Vehicle Description
To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at Auctions America’s Auburn Fall event, September 1-4, 2016.
Chassis No.
10867S110560
Estimate:
$ 55,000 - $ 65,000 US
By 1961, the Corvette had evolved from going like the wind in a straight line with limited cornering margins, into a sports car for which no owner needed to make excuses to the “sporty car set” of the period. Climb into the businesslike bucket seats of the 1961 Corvette and feel the response to the steering inputs and the pavement-charring acceleration.
The major change in appearance for the 1961 platform was the rear end treatment, which was derived from the Sting Ray GM racing Corvette owned at the time by legendary stylist Bill Mitchell. The squatter look achieved a crisper and fleeter presence than the previous models. The front end was basically unchanged and new bumpers fore and aft blended nicely into the body design. The exhaust tips were now routed under the body instead of through the bumper tips. There was no mistaking the Corvette for any other car, and it was improving steadily in engineering excellence. Chevrolet would produce 10,939 similar cars during the model year.
Looking fantastic in Roman Red with white coves, white soft-top and red interior, this 1961 Corvette is powered by a 283-cid V-8 engine connected to a three-speed manual transmission. Among the other features are an optional heater, Wonder Bar AM radio, whitewall tires and full factory hubcaps.
This Corvette boasts a style with ample power to entice most followers of the marque, and the legend of Corvette.
Additional information recounts the story of this special 1961 Corvette. The owner conveys that he “purchased this 1961 Corvette on July 15, 2015 from John Sadler, age 73. Mr. Sadler owned the car for 32 years. He kept it in a climate controlled garage four miles from where I’ve lived my entire life. Mr. Sadler never did anything to the car except service it once a year and put black seatbelts in it, which I’ve removed and put with the documents. Mr. Sadler told me that he put approximately 2,554 miles on this Corvette since he purchased it. ; I have a log book that proves that. As far as we (the owner) can tell, the car has never been completely restored; and I’m not sure if the whole car has ever been painted. I personally found every body seam on the car. That tells me the car has not been wrecked. I can’t find anything that contradicts that story.”
The owner continues: “Mr. Sadler purchased the car from Mr. Thomas Bartlett III in Owensboro, KY; and Mr. Bartlett bought the car in 1973 from a man who was Regional Manager for Gulf Oil Company. The car was born red and has 99% of all its original equipment. The only thing I have done to the car is give it a 3-day bath, clean the interior, wet sanded and buffed it and pressure washed the bottom. It seems to be a very nice find and I just hope that the new owner enjoys the car as much as we did. Just finding this jewel is phenomenal; and to think, I found it only four miles from my home, where the population is only 1,500.”
