They Drove 10 Hours for This 1962 Chevy Corvette, Found Something Terrible Under the Seats

It is a 62-year-old Corvette with a very low mileage example. It has only covered 11,282 miles. The thick layer of dirt hides a treasure. The model they were called on for rolled off the production line in the last year of the facelifted C1 Corvette generation, 1962.

The interior looks as if the plastic protective cover has just been removed by the dealership employee on the day of the delivery. Well, except for the dust. And mice droppings. And rotten vegetation. And acorns. And as if those were not enough, the detailers found something gross. But we'll talk about that later.

In 1962, Chevrolet was getting ready to roll out a new generation. That is why the C1 Corvette, in its final production run year, got the updated taillights with chrome surroundings that Chevrolet was preparing for the second generation. After that, the 1963 split-window 'Vette came to life. So, the Corvette from 1962 is like the missing link, the one that closes the gap between the first and the second generations.

Chase is the owner of the black 1962 Corvette. His grandfather bought it new and drove it for a little while. His father got his driver's license when he was a teenager, and the car became his. But the last time the wheels of the Corvette hit the road was when he left high school, which was in 1989. Then he parked it in a barn and just left it there for 20 to 25 years.

When Chase's grandfather passed away, the car was moved into another storage facility. And that is where the detailing experts found it. The last time it went out in broad daylight was ten years ago. It hasn't moved an inch since.

Chase has a hardtop for the Corvette that was never used. So it is going to go up on the car for the first time. But there is still a very long way to go. The experts start by vacuuming everything that can be vacuumed to avoid getting the fifth wet. The wheels also look bad, but that is only temporary.

The chrome trim on the car is covered in what seems to be years of rat droppings. They also find a mouse nest in the trunk. There is so much dirt in there that the team can barely work their way around it.

The car is powered by a 283-cubic inch (4.6-liter) V8 engine with either 230 or 315 horsepower. There are several aftermarket components under the hood, which is a sign that someone raced this car at a certain point. It's got an aftermarket intake manifold, a Holley carburetor, and an air cleaner. But there are also souvenirs from the rats that had their way with the C1 Corvette.

The rag top must have been redone at a certain point because it moves smoothly to be all original. Putting it down reveals a cabin full of dust, a steering wheel positioned almost vertically and, right behind it, a huge speedometer going all the way to 160 mph. The rearview mirror is mounted on the dashboard. With the top up, there is no chance you would see anything in it.

There is so much mess under the seats, plus mouse food and what is left of a tiny rodent. The team found what was left of a tiny rodent, probably left behind by an army of mice ages ago. They had to shake the seats to remove everything that must have been stuck inside of them over the years the Corvette remained parked. Mice must have built a whole kingdom in there.

But the black leather cleans up nicely and looks as good as new within hours. The carpets, though, are a headache. Because they've got foam on the back, they can't power-wash the dirt out of them.

The single-stage lacquer paint doesn't look that good, though. But a very light polish will remove the stains and oxidation. However, the p aint is so sensitive that even a soft cloth could easily scratch it. Ceramic sealing is the last step before the owner arrives with his father and aunt to see what the car looks like after 16 hours of hard work.

When they turn around, they can't believe it is the car they turned in the 1962 C1 Chevy Corvette. It is nothing like the vehicle they had left there in the morning.

The base price of this Corvette back in the early 1960s was $3,900. Now, the owner has a treasure on wheels. According to classics.com, the average price of a C1 Chevrolet Corvette is around $112,000.