The 'Purple People Eater' and 3 other stunning Corvettes are up for sale in Arizona
Courtesy of Barrett-Jackson
The "Purple People Eater" won a national sports car championship in 1959, and was named for a 1958 number one single that told the tale of a one-eyed monster come to earth to join a rock-and-roll band.
The name would later be used for the 1970's Minnesota Vikings defensive line.
Racing driver Jim Jeffords drove his Purple People Eater Corvettes, sponsored by a Chicago car dealership, to an incredible 29 victories in 42 races over the 1958 and 1959 seasons, never finishing anywhere worse than second place.
The car spent a decade forgotten in the corner of a restoration shop as a paint mixing table, and was restored from dilapidated condition once owners Ken Heckert and Chip Miller discovered its racing heritage. It has been fitted with the appropriate - though limited - racing technology of the era.
The auction will also feature three serial number 001 cars: the first vehicles to roll off the Chevy production line during the 1955, 1956, and 1957 model years.
Courtesy of Barrett-Jackson
Also indicative of the era, the cars do not come with seat belts: there were no belts offered on the 1955 model, and they were a dealer-installed option in 1956 and 1957, according to Chevrolet fan site SuperChevy.
For the true Corvette enthusiast, the cars demonstrate three years of transformation for the first-generation, pre-Stingray 'Vette, highlighted by the 1956 introduction of the famous "coves," or sunken fenders, usually painted a contrasting color.
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