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VIN 1Z37J3S404240




















   
Car Year: 1973
Car's approximate birthday: October 9, 1972
 
Owner: eBay Motors badbobno9
City: Castro Valley
State: California
Country: United States
 
Purchase date: Undefined
Status: Current Owner
 
Nickname: 1Z37J3S404240
State: Unknown
 
Exterior: Other Color
Interior: 400 Black (Vinyl)
Softtop: Other Color
Wheels: Other Color
 
Delivery Dealer Zone: Unknown
Delivery Dealer Code: Unknown
 
Options: RPO Option Percentage
Sold [%]
Sales Price
[$]
  1YZ37 Base Corvette Sport Coupe (190hp) 83.77% 5,561.50
  A31 Power Windows 46.03% 83.00
  N37 Tilt-Telescopic Steering Column 58.92% 82.00
  Total   0.000003370519746%
(1 Cars)
5,726.50
 
Factory job nr.: Unknown
Export Car: Non Export Car
Other details: Mileage: 85000 on odometer
 
Car history:
Posted 06/13/2019

This is not a kit car, but a truly one-of-a-kind custom Corvette designed by Harry Bradley.

Who Was Harry Bradley:
He was a designer for GM, who was then hired by Mattel to design 11 of 16
first edition Hot Wheels. He later taught at the Art Center College of Design in
Pasadena, CA for 35 years. In 1973, this Corvette wagon was designed by Mr.
Bradley, which took three years to build at a cost of $25,000.

History:

When Harry Bradley sets out to design a car, he doesn't fool around with the
ambiguous or the vague. There are no superfluous add-ons or pieced-together
attempts at an avant-garde style. A Bradley creation is an integrated unit, a
concept that stands by itself. And, in the case of this Bradley-designed 1973
Corvette Hatchback Coupe, the end result is a work of art.

In Harry's words, This Corvette Hatchback Coupe was designed and constructed
to give the owner a vehicle that was as close to a factory prototype as possible.
The intent was to develop a quality specialty vehicle, not another Corvette custom
car.

Typical of the Detroit-oriented fabrication techniques that are found throughout
the car, the fastback profile starts just above the rear bumpers for a completely
balanced design. The rear window slopes forward and the entire roof has been
reshaped and extended back. The side windows are tinted Lexan and are mounted
in recessed openings. California Glass Bending, which did all the glass work,
fastened these windows into position with both adhesive and special fiber nuts
so that they will give rather than be rigid. The quarter windows wrap up and
over the roof, letting light into the interior. The rear windows is tinted, tempered
glass that has been framed in a chromed U channel, and the bright moldings
were handmade from brass. The windows, also, were handmade, using special
hardwood and aluminum molds.

The new roof section was built around a steel roll cage. Completely self-contained,
the assembly bolts to the existing chassis using rubber mounting cushions, which
permit the new roof area to flex and yield with the entire car, and the roof
panels are still removable.

Bud's Garage in Torrance, California did the electrical work, including the use of
the 1971 Thunderbird taillight at the rear. The taillight was narrowed 6 1/2 inches
and fits into the inner housing that permits and complete access to all wiring
and bulbs. The aluminum and square-tube subframe allows adjustment of the
taillight assembly in the body. All of the elements are adjustable. The stock
exhaust tips were eliminated, the openings in the lower panel filled, and an
electric antenna (Mercedes) retracts into the left rear fender.

The front end modifications include six rectangular G.M. headlights that were
placed in a horizontal row to form a light bar. The system is totally legal, with
the outer four headlights operating normally (as on any production vehicle with
quad headlights) and the two inboard headlights operating on high beam by
activating a separate switch, so the car may be driven with either four or six
headlights in the high-beam mode. All six headlights are fully adjustable.
Because there are so many polished planes, the headlights reflect over and
over, giving a hall-of-mirrors effect.

A square-tube steel frame is the basis for the headlight opening, and fiberglass
was laminated to this framework. The front bumper guards and license plate
opening were trimmed with polished hand-formed aluminum panels. The edges
of the panels were rolled to provide accent highlights, and the fresh-air vents
on the hood were filled flush.

