Purple People Eater

MOTOR AUTHORITY | At one point in its life, this 1959 Chevrolet Corvette was sold for $800. Two men each split the cost to acquire this car back in 1974, but now it’s destined to cross an auction block in Arizona for a far greater figure. Let’s back up a bit, though, as the story of the Purple People Eater runs deeper than this. What we’re dealing with here is an iconic American race car that dominated nearly every race it entered.

In 1958, the Chicago-based Nickey Chevrolet ordered up a Corvette to take to the race track. It arrived wearing standard silver paint. While out on the track, its owner felt that it was hard to see among the other race cars all wearing from-the-factory paint. So the car was sent into the dealership’s paint booth and it came out on the other side with its unique metallic purple color scheme.

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