On Saturday May 22, 2021, one of the most historically significant Corvette race cars will go to the auction block at the Sotheby’s at the Concours D’Elegance at Amelia Island in Florida. The Corvette’s current condition is in it’s as found shape as a “Custom” which was built by our good friend and associate’s Dad, Perry Boswell, when getting the car after the 1960 Le Mans race from Briggs Cunningham and Bill Fricke. Cunningham and Bill Kimberly raced this “Vette” at the famous 24 hour race. It was crashed however with Kimberly driving the car, and then upon returning to Florida with Cunningham, was acquired by the Boswell Family. Please see our other post for more on the customizing of the car.
We have been contacted by a number of interested parties about the past history of the car when it was in Perry and his Dad’s ownership, given our former posted article with pictures provided by Perry when he and his Dad did the custom work to the then, “Beat to Hell” Race Car, when nobody was really thinking about 60 years into the future and the value of a “Yesterday’s Race Car”.
A couple of months back, a representative of Sotheby’s contacted us about more of the history of the car and to get Perry Boswell Jr’s contact information as they told us that Sotheby’s would be offering the car at auction at the upcoming Amelia Island Event in Florida at the end of May, 2021.
This has been very interesting to follow this ever evolving story of this “controversial” Corvette after we had posted the pictures that Perry Jr had found with many other old race cars, airplanes and boats that his Dad had “Back in the Day” that we had put together some You-Tube Videos of some Vintage Racing.
The car is being offered at “No Reserve” with estimates in the range of $900,000 – $1,300,000, and I guess we’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks. Come back soon and we’ll have the post of that Auction Result.
Until then….TACH IT UP !!!!
This is the current picture of the #1 Cunningham Corvette, still wearing most of it’s custom work ( Photo Courtesy of Sotheby’s)
Interior shot in it’s “AS IS” offered condition. (Photo Courtesy of Sotheby’s)
Rear of the car in current configuration. (Photo Courtesy of Sotheby’s)
Side view with ground down paint/primer layers down to the fiberglass on the door.
(Photo Courtesy of Sotheby’s)
#1 Cunningham Corvette in action at the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hours.
(Photo Courtesy of Revs Institute and Sotheby’s)
Cover of this years Auction Catalog as sent to us from Sotheby’s.