Technical corvette at auction what is it?

Bought this corvette body at auction today. It's for a go kart i guess. looks be a 57 model. Says apex on both sides. paid $110 . I am looking for more info on it. Anybody know about them or there history? I'm sure it's not a homemade one. Yes those are faucet handles front and back. A friend says he has a go kart it would on.

 

A friend had one. He had some third hand hearsay info, don't know how accurate it is. Apparently each Corvette dealer got one to use as a promotional item. They could have a drawing at the end of the year to see which Corvette buyer got it. I suppose the promotion varied depending on the dealership. Maybe it went to his kids or his favorite brother-in-law. Who knows for sure?

 

Can't help with information about it, but I do know it is damn cool.

 

Not the same however it looks like fun! Yardman built these tiny Corvettes as promotional items for Chevy dealerships.

• https://barnfinds.com/the-cutest-corvette-ever/
• https://www.lsxmag.com/news/ebay-find-miniature-c1-corvette-go-cart-is-full-of-win/
• https://classiccars.com/listings/vi...-kart-body-for-sale-in-springfield-ohio-45503

 

Remembering back when our two girls were younger and we would vacation in Lake George, New York, we would travel to a place called Great Escape. It was built around the original Story Town Park. There would be similar bodies on the little gas driven cars that the little ones could drive. These would putt putt around a set track with a steel rail in the center of the road so as to keep the cars in place. I know how we would hope to get the Corvette when waiting in line for our turn to drive. Every so often we would get lucky and be at the right place in line.

 

Very rare I'll bet. Please show build pics when it comes together.

 

I still have one of their (Yardman) lawn mowers......

 

In the mid(?) 60's one of my good friends and his older brother had a Corvette go cart. The story he tells is they won it in a raffle sponsored by a Chevy dealership here in Kansas City. I've seen pictures of it, but it's been a long time since I last saw the photos, I think it may have had the Stingray styled body.

Anyway great find there! What are your plans for it? Garage art or are you going to build it?
-Dave

 

Yep! Inquiring minds want to know...

 

I think that came off carnival ride.

 

Yep, Carnival ride, chevy would have never sent it to dealers, not an accurate enough example of a Corvette and especially not with the Apex name on it...…………………..

 

going to try to put on go kart frame.

 

Cool find . Anything related to our favorite hobby is two thumbs up . Would i personally want it ?.... Heck YEAH !!!! Hanging from my rafters in the shop.

 

Gasser go Kart?

 

That's what I'm thinking, too. I remember the old Opryland in Nashville TN had a couple of those tracks, one was T models styled cars, the other was sports car styled. Had about a 5hp Briggs on them, set up like a golf cart, mash the pedal and go, let off and they braked. I remember the handlers would jump on the back of them sometimes and reach in and bypass the governor, the little shits would move then!

 

I don't think it is a Corvette. Looks more AC, Cobra, or kit sports car styling. Side panels look Corvette though.

Dave

 

There was an episode of Ricks Restorations (? name) where a guy brought them a Corvette body like that one to make a go cart out of.

 

I think carnival ride too. By chance do the hood and trunk ornaments pivot? They look like they could be on-off switches so the attendent could shut down the "ride" quickly in an emergency.

 

I was thinking the same thing. The styling looks almost like a Corvette/Ferrari/Maserati A6 mixture.

 

A friend of mine made the 59-60 style Corvette body in his fiberglass shop. I guess he made them for Manco in Ft Wayne In. and they put them on a go-cart frame and engine and sent then to the Sonic drive-ins for a giveaway promotion.

 

I've seen the dealership promos too, and they did have better detailing. But that body is Cool. You could put it on a riding mower. I picked this body up at the Carlisle swap meet. My grandson likes mowing the lawn better now. lol I want to add lights, and paint when I find time.

 

Here's a picture I took at the Hershey swap meet this year. A 1956 Corvette dealer promo. Hope it helps a little. I haven't seen your body before though. But real COOL. Ron.....

Sent from my SM-G920P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

My parents opened a bowling alley in KC in 1960 and AMF gave us a corvette go kart as a promotional raffle prize. My parents some how managed to get another one for my brother and me.

 

That is neat!....

 

Seeing the Apex badge on there makes me think it used to be an amusement ride. Apex was an amusement park company.

 

Reminds me of the old Autotopia ride at Disneyland CA.

 

You know... I wonder if it's the body off an old Shriners Go Kart?

 

The answer is above for those that don’t read back far......
Anyway this story:
“Apparently each Corvette dealer got one to use as a promotional item.”
I see the same thing down here with lawnmowers , local company made a series of mowers “Mustang” “corvette” and “Monaro” these pop up all the time at crazy prices with this story ( Gm dealer or Ford dealer blah blah) , which is Just rubbish, I guess started by someone trying to make a killing on his mower or plastic corvette body?

 

lol
Proportions look like a take-off on Dave MacDonald's old "funny car" road racer.

 

if it had anything to do with Chevrolet it would look like a Corvette. it doesn't so it is not.