There are dozens of great reasons to love 1960s and ’70s Corvettes, but practicality isn’t one of them. We’re talking specially about the lack of a trunk lid on C2 and C3 Corvettes that makes stashing luggage for a weekend away needlessly difficult.
Disappointingly, this 1969 C3 Corvette Sportwagon conversion doesn’t solve that problem because you still have to load your bags from the interior after folding the seats forward. But the huge increase in load space turns this C3 from a weekend warrior to one capable of carrying enough clobber for the entire week.
Chevy didn’t offer shooting brake-shaped Vettes from the factory, so its was up to the aftermarket to satisfy the wagon urges of the few Corvette buyers prepared to drastically alter their sports car’s styling to make space for an extra couple of bags. Or a set of drums.
Silodrome explains how the original Sportwagon conversion was conceived by Chuck Miller when he was approached by a drummer in a rock band trying to figure out how to get his kit into the back of his C3 Corvette. That’s the same kind of thinking that resulted in Beatles drummer Ringo Starr having a hatchback conversion carried out on his Mini Cooper in the 1960s, and while Miller had to create an entire section of bodywork, his job was made slightly easier by the fact that the C3’s bodywork was made from fibreglass.
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Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the rare square-back Ferrari 250 GTOs raced in the early 1960s, the original Sportwagon is characterized by the lack of rear side windows, something that appeared on later conversions from other companies. But the sporty Kamm tail was bang-on-trend, appearing around the same time as practical classics like the Volvo P1800ES, Reliant Scimitar GTE and Lamborghini Espada.
The party piece of this particular car, which is currently accepting bids on Bring-a-Trailer, is obviously that distinctive rear end, but cast your eye around and there are other mods, too. It’s listed as a 1969 car, but has the 1970-on fender vents and the pop-up front lamps have been smoothed over and replaced by headlights located behind the grille. A Camaro steering wheel, side pipes and 15-inch turbine wheels wearing white-letter tires completes the 1970s custom vibe, and the 350 cu-in (5.7-liter) crate motor has some mild intake and carb upgrades to add a little pep to back up that swagger.
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