,137

    ronzmtrwrx
    Member

    Aside from the center mounted wiper, the 37 gallon fiberglass gas tank was another indicator verifying the car. There are none of those in circulation now or even back then. I have a close friend that is a long time Corvette restorer, NCRS judge, and a go to guy for info on the 63’s, especially the tankers. Anyway, he’s well known in those circles and comes to my shop often. Just a great all around guy. We had talked about this car a couple months ago when he was by the shop. He has seen the car, and says it’s legit. It’s definitely an interesting, twisting, turning story.
     
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  24. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Last edited: Feb 8, 2022
    Hamtown Al and rod1 like this.
  25. All this is great reading and speculation, but I'm still trying to digest the fact that Ryan just bought his daughter a Mini Countryman.:eek:;)
     
    Jibs, woodscaper, greener200 and 18 others like this.
  26. Minis? They are fun,nimble little cars- I'm 6'6" and fit comfortably (my sister has a convertible) :D
     
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  27. .........I was just messin' with Ryan. I'm sure they are a blast to drive. I would proudly own one. I just can't believe she's old enough to be driving. Seems I do recall him mentioning that she is off to college. Where the heck does time go?!
     
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  28. BrerHair
    Joined: Jan 30, 2007
    Posts: 5,006

    BrerHair
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    God I love this place.
     
    GreenMtnBoy, mad mikey and Deuces like this.
  29. Man.. this long-gone daddy is restoring that thing as the beautiful custom it is in these two pics above. That's one of the coolest C1's I've seen for a while.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Feb 8, 2022
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  30. stanlow69
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 7,348

    stanlow69
    Member Emeritus

    This thread is as cool as the old drag car Pontiac that a member posted (10 years ago) a pic he found on E-Bay. Turned out to be a light-weight Pontiac. Something like a buy it now price of $1200. It ended up selling for $160,000 or so. Or quite a bit more. This is the thread that me fall in love with the HAMB.
     

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