There are a lot of outstanding Corvettes, made even more so by the fact that they've stayed original all these years.But...have you ever wondered what Corvette was the inspiration for the first Bloomington "Survivor" award?
Thanks to Mecum Auctions, this special Sting Ray could wind up in your collection....as it's coming to their Kissimmee (FL) auction January 28-31.
In recent years the term “Survivor” has entered the collector car lexicon as a way of describing a well-preserved, original, unrestored vehicle. “Survivor” is not, however, just a generic term that caught on organically; it is in fact a trademark registered by Bloomington Gold founder David Burroughs, and in 1989, this Marlboro Maroon 1967 427 convertible became his prototype for establishing standards for the Bloomington Gold Survivor Award.For years, Burroughs had encouraged the owners of excellent original Corvettes to forego their restoration and preserve their originality, even searching out and buying this unrestored 1967 Corvette convertible to demonstrate his commitment to that ideal. In 1989, Burroughs registered the word “Survivor” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and created the Bloomington Gold Survivor Award for the specific purpose of rewarding the preservation of original unrestored Corvettes that are of a quality to serve as educational benchmarks for other restorers. Since then, over 1,000 original Corvettes have been preserved for that very purpose, and Bloomington Gold has expanded the Survivor certification to include other marques.
Original and unrestored, the "Survivor Platform Car" is finished in its factory-applied Marlboro Maroon paint with a Black interior. Under the Stinger hood sits the classic RPO L71 Tri Power 427 with a Muncie 4-speed. The 435 hp V-8 features a high lift/long duration camshaft and large port cast iron heads, on top of which is the famous 3x2-barrel Holley carb setup on an aluminum intake manifold. Optional equipment includes side-mounted exhausts, finned aluminum bolt-on wheels and the car’s trademark hard top.Adding to the car’s standing is the fact that in 2003 it also won the NCRS Chevrolet Bowtie Award, making it one of a very few to have reached the highest unrestored Corvette status. In 2006, it was selected for the Bloomington Gold Special Collection.As Miles Collier once observed, a car can only be original once; together David Burroughs and his famous "Old 435" demonstrated the importance of that sentiment to future generations of Corvette owners and enthusiasts.Highlights:- Used by David Burroughs to demonstrate the Bloomington Gold Survivor concept and standards- Original Documents include Protect-O-Plate, tank sticker, inspection sheet, owners manual- Selected for the Bloomington Gold Special Collection, 2006- NCRS Bow Tie Award, 2003- Original and unrestored- Marlboro Maroon with Black interior- RPO L71 427/435 HP Tri Power engine- 4-speed transmission- Bolt-on finned aluminum wheels
Get more information when you visit Mecum's website, www.mecum.com.
(Courtesy Mecum Auctions)