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"QUANTUM SHOT" #37


1962 Custom Corvette Conversion... too cool for words

Custom coach building is alive and well in America, with some examples transcending the usual kitsch and commercialism, some possibly reaching the rarefied atmosphere of automotive high art. Witness the blend of past, present and future styling in this recent CRC custom:




"Classic Reflection Coachworks" (or CRC) of Lakewood, WA, came up with a nice 1962 conversion for the 1999 to 2004 C5 Corvette. You supply the Corvette (through the form on their website), CRC will turn it into a "modern legend".




The appeal of such cars (beside the fact that you see them more in your dreams than on the street) is the opportunity to blend various styles and design clues together, to put excitement and fun back into the old familiar shapes, to haunt our thoughts with these... wide-eyed round headlights and muscle-cat curves once again.





I like the roadster version the best... the lines seem to flow more naturally there. The modern roof of other CRC versions seems a bit out of place with the rest of the design, reminding me of such awkward-looking cars as "Excalibur" and "Stutz" (just look at that "Stutz" thing below and shudder).



1962 CRC seems to have fared better with its conversion design. It has the certain suppleness of curves, very much suggestive of the groovy sixties. John & Marilyn, the happy owners of one such CRC roadster, have a few more pictures on their homepage.





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YOUR COMMENTS::

14 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

My eyes burn from looking at that atrocious creation.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why does it hurt your eyes? That's almost exactly how the '62 'vette looked... They almost have it spot on, save for some minor modern cues. I think it's an excellent job for a conversion.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

No, that is not almost exactly how the 62 vette looked. It's been chopped and shopped and not a good job if you ask me.

Making a old classic like that modern does not do anything for the car. All it does is make a couple of special editions to be auctioned off for a profit.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like this... Got more curves than the Pa Tpk. :)

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very sexy..seen that kit before. Uses a C5 for a donor car I believe.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't particularly care for slammed cars, but that is nice, very nice.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've seen more of these around lately and I have to say they are REALLY well done. The builder is using higher quality body materials than GM is using. I should have gotten one when I had the chance. CRC is now selling exclusively through a high-end dealership in Seattle because they had too many orders to handle. The price is way beyond me now.

But really, you have to see one of these bad boys up close before you can decide if you like it or not. (I don't know why you wouldn't love it...)They're a car show in themselves. I've driven one and when we stopped for lunch, everyone at the joint was coming over to ask questions. It's the best of both worlds: new tech and comfort with the graceful looks of a 1962 Corvette. You can get in and DRIVE, no guilt, no stress that you're putting wear and tear on 45 year old materials. They are amazing cars!

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Blogger Avi Abrams said...

Anonymous, thanks for this

I rather like these cars, too

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Blogger hillbilly said...

just a little fyi...these cars are far from being chopped and shopped and auctioned for profit. These cars aren't even "kits". They are hand built from the beginning of the process. Carbon fiber is used for the body mods, there are modified original 62 parts and everything else is fabricated in house. All of the work done is very meticulous. These cars have been featured in several magazines like hotrod, corvette enthusiast and even motor trend to name a couple. Crc has sold over 40 of these cars and sales show no sign of slowing. Ken Lingenfelter even bought two himself. Clearly mark does not know what he is looking at if everyone else who has seen one absolutely loves them

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just wonder what somehing like this will cost.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow. I wish I had kept my '99 for this conversion.....always wanted a '62 that was up-to-date.

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Blogger CID Vicious said...

I remember the Motor Trend article, they were cruising around Detroit at Auto Show time, and just so happened to run into the Ford crew in the then-new retro Thunderbird at a light.

They rolled down the windows and said 'Come on, man, whatcha got?' and the Ford guys politely declined - history repeats itself. The T'urd was always a poser-mobile.

Frankly I thought I was looking at a modded '62 at first, and then I remembered about the CRC kit. Frankly, it's not a bad idea, better than chopping up old iron just because you like the look (almost all of those old cars are a flat disappointment to drive when compared to a modern car, especially a modern Vette).

If the conversion 'ruins' the car, you're just ruining a dime a dozen C5 Vette. Hopefully the coach building extends to the 'Cavalier-inspired' interior.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

These vettes go for around $150k. a little cheaper if you supply the '62 and '95-'99 donor.

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Blogger Sure GOOD said...

Great car. But i more like ford mustang.
http://www.cariseasy.com/images/ford-mustang_key_2.jpg
http://www.cariseasy.com/images/ford-mustang_key_15.jpg
Anyone else?

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