1962 Chevrolet Corvette
Steve Ashton’s C1 Corvette looks very similar to one made famous in the 1960s American TV show Route 66, but the comparisons pretty much end there, as Jon Cass discovered…
While most people we see in this publication spend their lives dreaming of owning an American classic, for the occasional few that’s not always the case – 69-year-old Steve Ashton has been a self-confessed petrolhead ever since he began driving at the age of 17. But he’s happy to admit he’d never given American cars a second thought – that is, until he clapped eyes on this stunning C1 Corvette.
“I’d always assumed American cars were massive and way too impractical for the UK,” Steve laughs. “It was only when I saw this Corvette that I really began to take notice of them.” Steve has always been a fan of sports cars with large engines and has had the pleasure of owning a Porsche 964 and a Triumph TR5 among others and has recently bought himself a Porsche 928.
“A few years ago, I’d spotted a Daimler Dart for sale down at a collector’s in Nottingham,” Steve explains. “I’d always wanted one and was keen to go and see it.”
Once at the collector’s premises, there was just one car that stood out to Steve straight away. “I hadn’t even got as far as looking at the Dart when I spotted this Corvette,” Steve smiles. “It looked amazing and to me was the most appealing car in the 40-car collection.” Sadly, the Corvette which had been in use as a TV and film car wasn’t for sale and Steve left disappointed. “I went back to my other sports cars, but around four years later I returned to the same collector to look at an E-type Jaguar he had for sale,” Steve recalls. “The chap remembered me and mentioned the Corvette he had before was now for sale and asked if I’d be interested in it instead of the Jaguar.”
Without a second thought, Steve dismissed the E-type and had bought himself the C1 Corvette that had struck a chord ever since he’d first spotted it four years earlier. “It had been previously owned by a film company and the bodywork had been resprayed beautifully, it looked immaculate,” Steve remembers. “The only real downside was the car had been stood unused for a long time, but I was told the engine was in good order.” The Corvette was promptly delivered, and Steve was eager to test-drive his new acquisition for the first time. “The car felt quick and was rapid to around 60mph, but kept cutting out after five miles once it had warmed up,“Steve remembers. “I couldn’t live with it like that and wasn’t sure where the problem was, so I decided to take it to a specialist.”
The engine specialist Steve chose happened to be none other than John Sleath (www.johnsleath.com/email: js@john-sleath.com). “He put the car on the rolling road and I couldn’t bear watching, thinking the engine would blow up,” Steve laughs. “He confirmed it was a race spec engine with a big Edelbrock carb and designed to top out at 55-60mph with the standard four-speed manual gearbox.” John soon worked his magic, tuning the bored-out 327cu in/5.4litre Chevy V8 and replacing the cheap gaskets which didn’t help the cutting-out issues. The overheating problem was partly down to the original cast iron water pump which for some reason had been left in place during the previous engine rebuild; this was soon swapped for a modern equivalent. John then took Steve out for a blast to demonstrate the difference he’d made to the car and wasn’t shy at giving it the beans on his local country lanes: “I was scared stiff, but impressed all the same,” Steve adds.
Luckily, Steve’s brother Gary and his cousin Andrew are both mechanics and together they replaced the inadequate radiator with a more capable aluminium rad and fan. “They also rewired the electrics as they were starting to show their age,” Steve adds. “I have a fourpost lift and we then started to take a closer look at the underside too.” Steve was relieved to discover the underside of his C1 was just as immaculate as the remainder of the car, although this was mainly thanks to underseal that must have been applied many years ago.
“Although the underseal was protecting the chassis, I wasn’t keen on its appearance so I
spent many hours scraping it off, “Steve laughs. “The task became quite therapeutic and it looked fantastic once the chassis had been repainted.” The rear axle was also treated to a fresh coat of tractor black, while the stone guards located underneath the front arches were removed and powder-coated, also in black, as Steve admits he’s a real perfectionist and things have to look just right even where no one will ever notice. Attention then turned to the interior where the half-vinyl fawn seats, although looking like new, had a distinct lack of support underneath.
“I ended up stripping the seats right down and bought new foam padding which I installed before replacing the covers,” Steve points out. “They were quite tricky to get right and it took me three attempts and I replaced the carpet at the same time!”
The dials were of a non-original hot rod style and Steve was keen to replace these with an original set, though obtaining them would prove to be far from straightforward: “The only place I could find any was in America, so I had a set imported at great cost, but it was worth doing,” he tells us. “To fit them I removed the dash pod which I then resprayed to freshen it up and then fitted the new dials and put it back together – it was quite a tricky and intricate task.”
The 17-inch steering wheel was found to be too large, but Steve managed to acquire a smaller diameter 15½-inch steering wheel which he’s much happier with.
While the paintwork may have been flawless, the same couldn’t be said for the convertible roof. “The old one was past repairing, but luckily I managed to find an original NOS unused roof that had never been on a car,” Steve smiles and as ever, he was happy to tackle the unenviable job of fitting the new roof himself in his garage. By now, the C1 was well on its way to looking like it did when it first left the factory in 1962, though the American Racing wheels which the car came with were now letting the side down: “I managed to get hold of some original wheels and covers which have transformed the exterior,” Steve admits. “The one area I decided to modify instead of keeping original is the shark’s tooth front end from the earlier model which is easily converted. The ’62 would have had a different style front to this, but I prefer the aggressive shark’s tooth look, so I made the decision to take that option.”
Unsurprisingly, considering Steve’s attention to detail, his C1 went on to win numerous trophies at many shows. “Some shows would have 400 or 500 cars, so it was always nice to pick up a trophy at the end,” he smiles. It hasn’t all been plain sailing though and there was one occasion when Steve drove back from a show in the rain only to find his all-round drum brakes were non-existent as he exited the motorway. “I pressed the brake pedal and nothing happened,” he explains. “I kept pumping and eventually the car came to a stop just by the roundabout as they dried out – it was a heart-stopping moment for sure.” Despite the hard work put in and enjoyment he’s had from the car, Steve recently sold the C1, only to replace it with a later C3 Corvette. “Although I loved this car and kept it for seven years, it had always been hard work to drive above 55mph and with a heavy clutch too,” he explains. “It was only when I saw an immaculate 1972 orange C3 for sale that was more relaxing to drive that I decided to make the change.” This ’62 C1 may have found a new owner, but rest assured, this car ensured Steve will remain a huge American car fan for life.
“I’D ALWAYS ASSUMED AMERICAN CARS WERE MASSIVE AND WAY TOO IMPRACTICAL FOR THE UK...”