Some 9,500 miles separate Davenport, Iowa, and Victoria, Australia, but this great distance is no obstacle for a group of people who all share a common bond, a love for Corvettes. I received an email from Joe Calleja, managing director of Apex Steel in Victoria. Joe owns a 1966 Corvette racer and wanted to know the provenance of his car. Joe doesn’t just own the car, he has raced it extensively all over the world. It is his favorite car and he loves to talk about it. His enthusiasm is contagious. Joe wanted the entire history of his Corvette. With a lot of work, some luck and a surprising source, this is what we have uncovered.
Joe’s Corvette (VIN:194376S110222) is one of 9,958 Corvette coupes produced in 1966. Decoding the trim tag indicates this car was painted Rally Red when new and left the factory with a black leather interior. The body was built by the A.O. Smith Company. A.O. Smith of Ionia, Michigan, was one of two fiberglass body builders for Corvette. Our subject Corvette was assembled in St. Louis, Missouri.
That was the easy part of the research. From there not much could be found about this particular car. I ran the VIN number through several resources and could find virtually nothing about the car. I always start my searches with the National Insurance Crime Bureau. This car had never been reported lost or stolen. Next I checked the VIN number with the Registry of Corvette Race Cars and the Corvette C2 Registry. Neither source listed this example.
My last resource proved to be the most productive. I contacted the National Corvette Restorers Society and requested a shipping data report for this Corvette. After a few weeks I received my reply. The official GM production date for the Calleja Corvette was January 5, 1966. The original delivery dealer was Dealer Code 455, Zone, 47, Mills Chevrolet, Moline, Illinois.
A quick Google search indicated Mills Chevrolet of Moline, Illinois, was most certainly still in business. A further search produced an email address for the owner, David Mills. Could it be possible that Mills Chevrolet had information about a Corvette sale some 48 years earlier? I sent an email to David Mills knowing full well this was a long, long shot and most unlikely to produce any information.
Mr. Mills replied immediately. He was intrigued by my request and thought he just might have some transactional records regarding the sale of this Corvette some 48 years ago! He was certainly willing to check. My word. A day or two later, I received an email from Elizabeth Weber, Internet Manager for Mills Chevrolet. She had retrieved several original documents regarding the sale of the Calleja Corvette. She was kind enough to photograph the documents and email them to me. The documents included the name of the original purchaser of this car.
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As you can imagine, finding resources like this is rare. To find an original selling dealer, still in business, with records going back more than 48 years is remarkable. All credit due to Mr. David Mills and Ms. Elizabeth Weber. Their willingness to help perfect strangers access 48-year-old records is noteworthy. The records they produced were invaluable. Mr. Mills even sent an original page of his records to Joe Calleja to include in the provenance report for this car. Both Mills and Weber totally understand customer service and represent Chevrolet and the Mills Chevrolet dealership so well. They could not have been more gracious or supportive.
Now, the next step, can I find and contact the first owner of this Corvette? The address provided by David Mills and Elizabeth Weber was accurate. I sent a letter and waited a few days then called the first owner, Mr. Gerald Swanson of Davenport, Iowa. He was astonished to learn his Corvette from nearly a half century ago was now an international racecar that had competed all over the world, including the Le Mans Classic.
Mr. Swanson remembered the car well and with great affection and appreciation. He could remember exactly what he paid for the Corvette and who the salesman was! He was able to relate some important facts about the car, such as its original power train combination. Mr. Swanson sold it on to raise money to get married.
For now the provenance trail has reached a dead end. Research is ongoing to find the next owner and the one after to fill in all the provenance gaps. Below is a partial list of the events the Calleja Corvette has raced in. You’ll note some very important venues and fantastic drivers. The red Corvette from Davenport, Iowa, is truly a world traveler. Spa Six Hours 2007 David Cooke H.Spooner, 2006 David Cooke/ B.Berridge Belgium Le Mans Legend 2007 David Cooke /Neil Twyman Goodwood Revival 2004,2005/2006/2007 David Cooke/ Peter Brock U.K. Siverstone Classic 2006 David Cooke /Peter Bryant U.K. Brands Hatch 2006 David Cooke /M.Twyman U.K. Monterey Historics 2012/2013 John Bowe U.S.A Phillip Island Historics 2011/2012/2013 J.Calleja Aust.
