Pennant Blue C1 Corvette Shines in Nice Survivor Condition

Outside of an old repaint, this beautiful 1954 Corvette is mostly original. And it doesn’t need much, either.

Sad as it may seem, we’re getting to the point where it’s rather difficult to find a nice original C1 Corvette. Most of what’s out there in the world consists of clapped out barn finds or fully restored jewels. And both of those breeds come with rather high price tags for what you get. So what if you just want a nice early Corvette that won’t break the bank and isn’t so perfect you’re afraid to drive it?

Well, you certainly couldn’t go wrong with this nicely sorted 1954 Corvette we spotted on eBay recently. Except, unfortunately, it’s already sold to someone for the rather reasonable price of $39,000. That looks like a pretty darn good deal for a car that’s painted a nice yet rare (one of 300) color and is in solid shape. And outside of a repaint back in the ’70s, it looks to be in mostly original condition, too.

Which, of course, means that it’s far from perfect. This rolling definition of a 20-footer has some bubbles and other imperfections in the paint. The white top is stained. It’s dirty under the hood, and the interior isn’t unscathed. But in our opinion, that only adds to the appeal. This Corvette isn’t a show car, but rather one that you’d be happy to drive just about anywhere with no worries.

Granted, you won’t be blowing anyone’s doors off with the old Blue Flame 6-cylinder and Powerglide automatic transmission. Speed wasn’t a selling point for the ’54, but it’s still a beautiful car to cruise around in. It’s been converted to a 12-volt electrical system, and everything mechanical is said to work well. Except for a top gear in the transmission that won’t engage, that is.

There are a few niggles on the inside as well. The Wonderbar radio and fuel gauge aren’t currently working. The seller notes that the car needs a new speedo cable. But that’s simple stuff that shouldn’t take a lot of money or effort to correct.

Sure, this C1 Corvette is obviously a great candidate for a restoration. But personally, we’d rather just fix the broken stuff and drive it. If for no other reason than there just aren’t many cars like it out there in the world anymore.

#gallery-1 {
margin: auto;
}
#gallery-1 .gallery-item {
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 33%;
}
#gallery-1 img {
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
}
#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {
margin-left: 0;
}
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Photos: eBay