This 1962 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible finished in a stunning BROWN! Firemist Gold is sure to turn heads at the Mecum Auction in Indianapolis, which begins May 17.
Yes, a brown 1962 Corvette. Built by GM. Once. We’ll let the Mecum description take it from here:
Chevrolet celebrated its “Golden” 50th Anniversary in 1962 with a special paint scheme on the ’62 Impala in Anniversary Gold with Yellow-Gold interior. Unknown to many Bowtie enthusiasts, Chevrolet actually experimented with the Gold-on-Tan color combination on a Corvette before offering the 50th Anniversary Impala as an option.
Scheduled for November 15, 1961 production in St. Louis, this Corvette’s transformation was completed at GM Styling on January 16, 1962. Known within the Corvette community as the 50th Anniversary Gold-on-Tan “evaluation car,” the build date precedes the February 1962 Chicago Auto Show, from where rumors spread of a Golden Corvette on display for Chevrolet’s 50th Anniversary.
After the success of this styling exercise, Chevrolet had no choice but to offer a 50th Anniversary model in a special golden color combination. Corvette was considered, but high-level GM brass believed the full-size line would result in more sales, and subsequently an estimated 350 Impala 50th Anniversary cars were produced for 1962.
The decision left in its wake this special one-of-a-kind Corvette Styling Car.
Styling car expert Werner Meier inspected the original GM Styling Shop Order tag mounted on the firewall, and judged it authentic due to its “crude patina” typical of original tags found on other styling cars. The tag reads “S.O. 10224, 1-16-62” and upon further examination, many components on the car were also identified by shop order 10224 including the original interior kick panels and spare-tire board that have the number applied in grease pen. With this information in hand, Bloomington Gold Great Hall inductee Terry Michaelis immediately acquired the special car for his family’s private collection.
The marvelous color you’re drooling over is the product of a two-year forensic inspection by Fred and Terry Michaelis, during which a sample of the original paint was taken from under the dash. The golden-brownish exterior of the Corvette is wonderfully accented by a tan leather interior and beige top. Tasteful modifications include a gold anodized front grille and color-match wheels with stock wheel covers, they look sharp with the white-stripe tires.
Aside from its dashingly good looks, the national concours invitee also features a numbers-matching 327 Small Block V8 backed by a Borg Warner T-10 4-speed transmission and 3.36:1 Positraction rear. Factory-correct components include the Wonderbar signal-seeking AM radio, sun visors, courtesy light, heater, spiral shocks, washer system, shifter, air cleaner and generator.
Auto-historians worry not, as most of the original parts that were replaced were kept and are included with the purchase of the car. The restoration itself was completed in 2010, and from what we can see in the photos they did a heck of a job. We’re curious to see how much this immaculately brown Corvette sells for when it crosses the block – what’s your guess? Sound off in the comment section below.
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