1958 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible, Silver Blue w/Blue interior, 4-Speed

Price: - Item location: Anaheim, California, United States
Description:

1958 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

Silver Blue w/Blue interior, N.O.M. small block, 4-speed manual transmission.Every Corvette fan has their favorite year or generation. And with over 65 years over Corvettes, there certainly is plenty to choose from. But milestone years tend to be the most popular. There is, of course, the ’53. The beginning of the legend is always significant. The ’57 is also a real popular choice. That year marked the end of sorts for that particular body style. There were actually four different... body changes for the C1. From ’53-’55, ’56-’57, ’58-’60 and ’61-’62. During this time span, the cars transitioned from a Roadster to an actual Convertible with roll-up windows.Subsequent years saw Corvette grow wider and longer, add a couple of headlights, more cubic inches along with more horsepower and more gears to shift . . . until finally, Corvette hit a peak so to speak in 1958. The year of “Gingerbread”. This was the Jet-age. Wings here, tall fins there, chrome everywhere! And Corvette was not immune to this “treatment”.In ’58 everything was just a bit over the top. This was the first year for dual headlights. The car was also longer and wider than the previous year. The hood featured a simulated louvered hood and two chrome trunk spears out back. The look was polarizing at first. You either loved it or hated it. But, it’s said time heals all wounds. And as the years went by, more people started to appreciate the “Gingerbread” that adorned the ’58 Corvette. As a result, time has been good to this year Corvette and the desirability factor has increased, so have the values. So much so that it is getting harder and harder to find a driver quality ’58, as most have been completely restored and thus . . . very expensive! Well, there are exceptions. And we here at Corvette Mike have found one . . .We are always looking for cool driver-quality Corvettes. Some years are more plentiful than others. But, one that is NOT plentiful is the ’58. Only 9,168 examples were produced and far fewer still exist today. Of the ones that are still on the road, most have been restored. So, we were delighted to hear about this ’58 “driver”. And we promptly jumped on the opportunity to acquire it!Coming from a local So. Cal client, this ’58 was used as her weekend toy until circumstances necessitated it go to its next caretaker. This car was believed to have come out of St. Louis with a fuel injected engine under its hood and a 4-speed manual transmission bolted to the back of it. That engine is long gone and in its place is a 350ci small block with a single 4bbl carb. This was likely done for drivability reasons, but it’s just speculation on our part. The shifter has been upgraded to a unit with a reverse lock out T-handle. Its Silver Blue exterior looks pretty original, or at least it’s been in the car for a good long while. The chrome is in good shape and the interior is in nice condition with seats that have been recovered and carpet that was replaced some time back. The chassis is original but clean with a new exhaust system. It starts up, idles nice and runs quite well. And the radial tires go a long way in helping with the ride and handling.What’s nice about this hardtop only ’58 is that you can drive it just the way it is and fix it up little by little or just go for it and do a complete restoration. Either way, you’ll end up with a great ’58 to drive, show and enjoy!