My Corvette : Full Circle

After 34 years, '59 Vette goes 'full circle'

By Claudio D'Andrea

A 34-year-old labour of love ended last fall when an American Corvette owner restored a 1959 first-generation 350 and revealed it to the world.

Mike, described as a "gearhead" from Missouri in a story in Autoevolution, bought parts for his car in 1990. Following the breakdown of his marriage and divorce, and having temporarily handed over the car to a friend to prevent losing it in a court battle according to the story, Mike got his Corvette back and got down to work in its restoration.

Doing most of the work himself, including learning how to fit the fiberglass over the body, Mike restored the entire vehicle. He took it on the road in late 2024 but following a couple of trips to car shows and some breakdowns, he went back to work replacing the fuel system.

Under the hood, a brand new V8 hums -- and has him grinning. "Can't smack a smile off me when I'm driving it," he told Autoevolution.

A fellow gearhead warned him his new air cleaner would create heat that would damage the paint on the fiberglass so Mike put together a lid cover to solve the problem. He also replaced the steering wheel to accommodate his body.

"This Corvette went full circle, from glorious sports car to full-time racer to beater, and now back to magnificent driver's car, thanks to one man's true grit and dedication that saw him follow his dream for almost three-and-a-half decades," Razvan Calin wrote in Autoevolution. "He is now the fourth owner of the 'Vette – remember his friend from the early 90s, who was entrusted with the title? He gave it back as soon as the divorce ended, and they're still good friends."

Image Gallery

 

 

 

Click the button above to send us your story!