In Search of the Holy Grail

Ben Hsu has been an avid car guy all his life, Ben told us that there is a hit list of cars he would like to have. Number one on his list was the 1963 corvette Split Window Coupe. Ben wanted a car that represented his birth year as well as being the most sought after Corvette. Ben's decades long quest was clear he was determined to find the Holy Grail of Vettes.



Ben was looking for a car with an original drivetrain, no damage and no rust. He stared his quest in Canada. He told us that it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Finally one day in June 2011, Ben received a phone call from a local club member with a lead, she didn’t know what year the Vette was but thought that it might be a 63. Ben followed up on the lead and spoke to a gentleman where the car was kept, he had no idea what year it was either. Ben was given another number to call. A fellow who was handling the sale answered the phone, he was a member of the local corvette club. The agent said he thought it was a 63 but was not sure. The car was located in Vancouver Island BC, Canada. The car was located off the beaten path, about a 4 hour trek from the mainland Vancouver. The remoteness worked out in Bens favor as no one else wanted to take the 8 hour round trip.
 
It seems that the cars owner of 33 years committed suicide, the widow didn’t want anything to do with the car, so when she sold the house, the Realtor took it over to the estate lawyer’s house for temporary storage. The lawyer loved the car, but his wife would not let him buy it. Ben was given a box full of all the 63's original paperwork. When they arrived at the lawyer’s house, the garage swung open and lone and behold, it’s a 63 SWC, it was in driver condition but it was still very presentable.



Ben quickly went to work checking the trim tag, engine cast and stamp number, trans & diff stampings. To his disbelieve, everything matched. By this point, Ben was holding emotions back and tried to negotiate with a clear head. Apparently the widow just had the car appraised weeks before and the appraisal value was very high. No deal that day.

For the next two years, the car was always on Bens mind, then in oct 2013, he sold two of his other cars, a 69 RS Z28 and a 70 Z28.  Ben took a chance and checked on the status of the 63.  It seems that the lawyers wife wanted the garage back and was very motivated to sell. The deal was made. The next day Ben and his father picked up the car.

The 63 was taken into a well known local shop for a no expense spared restoration. In hindsight, the car was a very presentable driver.  Ben told us that he should have taken it  on a road trip before the restoration. The restoration was completed in April of 2014, it has won every show it entered in the summer of 2014 for the total of 11 awards.