Vehicle Description
To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at Auctions America's Auburn Fall event,
August 31-3, 2017.
Chassis No.
J59S108878
Estimate:
$150,000 - $175,000 US
It was widely acknowledged by the motoring press that the 1959
Corvette was extremely well executed, both in form and function.
Although the first series cars that were built from 1953 to 1955
introduced Corvette to the world, it was the second series, which
debuted in 1956, that truly earned the title "America's Sports
Car." The clean good looks of Harley Earl's new body design struck
a chord with the American public, and the second generation quickly
outsold its predecessor by a wide margin.
In 1958, Corvette was both lengthened and widened, assuming what
many of today's enthusiasts believe to be its most desirable form.
Zora Arkus-Duntov and Chevrolet Engineering dramatically altered
the Corvette's personality with a new focus on performance,
including a growing line of powerful small-block V-8 engines and
vastly improved handling. In turn, by 1959, Corvette production
neared 10,000 units, proof positive that Chevrolet had carefully
developed the car into a winner both on and off the track. Among
the subtle changes for the 1959 Corvette was concave instrument
lenses to reduce glare, a T-handle lockout for manual transmissions
to prevent accidental selection of reverse, repositioned armrests
and door handles, reshaped seats for better fit during hard
cornering, a storage space under the passenger grab bar, plus the
mechanical addition of trailing radius rods from the frame to the
rear axle.
This beautiful 1959 Corvette "Fuelie" has received an exceptional,
frame-off restoration, in which no expense was spared to achieve
the desired results. According to the owner, it has a known
ownership history, as well as documentation suggesting that this
example may be the only documented genuine fuel-injected '59 in
"triple black" known to exist. It is reportedly one of 745 built
with the optional 290-horsepower, 283 cubic-inch V-8, matched to
the desirable four-speed manual transmission, maximizing the
available power.
Accolades awarded this pristine model include Bloomington awards
and National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) awards, plus the
coveted NCRS Duntov Award, making this among the finest examples
available.
Great visual, detail, and mechanical presentation is a hallmark of
the Corvette from day one; this memorable 1959 Corvette boasts all
three in rich abundance.
