No Joke: Kevin Hart Drops $825K on Restomod Corvette
LT1-powered 1959 Pro-Touring-style Corvette is the latest modified muscle car to join the Kevin Hart collection via Barrett-Jackson.
Comedian Kevin Hart has an impressive car collection. He owns the typical Ferrari exotics you would expect. However, he also has an eye for some American muscle. He has a Ford Mustang GT500E and had a stunning Plymouth Barracuda before it was totaled in a crash. Hart has scratched the restomod itch once again with his most recent purchase from the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was the high bidder in the no reserve auction for a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette custom convertible. That bid was $825,000. Restomod cars can bring in the big bucks, that is for sure. However, is this Corvette build worth the outrageous price?
The car is powered by a LT1 6.2-liter V8, producing 460 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. Solid numbers for sure and a great powerplant. However, it is somewhat curious that with all the work done to this car, the powertrain is just plucked right from a C7 Corvette. It does not take much to get a lot more power out of these engines. Heck you can grab a new V8 Camaro with essentially the same engine for nearly $800,000 less. Of course, a new Camaro is not going to turn heads the way this custom Corvette will.
This car is a stunner. The body is all-original and was completely stripped with glass beads before being finished in PPG Franny Green. The convertible top was completely restored, done in Chocolate Brown. The interior features Dakota Digital gauges, LED lighting, and a modern audio system made to look like a 1959 Wonder Bar system.
However, this modern system has subwoofers and Bluetooth connectivity. The car rolls on custom EVOD wheels. The wheels are made to look like a modern take on old school knockoff center nuts. These one-off wheels are wrapped in whitewall Nitto tires. This restomod is rolling artwork.
However, this is artwork that can handle the open road. The LT1 V8 engine is hooked to a 4L75E automatic transmission. It has an Art Morrison C7 independent front suspension, fully adjustable ride height and Strange coilovers.
Stopping duties are left to a set of Wilwood brakes with C7 6-piston front calipers with 14-inch rotors and stainless-steel brake lines. With this type of hardware, we certainly hope that Hart puts some miles on the car. At the time of auction there were only 150 miles on the build.
Is this car worth $825,000? Well, it was to Hart and that is all that really matters. This is not even close to the most powerful or fastest car in his collection. So, the outright speed and performance was likely not the driving factor here. The car is a perfect cruiser. It is beautiful to look at and the fit and finish appears to be flawless.
Any car with this much style and quality, is going to cost a pretty penny. If you had the money magically appear in your bank account, would you have tried to outbid Hart for this car? If not, what LT1 projects would you rather have for the money? Let us know your thoughts in the LS1 Tech forums.
Photos: Barrett-Jackson
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