The story behind this 1962 Chevrolet Corvette convertible nicknamed ‘Elegance’ started out simple enough.
Bruce Milyard came to see his friend, John Martin, in Alamosa, Colorado, to inquire about having a car built for his wife’s 50th birthday. After searching for a suitable car to restore, Milyard and Martin finally found a weathered-looking Corvette in nearby Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“At first glance we knew it was pretty rough, and to build it would definitely be a feat,” said Martin, the owner of the Johnny’s Autotrim shop.
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Turning the car into a beauty would be no easy task, so Martin went right to work, coming up with a vision for its design with his friend, artist Kris Gosar who created a rendering.
Once the blueprint for the car had been drawn up, the crew began the four-year-long build. Martin and his young crew, which consisted of his daughter, son and nephew, completed all of the car’s extensive body work, including changing the front and rear wheel openings, peaking all of the body lines, and eliminating the rear bumpers.
To give the car a smoother appearance, the hood and trunk latches were removed and replaced with electric actuators, and the hood, trunk and doors were filled in solid, and new openings were cut to get a perfect fit. Martin and Gosar designed a unique “427 Fuel Injected” emblem that was sunk into the car with an added spear. (They also added the emblem to the engine cover.)
For the Corvette’s paint, Martin worked with Emmett Flowers of Professional Paint Supply in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to come up with a color they named “Champaign Mist.”
Under the hood sits a fully polished 520-horsepower LS7 engine connected to a fully polished 4L65E transmission with a custom Shiftworks shifter. Martin’s nephew Aron and brother Mike built the stainless exhaust and custom tips.
For the Corvette’s interior, Martin custom-made the seats, door panels, console, trunk and headliner with matching spears. The interior also features custom one-off Classic Instruments gauges.
When it was completed, Martin took the Corvette, nicknamed “Elegance” for its classy look, to the Detroit Autorama. It was selected from a field of hundreds of cars to become one of the “Great 8,” and a contender for the prestigious Ridler Award, one of the highest honors a classic car can receive.
In the end, the Corvette didn’t take home the Ridler Award, but it did help earn Martin and his build team national recognition. It also made a great birthday present for his client’s wife.
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