This 1967 427/400 With Air and Automatic from Corvette Mike Is A Car Worthy of a Great Story And A Big Bid

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This car is a true Time Machine and it is selling on Bring A Trailer on Friday.

From Corvette Mike Vietro:

How this rare 1967 427/400 AC Auto A. I. R. Corvette Convertible was found….

I wanted to share with you the story of how I came to acquire this very rare and unique Corvette. It all started back around circa 1985 . . .

My sales manager at that time, was Mike C. On yet another sunny and perfect day in Orange County, CA, he took a call from a tipsy guy who claimed he had a ’67 (Sunfire) yellow Corvette convertible with a black leather interior and a 400 hp 427.

Wait, it gets better. Imagine a 400 with AC, automatic, and A. I. R. (smog pump), a convertible with full power options, headrests and a vinyl hardtop missing as well as the center caps on what looked like original Kelsey Hayes aluminum wheels. Pinch me, am I dreaming?

Missing? Yes, he claimed the hardtop was missing because two weeks earlier, a couple of derelict-type individuals stole it right off the car sitting in his outdoor carport. You can’t make this shit up.

It was about that time also as I recall that a couple of thugs came to my shop selling what appeared to be the exact hardtop off of this car. Of course, I couldn’t prove it, and I didn’t mention it because we made an appointment for me to come visit and check out this rare and unbelievable car—if it truly existed!!

When I arrived in Santa Ana, a stone’s throw away from my shop, I finally got to meet the owner, George G. — a large man with urban sensibilities and a cook at the local hotel, who explained that he drank beer continuously. That made sense, as empty beer cans were everywhere, clanking around in the rear compartment. George had bought the convertible when he returned home from Vietnam at Cormier Chevrolet in Long Beach, California. At this showroom, he had his choice between this yellow 427 fire-breathing dragon or a beautiful Marina Blue 350 hp air-conditioned coupe. Can you even imagine those days and those choices?

George was worried, given his propensity to drink, that he’d get pulled over and the cops would confiscate the car. And worse yet, he would receive a DUI. The hardtop was recently stolen, and he was sure the whole car was next.

The tri-carb hydraulic lifter 427 was smoking, a sure sign of neglect and a lot of miles driven.

Given that 435s were trading for about $6,000 in the early ’80s, I peeled off $5,000 cash and placed it on the fender. I said, “George, either you pick it up, or I will.”

Of course, he picked it up. Needless to say, he needed and wanted the cash; no doubt, visions of beer brewing burned a hole in his brain. And keep in mind this car needed a complete frame off restoration.