'62-Style Corvette C5 Up for Auction

RM Auctions' upcoming sale of the John Staluppi collection includes this C5 Corvette rebodied to look like the 1962 model of "Route 66" fame.

The Chevrolet Corvette has come a long way since the original. But for those more enamored of the classic 1962 model - particularly those who remember watching the CBS show Route 66 in which the old Vette starred alongside Tod Stiles (played by Martin Milner) and Buzz Murdock (George Maharis) - may find this particular example an enticing proposition. Built atop a 2001 Corvette C5 convertible, this conversion (photographed by Teddy Pieper, courtesy of RM Auctions) was carried out by Classic Reflection Coachworks of Lakewood, Washington.

The company started building neo-retro Vettes in 1994, marrying the look of the classic American sportscar with the modern equipment of a contemporary model. Designed using Boeing's three-dimensional CAD software, the circa 1962 body shell is reproduced to fit on the C5 chassis and crafted on a five-axis milling machine. The end result looks like the original, but with the C5's sleeked-back windshield, modern interior and more advanced equipment than the designers of the original could have ever dreamed of.

This particular example, model CRC-62R, is painted in black with silver side coves and a black leather interior. It's powered by a 350-horsepower LS1 V8 with four-speed automatic, and includes modern instruments, stereo, climate control, power windows, cruise control, power steering, disc brakes...the works. And since it's registered as a 2001 model, it carries the certification of the newer Corvette instead of the older one it's designed to emulate. The car is up for grabs as part of RM Auctions' liquidation of the John Staluppi collection in Florida, set to take place on December 1, when the retro Corvette is expected to fetch upwards of $100,000.

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