Nick Chapman
New member
1962 Gulf Racing Corvette
Detailed to perfection! White has never looked so good! Light sanding on some areas, then a 2 step paint correction(M105/M205 with Meguiar's MF on a Rupes 21) topped with Meguiar’s #26 wax. Interior and Engine thoroughly cleaned and detailed to perfection. Many hours invested on this one, it’s one of my top 5 picks from the Andrews collection and an extreme pleasure to work on! This car has an incredibly documented story behind it and it was hard to leave any of the info out. Hope you enjoy the read!
-The 1962 SCCA A/Production champion
-Winningest Corvette in history
-Driven by the legendary Dr. Dick Thompson for Grady Davis’s Gulf Oil Racing team
-Winner of the first-ever NCRS American Heritage Award
-Extensively documented, authentically restored, and beautifully maintained
-One of the most significant of all Corvette racing cars
-Originally purchased from Yenko Chevrolet
Undoubtedly the most cherished and desirable Corvettes of all time are those that took to the race track in the 1950s and 1960s, where they would do battle with Europe’s finest. In this regard, the Corvette was truly America’s sports car and a symbol of the Land of the Free’s ingenuity, tenacity, and a never-ending desire to be and beat the best.
This 1962 Corvette is one of the most iconic Corvettes in existence. It wrote its name into the history books over the course of the 1962 racing season, and it was associated with a number of individuals who were hugely important not only to the history of the Corvette but also American sports car racing.
Starting with the Daytona National race on January 28 1962, Dick Thompson, known as “The Flying Dentist” for his somewhat less glamorous day job, piloted the Corvette to a 2nd place finish in this highly competitive event. That would be just the beginning of the Corvette’s success, and the lowest place it would sit on the podium that year. It returned to Daytona a few weeks later, for the Continental 3 Hour race, and it won its class. The car would see an identical result at the 12 Hours of Sebring, with Duncan Black and M.J.R. Wylie behind the wheel, thus cementing the Corvette’s credibility on the world stage.
Throughout 14 races, the Corvette chalked up an incredible 12 wins following Daytona and Sebring, at such race tracks across the northeastern United States as Watkins Glen, Road America, and the Virginia International Raceway. That season helped to cement Dr. Thompson’s reputation as not only one of the greatest drivers in SCCA history but also one of the greatest drivers to have ever piloted a Corvette in competition.
Following the end of the 1962 season, the Corvette returned to Yenko Chevrolet and then purchased by Tony Denman, who continued to campaign the car. It returned to Daytona for the 250-mile race, as well as the 3 Hours of Daytona, placing 6th and 22nd overall, respectively, which translated to a 2nd in class on both occasions.
For the next 20 years, the Corvette’s racing history remained unknown, as it was driven as a street car, repainted green, and then red, and then passed through just four owners during this time. It was purchased by Rev. Mike Ernst, a Lutheran minister and a known Corvette expert, who found the car being used as a daily driver by a college student who was completely unaware of its racing history. Ernst confirmed not only that the car was sold new with the RPO 687 package but also that it was a legendary piece of Corvette history. He was further able to confirm the car’s identity throughout the disassembly process, prior to a restoration.
Although a number of the car’s racing components were missing, Ernst was able to track down the missing parts through Tony Denman, who had kept the components in his parents’ garage. Ernst was able to buy the missing parts back in May 1985, reuniting the Corvette with its original engine block, cylinder heads, exhaust manifold, Yenko heavy-duty suspension, Stewart Warner gauges, and roll bar, amongst other original components.
The final restoration was completed in 2007, where it was reunited with it’s original wheels and tires from the 1962 racing season and the original Motorola 2-way radio.
Detailed to perfection! White has never looked so good! Light sanding on some areas, then a 2 step paint correction(M105/M205 with Meguiar's MF on a Rupes 21) topped with Meguiar’s #26 wax. Interior and Engine thoroughly cleaned and detailed to perfection. Many hours invested on this one, it’s one of my top 5 picks from the Andrews collection and an extreme pleasure to work on! This car has an incredibly documented story behind it and it was hard to leave any of the info out. Hope you enjoy the read!
-The 1962 SCCA A/Production champion
-Winningest Corvette in history
-Driven by the legendary Dr. Dick Thompson for Grady Davis’s Gulf Oil Racing team
-Winner of the first-ever NCRS American Heritage Award
-Extensively documented, authentically restored, and beautifully maintained
-One of the most significant of all Corvette racing cars
-Originally purchased from Yenko Chevrolet
Undoubtedly the most cherished and desirable Corvettes of all time are those that took to the race track in the 1950s and 1960s, where they would do battle with Europe’s finest. In this regard, the Corvette was truly America’s sports car and a symbol of the Land of the Free’s ingenuity, tenacity, and a never-ending desire to be and beat the best.
This 1962 Corvette is one of the most iconic Corvettes in existence. It wrote its name into the history books over the course of the 1962 racing season, and it was associated with a number of individuals who were hugely important not only to the history of the Corvette but also American sports car racing.
Starting with the Daytona National race on January 28 1962, Dick Thompson, known as “The Flying Dentist” for his somewhat less glamorous day job, piloted the Corvette to a 2nd place finish in this highly competitive event. That would be just the beginning of the Corvette’s success, and the lowest place it would sit on the podium that year. It returned to Daytona a few weeks later, for the Continental 3 Hour race, and it won its class. The car would see an identical result at the 12 Hours of Sebring, with Duncan Black and M.J.R. Wylie behind the wheel, thus cementing the Corvette’s credibility on the world stage.
Throughout 14 races, the Corvette chalked up an incredible 12 wins following Daytona and Sebring, at such race tracks across the northeastern United States as Watkins Glen, Road America, and the Virginia International Raceway. That season helped to cement Dr. Thompson’s reputation as not only one of the greatest drivers in SCCA history but also one of the greatest drivers to have ever piloted a Corvette in competition.
Following the end of the 1962 season, the Corvette returned to Yenko Chevrolet and then purchased by Tony Denman, who continued to campaign the car. It returned to Daytona for the 250-mile race, as well as the 3 Hours of Daytona, placing 6th and 22nd overall, respectively, which translated to a 2nd in class on both occasions.
For the next 20 years, the Corvette’s racing history remained unknown, as it was driven as a street car, repainted green, and then red, and then passed through just four owners during this time. It was purchased by Rev. Mike Ernst, a Lutheran minister and a known Corvette expert, who found the car being used as a daily driver by a college student who was completely unaware of its racing history. Ernst confirmed not only that the car was sold new with the RPO 687 package but also that it was a legendary piece of Corvette history. He was further able to confirm the car’s identity throughout the disassembly process, prior to a restoration.
Although a number of the car’s racing components were missing, Ernst was able to track down the missing parts through Tony Denman, who had kept the components in his parents’ garage. Ernst was able to buy the missing parts back in May 1985, reuniting the Corvette with its original engine block, cylinder heads, exhaust manifold, Yenko heavy-duty suspension, Stewart Warner gauges, and roll bar, amongst other original components.
The final restoration was completed in 2007, where it was reunited with it’s original wheels and tires from the 1962 racing season and the original Motorola 2-way radio.
