‘Sudden Death’ 1962 Corvette Is a Real Former Gasser With a Cool History

Owned by two best friends and no one else, this 1962 Corvette was converted for street use back in 1973.

Lots of people built lots of hot rods and drag racers back in the 1960s, but those cars have generally been converted back to street cars or modified in a more modern way in the years since. Few have made it to today in their period-correct form, and that includes this incredibly cool 1962 Corvette up for grabs at Bring a Trailer. This C1 was a real-deal gasser back in its early days before it was converted for street use, but it remains in that same condition all these years later.

What makes this 1962 Corvette even cooler is the fact that it’s been owned by two people who happen to be best friends. The original owner bought the Corvette new and immediately turned it into a drag racer in the old school gasser style, then proceeded to use it at the track for a whopping 11 years. In 1973, he sold it to his buddy, who converted it back into a street car.

That’s precisely how the car sits today as well, nearly 50 years later. It was painted way back in 1972 in its current shade of burnt orange with flames, “Sudden Death” graphics, and a Frank Frazetta “Death Dealer” mural on the trunk. The old Corvette rolls on a set of old-fashioned knock-off wheels wrapped with BFGoodrich radials. The exterior of the car is certainly not perfect, but it’s in darn good shape for a build of this vintage.

The same goes for the brown interior, which is in solid condition, though the seats could stand to be reupholstered. The cabin is pretty much stock, which is interesting given the wild exterior treatment, but why mess with what isn’t broken? Under the hood, the original engine is long gone, replaced by a bored-out, Rochester fuel-injected 327 with a Lunati Power hydraulic cam, Lunati lifters, and early GM-style angled plug cylinder heads. Power flows to a Positraction rear end fitted with 4.11 gears via a Muncie four-speed transmission.

This old C1 dragster is certainly a cool period hot rod as it sits, but its drag racing history makes it even cooler. Throw in the fact that the car also represents a very long-term friendship, and it’s truly a special find, even if it doesn’t command record money at auction.

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Photos:Bring a Trailer

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