Tim G's Amazing 67 427/400 Corvette

[Belair62]

2002 Bloomington Special Collection write-up

In April 1967, 21-year-old John Palm of River Forest, IL decided it was time
to order his first Corvette. He was just finishing his electrician
apprenticeship with Peterson Electric, and along with his trade-in, a 1962
Corvair, he had saved enough money to pay for the car. John purchased the
Corvette from Z Frank Chevrolet of Chicago because they gave him the best
deal. Shortly after taking delivery of the car in July of 1967, he was
caught in a rainstorm on the way to Indiana. The storm would prove to be a
turning point in the preservation of this Corvette. John vowed never to
drive the Corvette in inclement weather again. He went out and purchased a
1965 Corvair as a driver, rented an extra garage from a neighbor for $15 a
month, and parked the Corvette.
John would drive the Corvette occasionally, but as his life became more
complicated, even that would change. John had started collecting model
trains, and he became so involved with that hobby that he stopped driving
the Corvette entirely. He sold the Corvette in 1987 when it had only 18,600
miles on it.
It was at this time that Steve Foreman, a Corvette enthusiast from Chicago,
heard about the Corvette from a fellow model train collector. Steve
purchased the Corvette from John for his friend, Jack Murray. Steve
remembers that the car had been sitting so long that the brake pedal went to
the floor when he pushed it, and that John had the hardtop for the car
stored under his ping-pong table in the basement.
During Jack Murray’s ownership, the Corvette was invited to the Bloomington
Gold Judges’ Banquet in 1994. It was on display for educational purposes and
received a special recognition award. Jack Murray ultimately sold the
Corvette to his good friend, Chris Piscitello, in 2001. Chris has the
largest collection of unrestored 1967 427 Corvettes in the country.
In 2001, Chris brought the Corvette to Bloomington Gold and received
Survivor, Gold and Benchmark Certification along with the award for Best
Documentation. The car was on display in the 2002 Bloomington Special
Collection as a truly magnificent example of a 100 percent original low-mile
Corvette.

I purchased this car from Chris Picsitello in October of 2004 and had the
car NCRS judged at the Waco Regional. It easily received a Top Flight. I
will bring this car to the NCRS Nationals in 2006 and it should receive a
NCRS Bow Tie award. Options are 427/400, transistor ignition, vinyl hardtop,
factory sidepipes, M21 with 3:08 posi, AM/FM. The interior is absolutely
amazing as is the original paint. The original owner, now 58, told me his
friends all had 4:11 geared 435's and he wanted a top end car. He drove it
to Madison, WI in the 70's and hit 140 on the highway with some room left on
the tachometer. He said the lift was horrible at this speed.
When the car arrived on the judging field of Bloomington 2001, it was at
first accused of being a repainted car. The experienced Survivor judges had
never seen original paint in such great condition. As the judging process
continued, they realized that it was indeed the original, well preserved
paint. They were amazed.