To Be OFFERED AT AUCTIONEstimate:
$135,000 - $165,000
- Sold new through Dueck on Broadway, Ltd., of Vancouver, British
Columbia
- Purchased by regarded privateer driver Laurie Craig;
successfully campaigned in period
- Overall winner at the 1966 Westwood Motor Sport Park Players
Pacific Championship
- Once driven by Sir Stirling Moss
The 1964 Chevrolet Corvette offered here is a remarkable machine
with an unmatched history. It left the Corvette line at the St.
Louis, Missouri plant on September 19, 1963 and was shipped to the
original dealer, the noted Dueck on Broadway, Ltd., of Vancouver,
British Columbia four days later on September 23, 1963. It was
fitted with the remarkable 327 cubic inch small block V-8 and was
painted in the ever popular Code 923, Riverside Red.
The car was first owned by noted racer Laurie Craig, as confirmed
by the legendary racer himself. According to an exhaustive history
of the car compiled by the consignor, Mr. Craig piloted the car at
numerous racing events in Canada, including countless laps at the
famed Westwood Racing Circuit, believed to be the first
purpose-built road course in Canada. It was at Westwood that Mr.
Craig's old friend, Sir Stirling Moss, drove the Corvette, as
confirmed in documentation provided by Mr. Moss himself. Craig's
success in the car played a major part in securing professional
sponsorship.
Keeping the car in stock configuration, Craig went on to dominate
numerous events including the prestigious Westwood Players Pacific
in May, 1966. Craig would campaign the car until late 1966, when it
was replaced with the brand-new Z/28 Camaro. The Corvette was
traded in on the Camaro to Mander Chevrolet, ending a highly
successful racing career with Laurie Craig. Despite many years of
racing, Mr. Craig's remembrance of the car is that it was "the best
racing car I ever owned."
In fact, once his racing career came to an end in 1989, Mr. Craig
is said to have often wondered whatever happened to his Corvette.
It was pure happenstance that he would come to find out, when the
consignor traced the car's ownership back through fourteen owners
to find Craig in January 2015. Craig was able to confirm the car's
VIN, finally put an end to more than three years of work for the
consignor and more than 40 years of wondering for Mr. Craig.
According to the consignor, from the time the car was driven off
showroom floor from one of Canada's most important dealerships, it
has been associated with some of the greatest names in racing
history. Owned by Laurie Craig and driven by Sir Stirling Moss, the
car has a strong, personal connection to numerous luminaries of
sports car racing, contributing a story that is virtually
unrepeatable and irreplaceable.
Well documented and beautifully presented, it is offered here in
stock condition, exactly as it was raced so many years ago, right
down to the original shade of Riverside Red paint with Laurie
Craig's number 220 on the door. Mr. Craig also autographed the
glove box door, underlining the connection between car and man. It
would make a truly remarkable vehicle for numerous shows, tours, or
could, with appropriate preparation, make a return to the track in
historic racing events around the country. Included with the sale
is an exhaustive history file in which the consignor documents the
car's competition and ownership history.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/0520.