Mrs. Harley Earl's Pink SO Corvette

[PeteLeathersac]

WoW!
<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif
~ Pete

Link...
http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail...ign=FL0114-S153 (http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=FL0114-174281&amp;utm_source=emv&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaig n=FL0114-S153)

[Fast67VelleN2O]

Cool car!

[68l30]

Love the Roger Dean connection.....Always Deal With Dean!


BIG

[PeteLeathersac]

Neat how the Shop Order # 10324 of his wife's car is consecutive w/ Harley Earl's own SO # 10323 factory custom '63 Roadster we looked at here recently and sold for 1.5 at the Oct. 2013 Mecum sale, link below.
Whoever bought it may be a likely buyer for this one too, nice bookends for any collection also cool if the two cars end up back together again!
<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif
~ Pete

Link to SO # 10323...
http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=CH1013-171025

[Canuck]

Its interesting how some cars got updated styling . Chrysler did the same with their Italian Built Limousines and corporate cars.

Paul

[olredalert]

----Ill understand if you guys dont believe me, but I saw both these cars in the Earls driveway in 1964 or 65 while in Palm Beach during spring vacation. The Earls lived on the ocean side of the road (kind of rare back then) and had a circular driveway. Both cars were in the driveway pointing at each other. I had a girlfriend with me in a rented mustang convertable and she got mad at me when I stopped to eyeball the two cars. Then I got out and was attempting to get a closer look when thier lawn guy chased me away. I will never forget that day, even when the dementia sets in!!!!!
----As an aside, both cars had Dayton wire wheels at that time, as did many styling cars back then. I told Bob Gold, when he was restoring the blue car, that he chose the wrong wheels (knock-offs) but he decided to keep them on the roadster anyway.......Bill S

[Xplantdad]

Bill...the cars that you have owned, seen and/or been a part of...are amazing!!

[Tracker1]

I wouldn't disbelieve anything you say about Corvettes Bill
<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif

[luzl78]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: olredalert</div><div class="ubbcode-body">----Ill understand if you guys dont believe me, but I saw both these cars in the Earls driveway in 1964 or 65 while in Palm Beach during spring vacation. The Earls lived on the ocean side of the road (kind of rare back then) and had a circular driveway. Both cars were in the driveway pointing at each other. I had a girlfriend with me in a rented mustang convertable and she got mad at me when I stopped to eyeball the two cars. Then I got out and was attempting to get a closer look when thier lawn guy chased me away. I will never forget that day, even when the dementia sets in!!!!!
----As an aside, both cars had Dayton wire wheels at that time, as did many styling cars back then. I told Bob Gold, when he was restoring the blue car, that he chose the wrong wheels (knock-offs) but he decided to keep them on the roadster anyway.......Bill S </div></div>you should have taken a pic of your girlfriend in front of the cars. Imagine looking at that 50 years later!

[bergy]

Cool story Bill - I believe you!

[PeteLeathersac]

I'm a believer too and always amazed at Bill's connections to so many important 'Vettes that pop up!
The girl part of the story is nice but maybe let the Mustang go to the dementia?
<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif
~ Pete

[Keith Seymore]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: PeteLeathersac</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Neat how the Shop Order # 10324 of his wife's car is consecutive w/ Harley Earl's own SO # 10323 factory custom '63 Roadster...</div></div>

LOL!

He must have sat as his desk and banged both the work orders out in one sitting.

Naturally, he took care of <span style="text-decoration: underline">his</span> car first...

<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif

K

[Keith Seymore]

Sidebar:

You guys may already know this, but Harley Earl's office at the GM Tech Center is intact, as he left it.

His office was always spared as the various renovations took place and now is registered as a historic site (and therefore cannot be changed).

It is now occupied by GM's head of Design Ed Welburn who - it would appear - appreciates the aesthetics of the space. That wasn't always the case among former/earlier employees.

K

http://www.lushpad.com/blog/the-mid-century-modern-office/

[TimG]

Bill, that's a cool story. I think the pink car is really cool, but I don't think that I could live with pink. The Harley Earl blue car is one of my favorites.

