Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 194379S701138
Corvette enthusiasts are automotive historians at heart. They were
by far the first to pore over the details of original cars,
documenting them and creating a system to verify and judge them
based on authenticity and correctness. It should come without
surprise, then, that these are the most collected Corvettes; those
unrestored cars with known provenance and documentation. This
particular example from The Stingray Survivor Collection, a 1969
427/390 L36 Coupe finished in its original factory-applied Can-Am
White over a rare Red interior, certainly must be the definition of
a collectible Corvette.
As evidenced by the Protect-O-Plate and Dillion Chevrolet Order
Form, Lucian Zschau walked into his local dealer in Greenfield,
Massachusetts in the fall of 1968 looking for something special to
replace his 1967 Pontiac Firebird 400 Sport Coupe. Clearly a fan of
the sporting GM Coupe roofline, Zschau ordered his 1969 Corvette
Coupe in rare Can-Am White over an even rarer Red upholstered
interior. It is said that Chevrolet dealers were encouraged to
order new 1969 Corvettes in the historic colors of White over Red,
just like the inaugural 1953 roadster to help commemorate the
"Sweet 16" anniversary of the of the Corvette. It is unknown if
Zschau was persuaded by this historic connection or the dealer, but
it certainly makes for an impressive color combination! The
original window sticker details the additional extras ordered that
day, with the standout being the L36 427 cubic-inch, 390-horsepower
"Turbo-Jet" big block engine, added for $221.20. Delivering 460
lb-ft of torque, the L36 offered the same low-end power as other
big blocks and came equipped with hydraulic valve lifters, a
high-performance camshaft, and a Rochester Quadra-Jet carburetor.
Further options listed on the original window sticker include head
restraints, Positraction (3.70:1 ratio), power steering, Goodyear
white stripe tires, front fender louver trim, AM/FM pushbutton
radio and the M21 close-ratio four-speed manual transmission.
By all accounts it is likely that Zschau enjoyed his Can-Am White
big block Coupe around the roads of the northeast United States,
accumulating 21,877 miles by March 1986 as noted on an appraisal
report that describes the car as "...exceptional, excellent,
well-maintained, original..." The appraisal was likely conducted in
advance of Zschau's passing in February 1987 when the car was
offered to and later acquired that July via his estate by William
Gloy, the owner of the eponymous Gloy's Garage which had serviced
the car since 1971. Gloy retained the car until 2004 before selling
it to James Ewart also of Greenfield. A 2005 appraisal report
conducted for Ewart by Thomas Dillion of Dillion Chevrolet - the
original selling dealer - confirms the mileage at the time as
23,745, less than 2,000 miles covered since 1987 and a sure sign of
the increasing collectability of the big block Coupe.
In May 2008 with just 23,815 original miles, this 1969 L36 big
block Coupe joined its best-of-the-best third-generation Corvette
counterparts in The Stingray Survivor Collection. It, like the
others, had survived 50-plus years in its factory applied lacquer
finish, without modification, and features a detailed and unbroken
chain of ownership. On 20 April 2024 this remarkably original
Stingray earned an NCRS Top Flight award at the NCRS Indiana
Chapter's Big Block Saturday, with a very impressive score of
95.2/100 (judging sheets available for review), reinforcing its
exceptional quality. Today, this rare Can-Am White over Red
Stingray Coupe features only 24,109 original miles, and is offered
with its original window sticker, dealer order form,
Protect-O-Plate, NCRS judging sheets, correspondence and the
knowledge that it is one of the finest documented original examples
on offer today.
