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Rare Color '61 Chevy Corvette Fuelie Garage Find Was Deemed Too Nice to Restomod

1961 was not only the first year when Chevrolet Corvette’s signature twin taillights made an appearance, but it was also a great model year for rare color combinations. Such as the Jewel Blue exterior with a matching blue interior we see on this numbers-matching Fuelie Convertible.
Original and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBay 23 photos
Photo: tbirdmcp / eBay
Original and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBayOriginal and rare color combo 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie barn find for sale by tbirdmcp on eBay
Bear with us because it gets better. After all, one can imagine, judging by the amount of patina shown in the gallery above, that we’re dealing with a Corvette with a great story. Indeed, that's true because this isn’t just any sort of classic car find (according to seller tbirdmcp, it’s been sitting idle in storage since the 1970s), but also a true survivor project car.

According to the description provided on eBay, the current owner bought the numbers-matching ‘Vette for a restomod instead of a restoration project, having the intention to swap the factory fuel-injected 283ci V8 (275 hp) with an LT4. And Lord only knows what could have happened with the four-speed manual transmission. Luckily, we really don’t need to continue with that line of thought.

That is because the seller decided the Convertible’s rare color combination, fuelie V8 engine, and the fact it’s so numbers-matching original was too good to destroy. As such, he explains that he couldn’t decide to tear the Corvette apart. He also adds that the car has been in a non-running state since purchasing it as a garage find, having been tucked in storage since 1974.

Additionally, the description states the exterior color to be Jewel Blue, the “second lowest production color available in 1961, with a total production run of 855!” When adding the white top and the blue interior into the mix, it seems that just 118 cars were produced with this exact combination.

Naturally, even though we’re dealing with a project car, it won't be cheap. The auction kicked off from a $30k threshold, and anyone willing to stop the countdown (which runs until late Monday, June 7th) needs to shell out exactly $36,500 via the “buy it now” option.
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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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