2004 Chevrolet Corvette C5 Convertible Caught Wearing 1961 C1 Vette Body Kit

The first-gen Corvette has a fascinating story. It exists because GM’s styling boss at that time was a big fan of sports cars, European models in particular. He would later talk GM into building their own two-seater sports car, and two years later, the Corvette was born, but not without a few miscarriages.

See, GM developed several body variants, with the roadster wearing the Corvette moniker and a fastback being called the Corvair. The latter would never go into production, unfortunately. Then there was the two-door station wagon that would later get built as the Chevrolet Nomad. Fascinating stuff.

Fast-forward to 1961, GM would introduce the Corvette’s signature twin taillights on the C1, a design that persists even to this day – although it was a lot more prominent during those times, as well as with later models (C2 through C6). The C7 and C8 have since moved away from having four clearly distinctive light clusters at the rear, but the signature graphics remain.

Chevrolet unveiled the fifth generation Corvette in 1997 at NAIAS in Detroit, a model that’s not particularly beloved, but it does stand out as being the last-ever car to use pop-up headlights. Actually, that distinction is shared with the Lotus Esprit, but let’s not get too technical about it.

So then, what do the C5 and C1 Corvette have in common? Nothing really, except for when they come together Voltron-style in the shape of this so-called ‘Retro-Vette’, built by Classic Reflection Coachworks (CRC).

This car, currently up for grabs to the highest bidder, was finished in 2007 and as you can see, it comes with C1-style carbon fiber body panels, chrome bumpers and trim, C1-style badging, a black soft top, chrome five-spoke 19” and 20” wheels, plus disc brakes at all four corners.

The interior, meanwhile, is what you’d find on any regular C5 Corvette, with the leather-wrapped four-spoke steering wheel and bucket seats (upholstered in black and red leather) with custom backrests. The car also comes with power-adjustable seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a Bose sound system and, best of all, a head-up display.

As for performance, we know we’re dealing with a 5.7-liter LS1 V8 unit, good for 350 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque when new. Everything is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission.

The highest bid right now is $50,000, with two days left to go, which to be fair is a hefty sum. However, if you’re a big fan of the C1 Vette and you don’t mind the proportions being off (you can clearly see this isn’t a real C1), you might really enjoy driving such a unique vehicle.