1965 Corvette Cutaway Is a One Million Dollar Work of Art!
1965 Corvette Cutaway Is a One Million Dollar Work of Art!
Given away and lost for decades, this once proud Corvette cutaway car lives on as a fascinating piece of history!
The Corvette brand is rich with history, perhaps more so than any other American-made vehicle. Given its sporty, groundbreaking nature, it’s also no surprise that Chevrolet built many interesting Corvette concepts and display models over the years. And yet, few can touch the incredible 1965 New York World’s Fair Corvette cutaway you see before you. The one-of-a-kind (actually one-of-two reportedly built) Corvette cutaway is easily one of the more interesting collectibles you’ll ever lay eyes on.
Back in the ’60s, the World’s Fair was the place for big time new car unveilings. So in 1965, Chevy wanted to highlight the innovative features of the Corvette lineup. Technology like fully independent suspension, fuel-injection, and standard four-wheel disc brakes. So they took a brand new, four-mile Nassau Blue Corvette and proceeded to spend a reported one million dollars to showcase that tech.
The pair of Corvette cutaways were sent to a specialty company for the eye-popping conversion. A support structure and four electric screw-style lifts allow the body to raise up 24 inches. A platform underneath allows all four wheels to spin and move up and down. Each component was painted a contrasting color so onlookers could easily differentiate the parts.
To give the Corvette cutaway its namesake, a bunch of components received cutouts. They included the engine block, cylinder heads, fuel-injection plenum chamber, intake manifold, bellhousing, rear differential, and transmission case, to name a few. And since everything works and moves, you can actually see it all in action.
Once the C3 Corvette came out, GM no longer needed the Corvette cutaway. So they donated it to a South African engineering college, where it remained for many years. It eventually made its way back to America, in the hands of collector Al Wiseman. Wiseman restored the car, which has been auctioned off three times since. Fittingly, its last hammer price at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale reached one million, the same amount Chevy reportedly spend building it. And best of all, this unique piece of Corvette history lives on!
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