Different Trevor Legate book

[linklaw]

I was at the local Half Price Books tonight and bought a copy of Trevor Legate's book "The Ultimate History of Corvette". It makes a nice shelf companion for his recent book about the Cobra. Trevor, I think I have some photos of a one owner, 20,000 mile 1955 Corvette that was pulled from a garage not 1/4 mile from my house last year. It had 1965 license plates on it and hadn't moved since then. The widow of the original owner was ready to sell it to a local car dealer for $15K, but her daughter intervened and said she wanted the car.  My friend, a former SCCA racer and national champ, was called by the widow to make the car ready to go.  It was flatbedded to my other friends shop where it was gone over, made to run and shipped off to California (to the daughter). If you would like, I'll try to find the photos and email them to you. They are interesting.

[nikbj68]

Half price Bookstore? The Swines! Don`t these folk know an appreciating asset when they see one?
   
   Nice barnfind, did you ever read the Tom Cotter book "The Cobra in the Barn"? Lots of heartwarming tales of discovery & resurrection.

[TLegate]

I'd love to see those photos! But we had better not keep discussing the dreaded Vette on a Cobra-related site :-)
   
   I always liked the look of the Corvettes despite everyone telling me how average they are to drive. I was 'persuaded' to do that book (money changed hands) and having experienced several examples from '55 onward, my desire to own one is about zero. I bet that local dealer was upset when he saw his pension disappear on a flatbed.
   Can I suggest you just look at the nice piccies in the book as I was given a whole 4 months to research and write 50,000 words AND source all the photos. I said it couldn't be done...!!

[linklaw]

nikbj68, I did read "Cobra in the Barn" and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have always maintained that half the fun of the old car hobby is searching out long forgotten vehicles and attempting to buy them. About 10 years ago I stopped to look at a RWA Midget for sale in a driveway a half mile up the road from my house. I noticed another car in the garage, but could only see the rear bumper.  I thought it was a Mercedes 190 but asked the owner "Is that a Mercedes 300sl?"  He said "Come here and help me move these bikes and you can take a look at it"  After we moved several bicycles that were parked against/next to it and lifted the upside down canoe off of it, sure enough, there was a 1960 or 61 300sl roadster, still in its original paint, with hardtop installed. The gent inherited the car from his father in law who had purchased it new. He knew what he had and the car was not and is not for sale, but I ended up with a fun story and made a new friend. Several years later, I bought a low mileage 71 Etype 6 cylinder coupe from a fellow who lives 2 doors away from the guy with the Merc. I chased that one for 11 years before finally being able to buy it.  I sold it in 2005 to help pay for my MK IV. They're still out there waiting to be found, just keep your eyes and ears open! John

[nikbj68]

Cool stories, John!
   I kept talking to the owner of a Jensen Interceptor who was '...going to do something with it one day...', but 2 years after I started talking to him, the shed it was in collapsed. Total write-off. Cruel.