1964 CHEVROLET CORVETTE COUPE CUSTOM
Designer: George Barris

Estimate: $35,000 -­ $45,000

Chassis Number: 40837S108348
Decoded: 4=1954; 08=Corvette; 37=2­dr coupe; S=St. Louis, MO assembly plant; 108348=8,348th scheduled for production at St. Louis
Engine: 406 cid OHV “small­-block” V8
4­-barrel Carburetor / 500 bhp (est.)
4-­Speed Transmission
Power Assisted Four Wheel Hydraulic Disc Brakes

● Period Clone of George Barris Custom Creation
● Styled After Famous Asteroid
● Fitted with Rare and Original Speed Equipment

The Model: When the Corvette Stingray was unveiled in the fall of 1962, it was unlike any American car before. While most owners were happy with the factory preparation of their Stingrays, people like the late “Iron Man” Bob Nordskog, wanted something special. First he took a brand new Corvette to the King of the Customizers, George Barris, who created a look based on the GM “Mako­Shark” Show Car, exposed the exhaust system and cleaned up the rear by integrating the taillights into the abbreviated bumper. Naturally a car of that significance would spawn imitators, and that is what Dr. Stanley Gunn of Chatsworth, California appears to have purchased back in 1967. Offered by a mysterious Mr. O’Wiggins, it was finished in a burnt-orange over gold metal­flake paint, very similar to the car campaigned by Nordskog. Dr. Gunn was a real­-life Rocket scientist and drove this car like a guided­missile.

The Car: Dr. Gunn’s wife demand the color of this Corvette be change to Blue metallic, similar to the Viper Blue it is today. Stanley Gunn depended people such as the late Dick Guldstrand and Larry Ofria, who owned the legendary Valley Head Service to keep his car running. Ofria, took a 400 cid small block, punched out, making it capable of 500 HP. Dr. Gunn kept it until he passed at 91, when our consignor acquired it. Given a freshening, it’s presented today much as it was driven by Gunn. It still features the Mako­Shark inspired side­pipes, vintage aluminum wheels, a 1967 style “hi­rider” hood and a number of other touches that makes this car so special. It remains a mystery of who created this clone, was it Nordskog making a duplicate, or Barris who wanted a clone, or maybe a skilled body person who took a Tuxedo Black 1964 coupe and created a real mystery.