---
title: "A Matching-Numbers 1954 Chevy C1 Corvette is the Barn Find of the Summer"
description: "It's the second-rarest year for America's iconic sports car."
date: "2017-08-10"
modified: "2017-08-11"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/13401/a-matching-numbers-1954-chevy-c1-corvette-is-the-barn-find-of-the-summer"
categories:
  - "Chevrolet News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "Barn Find"
  - "c1"
  - "Chevrolet"
  - "chevrolet corvette"
  - "classic cars"
  - "Corvette"
  - "Coupe"
  - "gran sport"
  - "sports car"
---

# A Matching-Numbers 1954 Chevy C1 Corvette is the Barn Find of the Summer

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/08/corvette-barn-find.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

A [barn find](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/9045/two-like-new-buick-grand-nationals-are-the-barn-finds-of-the-year>) is the automotive equivalent of panning for gold. To uncover one requires patience and persistence, not to mention sifting through mountains of dirt and debris. [But *Hagerty's* Tom Cotter](<https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHKCmmH-x9mLN0PNeFBtxyZ7olwptkO5q>) is a man on a mission, and his dedication yields an amazing discovery on the latest episode of *Barn Find Hunter*: a matching-numbers 1954 Chevy C1 Corvette sitting in a dusty open-air shed on an overgrown lot in North Carolina.

Just over 3,600 Corvettes were built in 1954, the car's second year in production, and all were equipped with the company's 155-horsepower Blue Flame straight-six engine, a Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission, and a red interior. As Cotter points out, it was General Motor's attempt to staunch the tide of foreign sports cars that began to infiltrate the market in the postwar years. But it wasn't until 1955 that a V8 engine option was introduced, and these early models are much more weekend cruisers than nimble racers.

But given that 1954 was the second-lowest volume year for the Corvette, these command a pretty high price. According to *Hagerty*, a 1954 [Chevrolet Corvette](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/13324/u-s-chevy-corvette-sales-drop-off-while-canada-sales-are-on-the-rise>) in concours condition is worth almost $140,000. And the car Cotter found covered with a tarp and years of dirt and dust? Even with all its issues, it's still in "fair" condition and therefore worth approximately $44,000.

Cotter also points out that even though it looks rough, all the parts are there to make it a "good" condition car with about a week's worth of work, potentially bumping the Corvette's value up to at least $67,000. It also allegedly ran when parked.

Unfortunately, the owner is reluctant to part with his prize, so the Corvette remains tucked away in the shed. But there are plenty of other surprises in store in this episode, including a Rambler Marlin, a 1970 Buick Gran Sport Stage 1 convertible (worth about $63,000 in fair condition), and a whole warehouse full of dusty Italian classics.

https://youtube.com/embed/oD1NstnBApI

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)