1957 and 1955 Chevrolet Corvettes Uncovered

1957 and 1955 Chevrolet Corvettes Uncovered

1957 and 1955 Chevrolet Corvettes Uncovered

Forty-one years passed. “Get that Corvette running,” “Get it out,” “Let’s get it going,” everybody kept cogent Jay Wisler. Finally, in 2015, with his acquaintance Mike LaRocca’s prodding, Wisler unearthed this ’57 Vette, still with the aboriginal drivetrain and paint, autogenous rotted, but aswell “untouched” back new. Beside the ’57, Wisler had aswell stored addition “keeper:” a ’55, chicken with blooming interior; this one not so original.

From 1968 until 1975, Jay Wisler endemic a boutique acclimation and abating Vettes in Tampa, Florida. In 1974, a acquaintance mentioned a ’57 for auction about 45 account arctic in Leesburg. The amount in 1974 was $5,200, not absolutely bargain even 40-plus years ago. However, Wisler remembers in the aboriginal 1970s if aggregate “1957 Chevy” was hot: two-door hardtops, Nomads, convertibles and Corvettes. Wisler paid added for the ’57 due to its “untouched” status, actual difficult to acquisition even in the aboriginal 1970s. Also, the ’57 Vette was a 245-horsepower dual-quad 283 for auction by the aboriginal owner, a Colonel Edward Wright James, an Air Force adept of three wars: World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

1957 and 1955 Chevrolet Corvettes Uncovered

The ’55 Vette was abundant cheaper at $1,500, but it had no engine or transmission. “I bought the ’55 from an old acquaintance of abundance that bare the money to buy two Corvair Spyders that he anticipation were a bigger investment.”

More than one being has capital to buy these two old Vettes over the years. Most recently, the TV appearance Pickers bidding an absorption to do a shoot in Jay’s garage. Wisler dead the proposed accord because a prerequisite was affairs them one or both of the Vettes. Jay’s plan is to body the ’55 for his babe and accumulate the ’57 for fun active and car showing.

LaRocca is Jay’s actual accomplished acquaintance of a bisected century. “We pulled the cars out. We took the ’57 to Mike’s place. He went advanced and afflicted the oil, rebuilt the carburetors and we got the affair running.”

“The banker told Colonel James if he would delay two added weeks, Chevrolet was advancing out with a new four-speed, all synchronized area you don’t accept to stop to go into First gear. He said he didn’t wish one added accessory to anguish about shifting.” James lived in Tucson, Arizona, in 1957 if he went searching for a new Corvette. He begin 20 or 21 on the lot of City Chevrolet in Los Angeles, but none in the specific blush he wanted: Aztec Copper. Colonel James acquainted Aztec Copper would appearance the desert’s red dirt.

1957 and 1955 Chevrolet Corvettes Uncovered

The car got affluence bedraggled if James raced at El Mirage, apparently about 1957 or 1958. “He raced it one time at El Mirage in California. He fabricated a aerial mile and got a plaque. He told me he decoupaged that applique into a board coffee table with several added items from his aggressive service.”

The Colonel anesthetized abroad in 1981, but his wife, Betsy, 15 years younger, is still alive. She has no ability of the table, but affiliated the Colonel three years afterwards he bought the Corvette.

Wisler recalls James quoted his top acceleration in the aerial mile at 154 mph, a amount Wisler believes is not accessible with a banal three-speed and a set of 3.55s in a 245-horse Corvette.

1957 and 1955 Chevrolet Corvettes Uncovered

If any readers accept apparent a board coffee table decoupaged with SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) after-effects of an Aztec Copper ’57, forward an email to jerryheasley@gmail.com. We could bright up two mysteries: how fast this dual-quad 283 went in the aerial mile and what happened to that coffee table.

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