The One that Got Away

Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone

“Too soon old, too late smart.” When I took this photo, little did I realize that almost sixty years later I would be looking at this picture and lamenting how little I appreciated this car while I owned it.

It was a beautiful 1967 with a 427 big-block engine, 390 horsepower, and a four speed manual transmission. The white stinger hood was the icing on the cake. It had an optional hardtop, a saddle leather interior with the rare headrest option, and an adjustable speed warning indicator built into the speedometer.

I had recently sold my first Corvette, a ’65 small-block roadster, and had decided that I wanted a big-block Corvette. I think this was because another guy in town had upgraded his ‘65 Corvette to a 427. And I guess it would also have provided me with bragging rights for having the biggest engine available in any sports car.

A local search through various newspapers for a Corvette with a 427 cubic inch engine revealed that there weren’t many for sale in my area. I think this car was one of the first ones I found in the car ads. It was located in a large city near where I lived, so I called the owner and made arrangements to go and look at it.

Late in the day on a weekend in the late fall, I went to look at this C2. I don’t know what I was thinking, arriving at dusk to check out a car when it would be too dark to see it well. Arriving at the apartment, I vividly remember the owner’s pregnant wife standing at the ironing board in their living room and I understood why he was selling the car: they would need more than two seats very soon.

We went outside in the rapidly receding light and I could see that this Goodwood Green ’67 roadster was in immaculate condition with a flawless saddle tan interior. I knew the 390 horsepower version of this engine had hydraulic lifters with a single four barrel carburetor so I wouldn’t need to fiddle with tri-power carbs or adjust mechanical lifters.

I wish I could remember how many miles this Corvette had on it, but I’m pretty sure there weren’t many. I also don’t remember the asking price, but after a quick negotiation we agreed on $3700. I gave him a deposit and I would become the second owner of this unique Corvette.

After buying it, did I appreciate what I had? Not really. I was young and immature. It was just another possession that I pretty quickly took for granted. I don’t think I really valued any car I owned until I was in my thirties. With age comes maturity, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen fast enough.

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