Mossy C1 Corvette Duo Take Preservation to New Levels
Mossy C1 Corvette Duo Take Preservation to New Levels
How far would someone go to preserve nature’s work on a crusty C1 Corvette? Apparently, pretty darn far!
As legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan once famously said, “the times, they are a changin’.” And that sentiment is no more true than in the world of collector cars. While buyers used to covet only perfectly restored, better-than-new gems, today we’ve experienced a 180 in the market. Instead of concours-winning rides, now buyers want crusty, untouched barn finds. But the story behind this C1 Corvette duo, highlighted recently on Barn Finds, takes that standard to an entirely new level.
Apparently, the 1956 Corvette sat in a field next to a garage in Pennsylvania for many years. And as we so often hear, many attempts at purchasing it were denied. Until last August, when it and a much less deformed 1954 Corvette were scooped up by a man named Kim Walker. Walker himself had known about the C1 Corvette duo for around 15 years.
From what we can gather, the ’56 required a hedge trimmer, at the very least, to remove from its long time resting place. Walker says that it was the original owner’s daily driver for around five years, after which it slowly sank into the earth until last year. The ’54 was originally purchased in 1964, driven for a year, then parked inside a garage until 2013. After that, it sat in a carport for roughly five years.
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The most interesting part of the story, however, is the measures Walker took to preserve the patina on this incredible C1 Corvette duo. His wife actually watered the moss growing on the ’56 to keep it looking green. Walker himself wouldn’t even open the hood because he was scared to disturb the vegetation. Both cars have since sold. The ’56 will remain, at least for now, in its current state. The new owner of the ’54, on the other hand, intends to restore it. And as a result of Walker’s efforts, they’ve both got one cool story to tell!