Few modifications were made to the side of the body. This machine was designed
as a Corvette show car from the beginning, and no attempts were made to
restyle or disguise the main Chevrolet design elements. The Corvette's full
contours were maintained, not reshaped.

The side pipes ad bright metal detailing were done by the Creative Car Craft in
Hawthorne. The pipes were functional units that were covered by styled, hand-
formed steel shrouds to visually stabilize the lower body. The clean, long, horizontal
shape of these shrouds establishes a straight lower line on the automobile, which
overcomes the original broken rocker panel contour and gives the car a more
contemporary look. The exhaust tips are not functional, and the exhaust gasses
are actually directed down, not out. This protects the passengers' legs and feet
from high temperatures and further muffles exhaust noises. The rear door outline
at the B post was recut to slope up, parallel with the fender line.

The rear floor was designed to be smooth for storage of small items. It was
formed over a space-frame structure, and a modified Camaro gas tank was
suspended below the grid, with the filler neck accessible behind the hinged
license plate. The slight spoiler across the back of the roof aids in the aerodynamic
flow of the Corvette and also keeps the backlight area clean and relatively dirt-
free by creating air circulation across the glass surface.

As the rear fenders sweep back, they taper into the body sides and disappear,
which is a repeat of the front fender design and creates a tight style rather
than the appearance that the roof has been stacked atop the main body.

The rear window opens using handmade hinges and lift pistons that latch and
lock. A Pantera lock cylinder was used as part of the locking unit. The hinges
are adjustable to allow movement both vertically and horizontally, ensuring a
tight fit of the backlight.

The paint is very pale, pearl-ice-blue acrylic lacquer and was done by Dennis
Ereck Enterprises in Redondo Beach, which also did all the engineering and
bodywork. This coloration is quite unique because it is a pure pale blue, with no
green (cool) or purple (warm) highlights. Because the car's overall design is so
coherent, no pin-striping was used.

All of the interior areas were retrimmed by Warren Morimoto of Torrance to
continue the Detroit-prototype scheme. The usual over-sophisticated, puffy
interior look that is so often seen on custom cars was avoided in favor of trim,
graphic upholstery work. Black vinyl and cloth (original Corvette materials)
were used, and many imitation upholstery areas were eliminated and replaced
with real, hand-sewn work, such as on the center console.

Double-overlapping aluminum plates on the doors and rear panel provide
interior accents. The panels are beveled, include the original owner's initials,
and they are themselves accented by the introduction of the exterior color.

The Corvette Hatchback is powered by a stock 350 V-8 that carries Edelbrock
valve covers and intake manifold. The car is air conditioned, and the transmission
is a four-speed manual. The suspension is stock, but the wheels were specifically
made by Cragar Industries made to the artist's design and Cragar decided they
liked the one off wheels so much they might put them into production. They are
8 x 15 inch Cragar SST chrome items that are shod with Goodyear GT radials in
the GR/70 x 15 size.

There is a multitude of custom Corvettes on the roads these days, each of
them as distinct from the stock models as Lafite-Rothschild is distinct from
other fine wines, but there are few machines of any marque that could be
compared to this Corvette Hatchback in terms of styling unity. Harry Bradley is
a virtuoso, and his craft has produced a masterpiece in this automobile.

Car details:
The car has a matching #350 block engine. The car was in an accident in 1997
and has not been on the road since. It requires a complete front to rear restoration,
including the steering, body, and drive train. The photos show the car in both
its original and current condition. It is presently not drivable, but has been stored
for over 20 years and has a clean title. With the proper restoration, this car will
be the museum piece it deserves to be, and could be easily worth six figures.

This car is fully documented in numerous magazines & books like Keepin Track
of Corvettes Vol. 4 (Front Cover), Super Chevy Oct. 1978 (Front Cover), Corvette
News Summer Issue 1982 (Harry Bradleys Concept Cars) & Petersen Deluxe
Corvette an American Classic 1978. Harry Bradley cars have won many awards
and his cars are displayed in museums and car shows throughout the country.
 
For Sale: No

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