Purists are part of the car hobby, and they play a solid role in the history of vintage cars.
Purists ensure automotive history is preserved in the form of a correct version of a car somebody built several decades ago.
That’s not the case with this 1960 Corvette.
Jerry Sutherland
This car stood out like a neon sign on a desert night at a big car show because it was lime green.
There’s a reason for the paint. David Badger bought this car 25 years ago, but it didn’t look anything like it does today. David explained how the car was “In a million pieces” so the Vette was far from a complete car.
In fact, it was a collection of Vette parts from different years and different cars, so it was light years away from being a correct 1960 Corvette. That reality meant David could ad lib on this project and create his version of a vintage Vette.
The previous owner was a teacher who used his summer vacation to build and flip classic cars. Apparently, he ran out of summer on this Vette project, so that’s when John stepped up and saved the car from a grim, nasty future as a potential donor car. John thought the car was worth more in parts than as a whole car because of what he called the “Corvette rate” for parts–but he still wanted to rescue it.
He saw a future for the Vette, so that’s why he saved the car even though the Canadian dollar was more like a peso against the US dollar in the early 21st century. John admitted he’d owned a Vette before so that was another reason why he wanted to save this one.
John wasn’t sure where the 283 small-block/4-speed combination came from, but he knew it wasn’t his car. That reality was only a small speed bump on the project because John didn’t care where the engine came from—but he did know he wanted to use it.
Many guys would have plunked an LS-1 under the hood, hooked it up to a 6-speed manual and moved on in life, but John was determined to build a stock Vette out of what he had for parts. That was the basic plan.
John even coughed up some serious money for the aftermarket versions of a Corvette wheel cover to keep the stock look alive. The big departure came with the color of choice. John was sold on a very rare 1958 Corvette paint option that looked pale green-yellowish.
The acrylic to lacquer conversion created this bright green color that John’s paint guy wasn’t willing to put in his inventory. That meant John had to buy it, so he ended up with a bright green 1960 Vette. The most striking thing about this car is its stock look combined with a wild color, so John had a steady stream of curious car guys at a big show.
The car still looks great because John has only clocked a few miles over many years. There are many reasons for that—the biggest one being that he finds it uncomfortable to drive. He also only drives it on sunny days.
John is a realist, so he calls himself “a caretaker” of the lime green Vette. That’s a great way to describe his role in this very unique car.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter