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A frame-off restored 1959 Chevrolet Corvette convertible finished in Tuxedo Black over a red interior is headed to the auction stage, offered by Mecum Auctions as Lot N254 during the company's Nashville sale on Friday, September 25. The roadster is one of the highlights from the Clark Collection crossing the block that week, arriving with a restoration that was fully completed in 2024.
Under the hood sits a 327 cubic-inch V8 topped with dual four-barrel carburetors, paired with a factory T10 four-speed manual gearbox. The chassis and body were fully disassembled and rebuilt during the restoration, and the car now wears a new black convertible top. Its factory-style removable hardtop rides along for the sale as well, though the listing notes it will need replacement glass. Inside, red vinyl and trim carry through the cockpit, matching exterior brightwork and the dual chrome headlamp bezels that define the second year of Chevrolet's redesigned C1 body.
One detail worth a second look for purists: Chevrolet didn't offer a 327 cubic-inch small-block until the 1962 model year, meaning this convertible's engine represents an upgrade over the 283 cubic-inch V8 that would have been factory-correct for a 1959 build, a car covered in more technical detail in Motorious's 1960 Chevrolet Corvette overview, which shares the same first-generation body and chassis. Period-style small-block swaps like this one are common among restored early Corvettes and tend to appeal to buyers who prioritize drivability over numbers-matching originality.
For a sense of where this generation sits in today's market, Hagerty's Valuation Tools price guide lists 1959 Corvette convertibles with the original 283 cubic-inch engine anywhere from roughly $58,500 for a two-barrel car in good condition up to about $103,000 for a fuel-injected example in the same condition grade, with dual-quad, numbers-matching cars landing closer to the $74,000 to $84,000 range. Because this particular car carries a later-generation small-block rather than its original induction and engine combination, it likely won't chase the top end of that scale among originality-focused buyers, but well-executed frame-off restorations with fresh mechanicals and usable upgrades continue to draw strong bidding at Mecum sales.
The Nashville sale will feature other notable Corvettes crossing the block, continuing a trend Motorious has tracked closely this year, from a 1998 Corvette Pace Car convertible that surfaced on Hagerty Marketplace to a wild 508-hp 1966 Corvette custom that headed to Mecum's Harrisburg auction after spending decades disassembled. Bidders interested in this Nashville lot can register through Mecum's site ahead of the September 25 sale.
