Treating Corvette withdraws at Vintage Vettes, LLC in North KC

Corvettes.  You know I love ‘em.  But during the winter, it’s hard to go see a bunch of them together.  I mean, all the Corvette club guys have theirs hidden away until spring.  There is one place you can see them all year-round in Kansas City, though—Vintage Vettes, LLC.  BHo and I stopped in to their very cold (very, VERY cold) showroom during the Christmas break to check out what was new.  And I’m glad we did, because they had more interesting Corvettes than many Corvette car shows we’ve attended.  I love looking through the inventory here, because they specialize in those early cars that helped make the Corvette name legendary.  Let’s take a look at some of my favorites.

Right when we walked in the door we were hit with this attractive, Roman Red ’62.  This was a transition year for the Corvette, because you still had the straight axle and early styling, but the 327-c.i. engine replaced the 283, and there was less chrome trim.  This particular 327 was rated at 340-hp, which was second only to a fuel-injected car in 1962.  It had both the hard and soft tops, and the little hubcaps and black biased-ply tires were a nice, clean touch.  This car was restored stock, but it really has a great hot rod look.  You could even own it for $65,995.

This Nassau Blue ’66 roadster was one of the most desirable Corvettes in the room.  It had almost everything the discerning Corvette collector could want: a 425-hp, 427-c.i. big block, side pipes, wood telescoping steering wheel, and knock-off aluminum wheels.  The only important option that was missing was factory air conditioning.  But hey, it’ll run faster without that, right?  Plus, it was like 20-degrees out when we looked at it, so a/c doesn’t really seem that important anyway.  This car sure is pretty, though.  I’ll probably never be able to afford something like this, but I sure look good driving it in my daydreams.

There was something about this Riverside Gold ’69 coupe that really caught my eye.  Maybe it was the way the light shone on it as it sat in the corner.  Those wide Corvette rally wheels always look great.  It wasn’t a striking car, or even a very appealing color, but it had a nice aura about it.  This one has a 300-hp 350 under the domed hood, and it was loaded with accoutrements like an automatic transmission, power steering, brakes, and windows.  It even had air conditioning, which is important to me, as I mentioned earlier.  This wasn’t the brutal pavement-pounder of my dreams, but it was a nice car all the same.  $33,995 was the asking price.

This one was more attractive.  It’s a 1958 model finished in one of the best-looking and most unusual colors for an older Corvette; the one-year-only Panama Yellow.  In fact, this color alone is the only reason I would rather have a ’58 Corvette than a ’59 or ’60.  On the Vintage Vettes website this car has a white painted hardtop, but when we looked at it the top had been put back to the correct yellow.  That was a good move, because that white top ruined the whole look of the car.  The gauge cluster was also out when we looked at it.  I presume it was having some work done on the speedometer or tach.  Anyway, as early Corvettes go, this was a desirable one.

Not everything was a Corvette, though.  This car isn’t even a Chevy.  It’s a ’53 mercury Monterey coupe, and it was cool.  This one had some mild ‘50s hot rod touches, like two carburetors on it’s dolled-up flathead, hand-painted pinstriping, and a spotlight.  The hubcaps and some of the grille trim were missing when we looked at it.  I’m guessing that those pieces were at the chrome plater.  But once it gets back together this car is really going to be a standout.  And it was actually one of the least expensive cars in the place, with an asking price of $26,500.

Check out all the Corvettes, Mustangs, and other cars that were available at Vintage Vettes, LLC during our visit in the slideshow below, or click this link for a nicer version.

And if you want to know more about this place, visit their website at http://www.vintagevettesllc.com/.