Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff
Grady Davis’ Gulf Oil Racing Team purchased the Corvette in 1962 from Yenko Chevrolet and the car was campaigned by none other than “The Flying Dentist”, Dr. Dick Thompson in the 1962 SCCA-A Production Class. In 14 races, the Gulf Oil ’62 Corvette finished first in class 12 times including wins at Daytona and Sebring and captured the 1962 A-Production Championship.
The car has been through a series of restorations in 2002 it underwent a complete restoration by Doug Prince and Jerry Roman and again in 2007 it was restored by Kevin Mackay of Corvette Repair in New York before it was sold by Gooding & Company at Pebble Beach Auction for an astounding $1.485 million in 2008.
The 1962 Gulf Oil Corvette features a number of astonishing details including an original Motorola two-way radio, allowing car on-course-to-pit communication. It’s believed to be the first use of such equipment in a race car. Other details include correct Koni shock absorbers, finned heavy-duty brakes, painted steel wheels wearing period-correct Goodyear tires, enormous fiberglass scoops for brake cooling. The driveline reveals its content to consist of original date-stamped parts, including the original matching-numbers engine.
The Corvette is highly documented with a collection of publications that featured articles about the race car and an extensive collection of photos from its racing days. In addition to its NCRS and Bloomington Gold certificates, a bill of sale from Yenko Chevrolet to Grady Davis is also included. The car is set to be auctioned off by RM Auctions with seventy-four other vehicles from collectors Paul and Chris Andrews’ collection this May.
The full auction description is not up yet but you can check out its official catalog listing HERE
