580
Corvette, immured for 27 years in the basement (13 photos)
In 1953, Chevrolet is a brand new Corvette model - two-door coupe with a body made of fiberglass, mounted on a tubular frame. The vehicle is equipped with in-line six-cylinder engine volume of 3.8 liters capacity of 152 liters. from. and a two-stage automatic transmission. In the first year it was built only 300 copies. All cars were painted white, and the assembly was carried out manually. Only the next year launched a conveyor.
In 1954, a resident of Maine, Richard Samson, bought a Chevrolet Corvette from this first batch, and 5 years later, having driven it all 2331 mile, he decided firmly to wall up the car for the next 41 year. For this, he drove the car to the site where he was building a new sporting goods store, drove into the basement and ordered the builders to build a brick wall around the machine without holes and doors. On his orders, left only a small window width of 10 cm, through which it was possible to monitor the condition of the car. Corvette was prepared for preservation: the engine was treated with a special grease, poured a full tank of fuel, put the body on a special stand, so that the wheels do not touch the ground, and showroom processed mothproofing composition. Inside the sarcophagus the resulting installed two lamps, and next to the window was mounted switch. Over time one burns out and that it had to be replaced by open space. So many years later, but in the murky light of a second could be seen covered with cobwebs and thick dust once snow-white Corvette. By order of the will and Samson car did not have to touch it until 2000. Once the Corvette had to get all the heirs of Samson, who could sell the car to great advantage. Actually this was the idea of conservation and.
In 1969, Richard Samson died and about his extravagant act and forgotten machine. In 1976, the editors of one of the car magazines received a letter from a nearby town with a shop, which tells about immured in the basement of the Corvette. Despite the fact that everything described sounded pretty unlikely, after a phone call to the store confirmed the story. The magazine sent a photographer and despite the fact that none of the foreign car did not show, he somehow managed to reach an agreement with the store manager to go down to the basement and do a couple of shots through the dirty glass.
Inside the small room was really Corvette 1953 release.
It was clear that in some places the beginning of the bubbles go paint the body, but Chrome was still in excellent condition without any rust spots.
It took another 10 years and in 1986 the heirs of Samson (wife, son and daughter) decided to sell the shop and start to think, what to do with walled Corvette. As a result, they agree that his wife and son transferred their shares in Corvette's daughter, and she decides to remove the car from the ground. Half a year she goes to battle with the new owners of buildings who do not want to give the Corvette on the grounds that they had bought the building with all its contents, but the court decides in favor of daughter team of workers, and finally breaks the wall and pulls the car to the surface. From the time the paint is yellow and covered with small bubbles, lounge and roof are in fairly good condition, and the tires are holding air. Cynthia decides to sell the car and keep it in memory of his father. Originally, she had planned to put the Corvette in a rented store, but then changed her mind and decides to transport and install the Corvette ... in the living room of his house in Florida.
After another 10 years, she sells it to a company that is engaged in restoration of Corvettes. All the while, the car stood in the living room and is located in exactly the same condition as the day when it was removed from the sarcophagus. The new owners decided not to touch the car, leaving it in its original condition and called "not to restore the oldest Corvette to the smallest city in the world».
It takes another 18 years, and in January 2014 the car to auction where it was sold for 80,000 dollars. What will the new owner is still unknown. Hopefully, too, immure even 40 years :) Then this story is a worthy sequel.
In 1954, a resident of Maine, Richard Samson, bought a Chevrolet Corvette from this first batch, and 5 years later, having driven it all 2331 mile, he decided firmly to wall up the car for the next 41 year. For this, he drove the car to the site where he was building a new sporting goods store, drove into the basement and ordered the builders to build a brick wall around the machine without holes and doors. On his orders, left only a small window width of 10 cm, through which it was possible to monitor the condition of the car. Corvette was prepared for preservation: the engine was treated with a special grease, poured a full tank of fuel, put the body on a special stand, so that the wheels do not touch the ground, and showroom processed mothproofing composition. Inside the sarcophagus the resulting installed two lamps, and next to the window was mounted switch. Over time one burns out and that it had to be replaced by open space. So many years later, but in the murky light of a second could be seen covered with cobwebs and thick dust once snow-white Corvette. By order of the will and Samson car did not have to touch it until 2000. Once the Corvette had to get all the heirs of Samson, who could sell the car to great advantage. Actually this was the idea of conservation and.
In 1969, Richard Samson died and about his extravagant act and forgotten machine. In 1976, the editors of one of the car magazines received a letter from a nearby town with a shop, which tells about immured in the basement of the Corvette. Despite the fact that everything described sounded pretty unlikely, after a phone call to the store confirmed the story. The magazine sent a photographer and despite the fact that none of the foreign car did not show, he somehow managed to reach an agreement with the store manager to go down to the basement and do a couple of shots through the dirty glass.
Inside the small room was really Corvette 1953 release.
It was clear that in some places the beginning of the bubbles go paint the body, but Chrome was still in excellent condition without any rust spots.
It took another 10 years and in 1986 the heirs of Samson (wife, son and daughter) decided to sell the shop and start to think, what to do with walled Corvette. As a result, they agree that his wife and son transferred their shares in Corvette's daughter, and she decides to remove the car from the ground. Half a year she goes to battle with the new owners of buildings who do not want to give the Corvette on the grounds that they had bought the building with all its contents, but the court decides in favor of daughter team of workers, and finally breaks the wall and pulls the car to the surface. From the time the paint is yellow and covered with small bubbles, lounge and roof are in fairly good condition, and the tires are holding air. Cynthia decides to sell the car and keep it in memory of his father. Originally, she had planned to put the Corvette in a rented store, but then changed her mind and decides to transport and install the Corvette ... in the living room of his house in Florida.
After another 10 years, she sells it to a company that is engaged in restoration of Corvettes. All the while, the car stood in the living room and is located in exactly the same condition as the day when it was removed from the sarcophagus. The new owners decided not to touch the car, leaving it in its original condition and called "not to restore the oldest Corvette to the smallest city in the world».
It takes another 18 years, and in January 2014 the car to auction where it was sold for 80,000 dollars. What will the new owner is still unknown. Hopefully, too, immure even 40 years :) Then this story is a worthy sequel.