I have a story about nearly owning a pink new 1971 Cutlass SX convertible that was left over at Nortell Olds in 1972. I didn't want pink then, either.

[olredalert]

----Thanks to all for not thinking Im over the edge!

----Tim,,,The day I saw the roadster it was a pearl blue, not the blue that Bob painted it. Thats not to say that Bob was wrong. I believe he just restored it to another color (sort of Nassau Blue) that the car was painted later than when I saw it. I have always thought that maybe it was a test for peoples reactions to Nassau Blue.....Bill S

[olredalert]

----Keith,,,Just took a look at Earls office. That is really something!!!!.....Bill S

[RPOLS3]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Xplantdad</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Bill...the cars that you have owned, seen and/or been a part of...are amazing!! </div></div>

I always enjoy hearing about all of the car/people connections everytime I see Bill.

Jake

[Tenney]

Cool, Keith! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[Lynn]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: olredalert</div><div class="ubbcode-body">----Thanks to all for not thinking Im over the edge!

Bill S </div></div>

Ummm, they said they believed you (as do I) when you told this story.

No one said they didn't think you were over the edge.

I would hate to think I am out here (over the edge) all by myself.

[ANDY M]

Another McDorman car. I posted this years ago...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/ameyers215/McDorman07028.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/ameyers215/media/McDorman07028.jpg.html)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/ameyers215/McDorman07026.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/ameyers215/media/McDorman07026.jpg.html)

[ANDY M]

BTW, this was not Harley Earls wife's car, it belonged to Bunky Knudsen's wife, as noted on the windshield. Was there more than one? When Bob McDorman owned this car, it was displayed with Bunky's Corvette.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/ameyers215/McDorman07024.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/ameyers215/media/McDorman07024.jpg.html)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/ameyers215/McDorman07025.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/ameyers215/media/McDorman07025.jpg.html)

which did look a lot like Harley's car.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/ameyers215/McDorman07017.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/ameyers215/media/McDorman07017.jpg.html)

[jimbo]

The Pink Vettes appear to be different.
Hood, fender emblems, Earl Vette has 4 tail lights. Knudsen Vette has 6. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif

[ANDY M]

Six tail lights were very rare, but they do bring back to mind &quot;Dead Man's Curve&quot;, where &quot;all the Jag could see were my six tail lights&quot;...I think it was the Grand Sport option, or something like that. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif
I think the Vette that Jan Berry wrecked to end his career had them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1Cuekbklkg

[olredalert]

----As far as I know there was only one dealership that offered six tailights as an actual option, &quot;Harry Mann Chevrolet&quot; in the greater LA area. Other LA area dealers may have done it as well when customers actually asked for the extra two lights. This modification happened at Harry Mann if you knew enough to ask and was done on sight in their body shop. Quite a few 63 to 67 Corvettes were molested in this manner all over the world. It wasnt a difficult modification. It wasnt the Grand Sport option as all 6 Grand Sports had two tailights, but its possible that Harry Mann called it that. Its very possible that Jan Berrys Corvette would have come from HM as that particular dealership sold a ton of mid-year Corvettes....Bill S

[TimG]

Clippinger Chevrolet, home of Bob Wingate and the James Garner L88 race cars, offered new '67 Corvettes with six taillights. There are some good on line shots of new Corvettes in their lot with six rear lights.

[markinnaples]

Bunky Knudsen's wife's vette is sharp. The six light treatment doesn't bother me too much.

[TimG]

Here's a shot, if you look past Bob and his Corvette you can see two others in the row of new Corvettes with six taillights. I'm sure these were done at the dealership.

[olredalert]

----You are correct, Tim! I forgot about Clippinger. Bobs customized green 435 67 coupe may be the one and only car with 6 taillights done at the St. Louis plant. Others were probably done at the Tech Center in the design studio?
----Looking at your pic it almost seems like theres one of those center traction bars already installed on Bobs car. I bought a couple of cars off Bob back in the day when he was selling so many 55-57 Chevys in Hemmings. Buxbaum knew him pretty well. You never knew what to expect every month back then when an issue of Hemmings came in the mailbox!...Bill S