1953 #217

[vettecityman53]

While we are at it.....#276 appeared in Canada (in storage in Montana, actually) and just sold. I missed it, as Maxwell Smart would say, by that much! I was second in line to buy it; it was offered to someone else (supposedly a long-term promise), if they declined, it was mine! Well, its not mine, the first buyer did buy the car. It has its history to 1957 when it was bought from a Chevrolet dealer in Seattle. The block, head, and valve cover and transmission are long gone, and the body is slightly customized, but unhit! It has 300,000+ miles on it, but it is a very strong candidate for restoration. #39 from the Wiseman collection was missing a lot but was restored (over restored?) to NCRS specs. #93 from Donna and Joe Bridgeman is a very nice car...it was at one time a parts donor for their prized 53, #27!!! From what I have heard from others, nothing much was pilfered, more traded. It was still very original and a very strong car, especially by today's standards. While we are at it......I would love to know about some other numbers, #40, #161, #165, #167, #184, #190 and #299. Both #161 and #167 were in Kentucky around Louisville and Lexington. #165 was for sale in Florida in the mid-80's and was missing the engine and the front clip; it was pretty much unsellable then. #40 is reportedly hidden in a basement in or around Cape May, NJ (in pieces, including the body!). All of these cars were known to make it into the 70's, when their historical values were beginning to be known. Surely they must exist today. I personally was tracking #167 and #184, but have come up dry.

Also, let's note this for future records, #279 was destroyed in a garage fire in the late 1970's. Some moron in a garage was replacing the exhaust and hit the fuel line!!! The car and most of the garage was destroyed. I talked to the owner about this car and learned about this horrible story from him. The car (what little was left of it) later ended up at Bloomington in the early 1980's and was sold; it ended up in the hands of a collector in Southern Indiana, who still owns the remains today. I wonder how long it will be before it gets restored, gets an NCRS top flight, and sells for half a million bucks?!?!?!

 

[53 Blue Flame]

Not sure about the missing vin #s. I can tell you that #039 is not done to NCRS specs at all. 54 hood, hood pull, tail light fins are sanded improperly, a few painted dash knobs, service replacement intake manifold, repro valve cover, rivets not squeezed, body way over restored, incorrect parking light bezels. Now, the plus side. The cosmetics are very, very, nice. It's very over restored and will bring money from the buyer who is not a 53 guy. The buyer will be full of money and just want the 53 that is pretty and mostly flawless. It's a very beautiful car but not what a typical 53 guy would like, in my opinion.

It will bring good money and I hope Terry gets it.

 

[Toms007]

Early Corvettes are not my expertise (no where near), but I remember seeing a 53 in "Pioneer Village" Minden, Nebraska. There are probably 400-500 antique cars there, and as I walked through one of the buildings there she sat. I took pictures of it, but have no idea where they are. Now remember, this was back in the late 70's, but this car looked pretty beat sitting in there. Has anyone seen this one or have info about it? Again, please forgive me for butting in here, but I thought this might be of interest to you guys.

 

[Tom Bryant]

You're not butting in Tom. Any 1953 info is interesting and welcome.

Tom

 

[vettecityman53]

Thanks and don't worry about butting in here.....any comments are welcome. I will check on the lead in Nebraska....just love looking up leads and looking for old forgotten treasures.

 

[jnelcar]

There was an early vette barn find at Funfest in Effingham around 02 or 03. I think it was a 53, but it could have been a 54. The display board that was with the car said that the original owner would use the vette to pull their wooden speedboat to the marina. Unhappy w/ the towing performance of the 6 cylinder, they contacted their friend (insert famous race team owner) who sold them an FI 283 out of a wrecked racer. A few years later following a minor collision, the car was put into storage and never repaired. As I remmeber it, whoever was displaying the car had purchased the Corvette and the boat from the original family and was planning to restore both.

Is anyone familiar with this car?