Estimated Price: £80,000 - £100,000

First launched in 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette fully came of age in the latter years of its first generation, matching its top billing as ‘America’s sports car’ with the introduction of V8 power in 1955. The C1 Corvette only improved with time, enjoying incremental advancements culminating in a hugely successful restyle in 1958. This included the distinctive quad-headlamp arrangement (that it would carry through the end of first-generation production) balanced by a simplified grille with nine teeth (rather than the 13 seen up until that point), bumper-exiting exhaust tips, and exterior brightwork. Design exclusives to the 1958 model were a ‘washboard’ hood with decorative louvres, and a rear deck lid sporting chrome ‘tusks.’ Improvements were just as effective inside, with a redesigned dashboard that moved all instruments directly ahead of the driver (including a 160-mph speedometer), a new steering wheel, a passenger grab-bar, and seatbelts. These combined to push the Corvette in a more upmarket, up-to-date, design-centric direction, retaining this look through to the end of C1 production in 1962.

The car presented here is a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette C1 factory-fitted with the rare and highly desirable Dual Quad 283/270HP engine (i.e. 283 ci V8, 2x4 Carter carburettors), and a 4-speed Borg-Warner T10 manual transmission. With 270bhp these particular C1s are known for their performance and were a significant step up from previous models. It's one of just 978 examples produced with this engine and one of 1,399 examples originally finished in Signet Red for 1958. Additional desirable details include a 'posi-traction' rear axle with 4.11:1 gears and that the car was a genuine factory ‘radio delete’ option, meaning that it has never had a hole drilled in the quarter panel for an aerial - quite the classic Corvette!

As a matching-numbers, no-accident, all-original-fibreglass/bonding-stripes-still-present example, it was the ideal candidate for a refresh and, in 2011, whilst still in America where they know these cars best, the Corvette was treated to a total body-off restoration lasting several years. The restoration was a masterclass in how to enhance a classic car and ensure it endures for another 60+ years, whilst also retaining important and unrepeatable originality. The details of the work involved are comprehensive, so please contact the car’s Consignor for the full and itemised PDF brief – you will not be disappointed, it is as exacting an example as any aficionado would hope for; the expertise, the attention to detail, plus the time and money invested, are impressive.

Looking quietly at this superb, sparkling red ’58 C1 Corvette, it's not hard to understand why the population of America, with the memories of a World War fading and the evidence of future prosperity all around, fully endorsed the period Chevrolet advertising ‘Brand New and Bred for Action’ – it certainly was and its abilities to captivate sports car fans, some 50 years or so later, has not diminished. This is a very special car and will repay your close attention.