Here we have something a little different, similar to America’s first front-wheel-drive car, the Ruxton, which we have covered recently.
Also born out of a design capitalizing on optimism, excess, and ostentation, this Chevrolet Corvette isn’t just any Corvette; it’s a Barrister – so it’s a custom job of which only 7 made production according to Mecum, where the car is currently listed for auction.
Let’s see what makes it unique and what’s under the hood of this classic, a car which we can forgive you for not knowing anything about.
The 1969 Custom Corvette Is Both Bad And Good In Equal Measure
The first thing that hits you about this blue and white convertible is the quirky design – a word that best describes the vehicle’s form from the front to the back bumper.
It’s not that the whole car is strange; the engine is a classic 5.7-liter 350 Chevrolet V8 which might be making 300 hp (although Bonhams put up a conservative 200 hp on the newer 1982 Barrister they listed for auction) and the transmission looks like another 4-speed automatic.
That style is neo-classic and reminds us of the futuristic-but-firmly-American look that is perhaps born out of The Jetsons and the race to the moon.
For the roof, it’s a manual soft top stowed behind the front seats under the lid, and the back sits at odds with the front in its design.
Like the other Barrister who popped up on Bonhams, this example may well have the same four-wheel disc brakes and all-wheel independent suspension – but it does have a quaint wooden trim and digital dials in the dash, which is very impressive.
A Barrister Corvette Will Turn Many Heads In The Parking Lot
With the forward-thinking style fit for any celebrity or pope and things like fuel injection proving that this wasn’t just an eccentric old dinosaur, the car is a bespoke build along with a handful more.
The Bonhams car from before is from 1982 in black with gold accents, which perhaps looks a little more cohesive as the shape becomes a little less lost with the added contrast.
George Barris had started making one-offs but quickly managed to gain a reputation for distinctive neo-classic custom-builds (of which the ‘Vette was a favorite of his) and managed to sell cars to the rich and famous.
This one is too good to drag race, too good to leave parked up, and just about right to cruise in the spring sun with the top down on those comfy-looking seats.
With a $51,000 selling price for the black Barrister in 2019, this one will surely reach the same heights, a good price for something so rare and so shocking to behold.