Beschreibung:

•Single family ownership from new •Highly original and excellently preserved with only 90,000 kilometres from new •Rare factory hardtop •Desirable manual transmission •All documentation from day one Back in 1953, Chevrolet's launch of a two-seater sports car was a radical departure for a marque hitherto associated almost exclusively with sensible family transport. Based on the 1952 EX-122 show car, the Corvette made use of existing GM running gear and a shortened chassis frame, around which was wrapped striking Harley Earl-styled glassfibre coachwork. Motive power came from Chevrolet's 235.5ci (3.8-litre) overhead-valve straight six and, unusually for a sportscar, there was automatic transmission, a feature that attracted much adverse criticism at the time. Intended as competition for the T-Series MG, the Corvette cost way above the target figure, ending up in Jaguar XK120 territory but with an inferior performance. Sales were sluggish initially and the model came close to being axed, surviving thanks to Chevrolet's need to compete with Ford's Thunderbird. A V8 engine for 1955 and a radical re-style for '56 consolidated the 'Vette's position in the market, the model going on to become the world's best-selling and longest-lived sports car. This 1961 Chevrolet Corvette was delivered new via Établissements C F Wismeyer & Co in Brussels, the local importer for Chevrolet, and sold new to Mr Armand Blaton in Brussels. The Blaton family was already well known in the motor racing world, with the brothers Armand 'Blary' and Jean 'Beurlys' Blaton both being successful racers. This Corvette was ordered and registered in the name of Armand Blaton Sr. but mainly used by his sons Armand and Jean. The car was delivered fitted with the 245hp V8 engine, and the original sales contract (on file) lists several desirable options: electric power windows; hardtop; four-speed manual gearbox; twin four-barrel carburettors; heavy duty brakes; safety belts; one exterior rear-view mirror; and a Positraction limited-slip differential. With 'taxe de luxe' of 13% applied, this was one very expensive motor car, costing Blaton 385,618 Belgian Francs. The Corvette was first registered on 24th April 1961 as 'B1288', later 'B6277', and finally 'ABL-078', reflecting Armand Blaton's initials. The car was originally delivered with a speedometer calibrated miles per hour, which Blaton changed two months after delivery to one in kilometres (correspondence on file). Unhappy about the brakes, Mr Blaton contacted the Girling company in August 1961 to inform them of this, stating that he wanted to fit 'Girling disc brake equipment' to his Corvette (correspondence on file). He even contacted Autostar-Bizzarrini & Co to get them to install their AC Dunlop patent disc brake system, though nothing came of these approaches. Clearly Armand intended to do hill climbs with this Corvette, and there is correspondence on file with Ronald M Chazan of Corvettes Limited in California about the best competition equipment for such events. In April 1962, Armand had a minor accident with the car, which was not his fault. Luckily only the right front wing, right front light, and front bumper were slightly damaged, as can be deduced from the detailed 'declaration d'accident' on file. In June of that same year there was more bad luck when the garage door struck the Corvette in the right rear quarter, blown by the wind. The minor repairs required were done at the supplying dealership, C F Wismeyer (invoice on file). In August 1962, Armand Blaton wrote to his good friend Jacques Swaters, the Ferrari importer for Belgium, saying that he wanted to change the body of his Corvette for a special Bertone body (only one year after he bought the car). Jacques Swaters frequently travelled to Italy, and having had a meeting with Giotto Bizzarrini and Marcello Gandini he informed Armand that Bizzarrini's plans for a Bertone-bodied Corvette had been completed. However, Armand decided not to commit to th