Talk about important Corvettes, and this beauty is on the top of many lists. A late first-generation model, this is one of the special RPO order code cars, of which only 240 or so were made in 1962.

The upgrades are thorough for a race-prepped car right from the factory:including the 37-gallon ‘Big Tank’ for endurance racing.

This actual car raced in numerous International events before going into the time capsule until recently.

How much?

Brace yourself: the estimate says the sale price could hit $2.8-million.

 

1962 Chevrolet Corvette RPO Big Tank Gulf Oil Race Car

Lot 251

1962 Chevrolet Corvette Gulf Oil Race Car

To be auctioned on Saturday, May 2, 2015

Without Reserve

$2,000,000 – $2,750,000

 

360+ bhp, 327 cu in. OHV V-8 engine with Rochester mechanical fuel injection, four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension with upper and lower A-arms, unequal length wishbones, coil springs, an anti-roll bar, and tubular shocks, live axle rear suspension with semi-elliptic leaf springs and tubular shock absorbers, and four-wheel heavy-duty drum brakes. Wheelbase: 102 in.

• The 1962 SCCA A/Production champion
• Driven by the legendary Dr. Dick Thompson for Grady Davis’s Gulf Oil Racing team
• Winner of the first-ever NCRS American Heritage Award
• Extensively documented, authentically restored, and beautifully maintained
• One of the most significant of all Corvette racing cars

AMERICA’S SPORTS CAR

Undoubtedly the most cherished and desirable Corvettes of all time are those that took to the race track in the 1950s and 1960s, where they would do battle with Europe’s finest. In this regard, the Corvette was truly America’s sports car and a symbol of the Land of the Free’s ingenuity, tenacity, and a never-ending desire to be and beat the best.

The 1962 Corvette offered here is one of the most iconic Corvettes in existence. It wrote its name into the history books over the course of the 1962 racing season, and it was associated with a number of individuals who were hugely important not only to the history of the Corvette but also American sports car racing.

The Corvette was already a very desirable car by the time it came off the production line, as it was fitted with the 327/360 fuel-injected engine, a massive 37 gallon fuel tank, and the highly capable RPO 687 package, which was a package that only 246 Corvettes received that model year. This option put the car in virtually race-ready condition “as-is,” as it added heavy-duty brakes, suspension with special rear shocks, additional air scoops for the brakes, and a quicker steering ratio.

After being completed, it was sent to Don Yenko’s famous Chevrolet dealership in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, from which it was sold to Grady Davis’s highly successful Gulf Oil Racing team, who prepared it for competition in the 1962 SCCA A-Production series.