The following information is from the EBAY auction description that was posted for #148. The auction ended on Feb-01-06 13:17:50 PST. Final bid: $99,000.00, and the reserve was not met.
1953 CHEVROLET CORVETTE: SERAL NUMBER E53FOO1148. THIS CAR HAS THE CORRECT ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, AND REAR END, IT HAS ALL ITS ORIGINAL BODY PANELS. IN STORAGE SINCE 1969.
THE CORVETTE IS THE MOST POPULAR SPORTS CAR IN THE WORLD.
1953 WAS THE FIRST YEAR FOR THE CORVETTE, AND ONLY 300 CORVETTES WERE BUILT,WITH HAND MADE LAMINATED FIBERGLASS BODIES.1953 WAS THE ONLY YEAR THE CORVETTE WAS MADE IN FLINT MICHIGAN.
THIS 1953 CORVETTE IS NUMBER 148 OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE, (THE I48TH. CAR FROM THE START OF PRODUCTION)
I DROVE THIS CORVETTE FROM HOUSTON TEXAS TO BASTROP LOUISANA IN JANUARY 1969. IT HAS BEEN IN THE LEONARD PRATT COLLECTION SINCE THEN. IT HAS BEEN IN ONE BUILDING AND NOT RUN SINCE 1969.
THIS CORVETTE NOW NEEDS A COMPLETE RESTORATION.IT WAS DECHROMED IN THE EARLY 60'S BUT I HAVE ALL THE CHROME.IT HAS A GOOD BODY AND A RUST FREE FRAME.THIS CAR HAS THE ORIGINAL ENGINE BLOCK, ORIGINAL 066 HEAD, ORIGINAL ENGINE, ORIGINAL VALVE COVER,IGINITION SHIELDS, . THIS IS THE ENGINE THAT CAME IN THIS CAR FROM THE FACTORY, ITS ALL ORIGINAL.
THIS CAR IS ABOUT 95% COMPLETE, IT NEEDS A RADIO, TACHOMETER, AND HUBCAPS, AND I CAN OBTAIN THESE PARTS AT ANY TIME.
I HAVE A NEW GM GRILL SHELL IN THE BOX, AND NEW GM SIDE CHROME, AND ALL THE FENDER BUMPERS. ORIGINAL SIDE CURTAINS, TRUNK BOARD
THIS COULD BE THE ONLY REAL 1953 CORVETTE FOR SALE NOW AT ANY PRICE, BECAUSE A 1953 CORVETTE SERAL #003 SOLD JAN.21 2006 FOR $1,000,000 AT HE BARRETTE-JACKSON AUCTION AT SCOTTSDALE ARIZONA. THIS CAR WILL BE A GREAT MUSEUM PIECE AND IT WILL ONLY APPRICATE IN VALUE.
AGAIN THIS CAR NEEDS A COMPLETE RESTORATION, IT HAS NOT BEEN STARTED SINCE 1969, I WOULD DO A FRAME OFF RESTORATION, REBUILD THE ENGINE, REPAINT EVERTHING, ADD ALL NEW INTERIOR, NEW TIRES, IT NEEDS EVERTHING.
THIS CAR IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AT ANY TIME BY APPOINTMENT. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO STOP THE AUCTION AT ANY TIME AND SELL THIS CORVETTE AT OUR RETAIL STORE. I GUARANTEE THIS CAR TO BE AN ORIGINAL 1953 CORVETTE, AND TO HAVE THE CORRECT ENGINE AND TO HAVE A GOOD LOUISIANA TITLE. I HAVE BEEN BUYING , SELLIING AND COLLECTING CORVETTES SINCE 1963.
EMAIL OR CALL JERRY 318 348 3041 WITH QUESTIONS, THANKS.
On Jan-28-06 at 21:35:24 PST, seller added the following information:
I HAVE THE ORIGINAL SEATS,AND DOOR PANELS, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN RECOVERED WITH A RED METAL FLAKE VYNLE SOME TIMES IN THE 1960S. I HAVE A GOOD FRONT EMBLE, AND AN ORIGINAL HORN BUTTON, I HAVE ONE ORIGINAL HEAD LIGHT BUCKET COMPLETE FROM CORVETTE #107 WITH THE YELLOW WRITTING FROM GM SAYING ''107'' THE BUMPER PARTS I HAVE ARE ARE MUCH BETTER THAN THE ONES PICTURES, I BOUGHT AFTER THE PICTURE WAS MADE.
I HAVE A COPY OF THE 1969 LOUISIANA TITLE SHOWING THE VIN. NUMBER AND THE ORIGINAL MOTOR NUMBER, I HAVE A COPY OF THE TEXAS TITLE THAT WAS BEFORE THIS TITLE. AND I HAVE THE CURRENT LOUISIANA TITLE WITH THE E53F001148 VIN NUMBER. THE CAR HAS THE 1969 TEXAS SAFTY STICKER STILL ON THE WINSHIELD. I HAVE THE FRONT LICENSE BUMPERS AND THE TUBE SUPPORTS, WITH THE CORRECT STRAPS THAT HOLD THEM ON THE CAR. THIS CORVETTE WAS ONLY 16 YEARS OLD WHEN WE BOUGHT IT, AND WE DROVE IT HOME AND PARKED IT, AND IT HASN'T BEEN STARTED SINCE.IT HAS THE CORRECT TACH. DRIVE DIST. IT HAS THE CARBUREATOR TAGS, CORRECT FUEL PUMP, COIL BRACKET, AND AIR CLEANERS. ONE THING IT NEEDS IS THE LICENSE PLATE RESSESSED PART THAT GLUES INSIDE THE TRUNK, WE HAVE THE CHROME LICENSE PLATE BEZEL WITH A NEW PLASTIC OVER. I HAVE A SET OF CORRECT WHEEL, WITH 670X15 BLACK WALL TIRES.
