Lot 48: 1959 CHEVROLET CORVETTE FUEL INJECTED ROADSTER WITH HARDTOP

Red with red interior

Engine: V8, 283ci, 290bhp, Rochester mechanical fuel injection; Gearbox: four speed manual; Suspension: front, independent with coil springs and tubular shocks, rear, live axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and tubular shocks; Brakes: four wheel drum. Left hand drive.

Twenty-two years toiling in the shadow of the dynamic and volatile Harley Earl finally paid off for Bill Mitchell in December 1958 when Mitchell was named to succeed Earl as director of GM Styling. He loved sports cars, having started his career as an illustrator for Barron Collier's Street Railways Advertising Company which introduced him to the early road racing activities of the Collier brothers. Mitchell's auto illustrations caught the eye of Harley Earl and in 1935 he joined GM's Art & Color section.

Mitchell was much more in the school of contemporary industrial designers than the flamboyant Earl. His first tempering influences on Corvette design came quickly, with the 1959 model introduced even before Mitchell formally ascended to the section's directorate, which he quickly renamed 'Design' to reflect a broader vision than simply styling. Major changes in Corvette would have to endure a longer cycle, but Mitchell's first revisions, while minor, signaled the brand's new cleaner, simpler and integrated theme simply by eliminating the 1958 Corvette hood's washboard louver effect and the rear deck's chrome spears.

Further changes in 1959 included the first appearance of the T-handle reverse lockout for the four speed manual transmission and significant interior alterations for occupant comfort and driver convenience, including instruments redesigned for better visibility and a standard 7,000rpm tachometer.

Mitchell's love of racing was mirrored by Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov who, despite the AMA racing ban instigated by GM Chairman Harlow Curtice, kept a steady supply of high performance parts on Corvette's options list. Headed by the increasingly potent and subtly developed fuel injected V8, it was possible to create anything from a placid and luxurious boulevard cruiser to a fire-breathing road racer simply by checking a few boxes on a Corvette order form (and writing the requisite rather large check). Uniquely during this period it also was possible to specify anything in between these extremes. There were few equipment restrictions or mandatory options, permitting even incongruous combinations like fuel injection and Powerglide.

The 1959 Corvette offered here joined the Chambers collection in 2003 and has been used sparingly, but maintained to an impeccable standard. Prior to joining the quartet of Corvettes in Mr. Chambers' stable, it resided with the same owner for the previous twenty-three years where it received a full restoration to concours standards. Believed to be 1 of 111 built featuring a four speed manual transmission, manual windows, clock, removable hard-top, 290bhp fuel-injected V8 and big-drum brakes, this is indeed a rare opportunity to acquire a potent 'Fuelie'. Of additional note it is a radio and heater delete model as it would seem neither would be of essence in such a powerful steed. Displaying 47,306 miles on the odometer, it is in excellent running and cosmetic order. Christie's is pleased to offer such a strong example ready for immediate enjoyment on the concours circuit or the open road.