Numbers Matching 1962 Corvette is a True Throwback

This Corvette is like a time machine back to 1962 and the last of the C1 era.

The 1962 Chevrolet Corvette is a middle child. Stuck between the more curvaceous earlier cars and the attention-stealing C2 Sting Ray. But even the middle child Corvette stands out, especially a convertible wearing Roman Red.

Listed on Bring A Trailer, this 1962 Corvette includes the original numbers-matching 327 cubic inch V-8. The base-level engine produced 250 horsepower and mated to a three-speed manual transmission. What makes this car special is how authentically original it appears. Equipped like it came from the factory with a hardtop, heater, Wonderbar AM radio, and seat belts.

Repainted Roman Red, this car includes color-matched fender coves and cast rocker-panel accents. The quad headlamps carried over from when they appeared in 1958. But creased rear fenders and four round taillights hint at the styling for the upcoming C2.

The removable hardtop is painted red and the color carries over to the interior. Red vinyl upholstery, carpets, and trim cover the cockpit. The dashboard’s center stack houses the heater, radio, and analog clock. A full set of gauges peak out at the driver from behind the large, flat steering wheel. The large speedometer sweeps in an arc to 160 mph. Beneath it recessed round gauges provide info for fuel, temperature, battery, and oil pressure, along with a center-mounted tachometer.

The Chevrolet small-block V-8 grew to 327 cubic inches in 1962, courtesy of a 4.00-inch bore and 3.25-inch stroke. GM produced over 100 million Chevrolet small block V-8s, starting in 1954. They found their way into just about every model Chevrolet sold since that time. An incredibly stout and reliable engine, it offered performance and flexibility for any purpose. It was not only a great engine for the Corvette, but for some specialty Italian cars as well.

Beginning in 1962 the Corvette received the 327 cubic inch V-8. But the ’62 Corvette was a car of “lasts”. The last Corvette with exposed headlamps until the C6 debuted in 2005. The last Corvette with a trunk lid until the C5 convertible launched in 1998. It was the last Corvette equipped with a solid rear axle. And the last Corvette to wear sheet metal designed by Harley Earl, before the Sting Ray ushered in the shear creases of the Bill Mitchell era.

Photos: Bring-a-Trailer