ALL THE 1953 CORVETTES ARE NOT ACCOUNTED AND SOME HAVE BEEN WRECKED AND DESTORYED, THIS CORVETTE IS ONE OF THE OLDEST LEFT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ONLY 90 TO 100 CORVETTE ARE OLDER THAN THIS NUMBER "148". IF ANONE HAS THIS INFORMATION, I WILL ADD IT TO MY AUCTION, THANKS, JERRY
On Jan-28-06 at 21:41:52 PST, seller added the following information:
I HAVE THE ORIGINAL 1953 DATED SIDE WINDOWS, THEY WILL NEED COMPLETE RESTORATION ALSO THANKS, JERRY
From Corvette Action Center Forum Member, vettecityman53 on December 13, 2007:
"That car is owned by Jerry Brewster of Bastrop, Louisiana. He has owned that car, literally, forever. He bought it, I believe, in the mid-1960's and it was non-running then. He was an avid Corvette collector from then on. He was a member of the Classic Corvette Club and the Vintage Corvette Club or America. He was active in selling and parting out cars for years. He advertised in Motor Trend (when they actually had ads), Hot Rod, and Hemmings (when Corvettes were only in the Chevrolet section), among other places. He advertised three 1953's for years...maybe decades! He had this one, #117, and one other (whose # escapes me). #117 was a title with an early 1954 body and frame and an old Louisiana tag (of course now it's a top flight car.....LOL). The unknown number car had a really good body, but was missing the drive train, and a host of other valuable parts. #148, was just the opposite, highly original in terms of drivetrain and parts, but its body was beat to death and then customized. I remember his ads well in the early 1980's for all three of these cars...he advertised them for sale or trade or whatever. I mean trade for whatever....he offered to trade for gold, stocks, other cars, I remember his list of what he would trade for was borderline hillarious. Later, he advertised that the three were going to be in some kind of movie...and that their value would go up accordingly.....these ads appeared for years. I knew several people who tried to buy the two better cars as a pair with the intention of making one good car out of them, but no one could ever manage to buy them up. Finally, the title/body car went to Bill Beard in Alabany, Georgia and the unknown number car sold quietly. Jerry kept #148, thinking it was the best of all of them, which he probably was right."
"The body on #148 is a complete dog!!! Every corner of it has been hit and poorly repaired. The damage is quite extensive. To make matters worse, every bonding seam hidden under the chrome has been ground off. The grill surround has also been altered, and well as the bumper supports in the center rear. I don't think that anyone could ever restore this body to true original form. They may build areas up with cloth and resin, but the body will never be a top quality, original body."
"Now for the sale....I don't think that this car will ever sell. He has always been above the market value for this car and will probably continue to do so. Jerry has always owned it and he probably always will.....it is an interesting combination of conditions...highly original in one way, but terribly poor in others. I don't think I have ever seen a 1953 equal to it.....so much damage to such an original car."
"Many 1953's are coming out of the closet now or have done so in the past few years. Most of these are incomplete cars, poor bodies, missing drivetrains, ex-racers, etc. Many of these have been restored with reproduction parts and fake drivetrain and body parts. These are the ones selling for top dollar now, mostly to unsuspecting buyers (#'s103 and 285 are the first to come to mind). Many, and I mean many, more have been resurrected by very knowledgeable restorers who know the tricks in building up a 1953 from fake and non-original parts. I see a need for older people who have been around and know the truth about these cars to try to make their knowledge and database known...both to help future buyers, and to help preserve the truth about these cars. There are many 1953's that have been preserved through the years, yet many more that are complete rebuilt, fake dogs!!! For preservation of these cars, I wish this information could be made public so everyone could know the truth about each car and its true history and condition."
From Corvette Action Center Forum Member, 53 Blue Flame on December 13, 2007:
I agree with everything you are saying about the cars and Jerry's attachment to the cars. It will be hard to buy the car. I too, have seen the car. While it does look absolutely awful, I feel that the body can be brought up to snuff. Not that any of these bad bodies are a "snap" to smooth out. It's tedious work and it takes time to do it right. Sometimes, you just have to take them down to the floorpan and bring them back to perfection, using correct panels, which are not easy to find, but it can be done. Jerry's car can be done without taking it down that far. This is kind of my area of expertise.
I went to Bill Beard's place in Albany, back in 1991, while living in Tifton, GA. I saw one of the cars he had. I don't know which one it was though.
It'll be interesting to see how long it stays in Jerry's hands.