Chapter 28. He Realized the Astonishing Value of the Corvette.
Chapter 28. He Realized the Astonishing Value of the Corvette.
In America, there are two ways to sell a Corvette for a high price.
One is to receive Gold Certified status from Bloomington Gold.
(Translator’s Note: Bloomington Gold — A major Corvette judging and certification organization that began in 1973 as the Bloomington Corvette Corral and later became one of the best-known standards for factory-correct Corvette restoration and preservation.)
The other is to receive a high score from the NCRS (National Corvette Restorers Society).
(Translator’s Note: NCRS — Short for National Corvette Restorers Society, founded in 1974. It is one of the leading organizations for documenting, judging, and preserving factory-correct Corvettes.)
What those two institutions have in common is that they judge how faithfully a car has been restored to, or preserved in, its original condition.
That was why, from the very start of the Corvette restoration, I had been working off the AIM and checking even the color of the bolt heads.
For Corvette owners, earning Gold Certification or a high NCRS score was a kind of honor, almost like winning a trophy, even if they were not planning to sell.
However—
With Bloomington Gold, I’d have to wait until next year, and with NCRS, even the earliest would be September...
The problem was that the car was right here, but the judging schedule did not line up.
In other words, I needed to find a buyer with the discernment to recognize the car’s value even without a high score or a certificate attached to it.
For now, the best thing is probably to contact this person first.
The first person who came to mind was Rafael Cárdenas.
He was the stylishly named middle-aged Hispanic man who had bought my first restoration car, the Mustang.
Tring—
“Alo, Jason.”
“Hello, Rafael. How have you been?”
“Very well! Thanks to you. As a matter of fact, I’m eating tacos right now at the same place where we first met. Hahaha. So, what can I do for you?”
From the receiver came the lively background noise of Taco Chinampa, the restaurant in Texas.
For a moment, it felt vivid enough that I could almost imagine myself sitting at one of its tables.
“Well, the thing is, I’ve got a car I’d like to sell.”
“Oh? It hasn’t been that long since the Mustang. What did you get your hands on this time?”
There was a trace of surprise and anticipation in Rafael’s voice.
“A ’63 Corvette coupe. Riverside Red.”
“Wow... Jason, I really have to give you credit for one thing—you’ve got an eye for picking cars. A second-generation Corvette right after the Mustang? So, do you have a price in mind? And what’s the condition?”
“The condition is perfect. It was assembled according to the AIM, and if the timing had lined up, it’s at a level where it could have earned Bloomington Gold Certification too. But I haven’t set a price. I’m thinking of selling it as quickly as possible to whoever offers the most.”
At my words, a brief silence hung on the line.
Which made sense.
Calling out of nowhere and saying come buy it fast and expensive was a bit much.
“...I take it there must be some circumstances behind this. But Jason, the price of a car is determined not by circumstances, but by the car’s condition. Still, you’ve certainly succeeded in getting my interest. I see your salesmanship has improved quite a bit too, hasn’t it? Hahaha.”
Rafael laughed smoothly, without showing any sign of being flustered.
My salesmanship had improved?
If anything, it was Rafael’s relaxed way of batting that back at me that showed how deep his experience ran.
“Hmm... If it’s a ’63 coupe, then it’s a split-window, which means demand is definitely there. Assuming it’s in about the same condition as the Mustang before, I’d say around 150,000 dollars? But I’ll decide the exact price after seeing it in person. If you’re fine with it, I’ll come see it tomorrow.”
Just like with the Mustang deal, Rafael showed tremendous decisiveness when it came to business, despite his usual laid-back mood.
“All right. Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Acting calm, I ended the call, but the next moment I felt lightheaded.
One hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and that’s before he’s even seen the car.
It was an enormous amount of money. Especially for a single automobile.
Whew, get it together. This is only the beginning. For now, use that figure as the baseline...
I pulled out a box labeled Business card from one side of the warehouse shelf.
It was filled with the cards I had collected at the retired police event not long ago.
Among these, this person is probably the most likely.
From the stack, I picked out a plain white card with nothing but a simple name on it.
It was Gary Thompson’s.
“Hello. Gary, it’s Jason. We met in Phoenix the other day through Andrew.”
“Ah, Jason! Yes, I remember. But what brings you to call? Don’t tell me you’re selling the Corvette? Hahaha!”
Gary laughed in a booming voice.
Gary was a passionate Corvette fanatic.
He had driven a yellow C3, a third-generation Corvette, to the event that day, and he had said he had been desperately searching for a ’63 C2 for years already.
“Well, actually... that is what I’m calling about. The owner of the Corvette is willing to sell.”
I brought it up carefully.
“...A young man shouldn’t tease his elders.”
Gary’s voice abruptly calmed, as though he could not believe what he had just heard.
“I’m not really the joking type.”
“Whew... damn it. Jason, I happen to be a bit far away at the moment. Would it be all right if I came to see the car tomorrow?”
Gary’s breathing had grown rough.
He had sweated a lot at the event too, and somehow I could easily picture him with a handkerchief in one hand right now as well.
“Yes. Actually, someone else is already coming to see it tomorrow too. I’m not trying to turn this into a game, but I’m planning to sell it to the highest bidder. Same-day transfer preferred.”
Crash!
Suddenly there was a burst of commotion on the other end of the line.
“It hasn’t been decided yet, has it? I’ll get there as early as I possibly can tomorrow, so let me see the car too. I’m fully prepared to pay what the car is worth.”
“All right. That’s exactly what I want too. Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After setting the phone down, I looked at the other business cards in the box. But I did not bother calling anyone else.
From what I had seen at the event, there was no one among them more likely than Gary to spend serious money on a Corvette.
The next day, in a way that felt almost bizarrely exact, the two men arrived at my warehouse at nearly the same time.
“Woof! Woof!”
Dusty barked at the sight of strangers, but perhaps because his bark sounded more like the horn of a child’s bicycle than anything threatening, neither of them seemed especially alarmed.
“Hola, Jason! Well now... you live pretty wild, don’t you?”
Rafael said energetically as he cast an interested glance around the inside of the warehouse.
“Jason, I’m here too.”
By contrast, Gary, unlike at the event, greeted me quite calmly and briefly.
“So this is today’s competition, is it? Pleasure to meet you. The name’s Rafael.”
“Gary. Nice hat.”
The two men shook hands like gentlemen, observing basic courtesy.
Since this was my first time in a situation like this, I had worried there might be some bad blood between buyers, but both men had enough years on them that it did not seem I needed to worry.
“Well then, may I take a look at the car?”
“Yes, of course. Feel free to inspect it as much as you want. You can start it too.”
Rafael, like the professional he was, stepped forward first.
Gary, on the other hand, followed silently behind him, saying nothing, merely looking over his shoulder.
“Just as you said over the phone, the condition is truly excellent. Tan interior with a red exterior too—that’s a popular color combination.”
Rrrrooom—
“And the engine condition is impressive too. This doesn’t seem to match the mileage on the gauge cluster. It’s practically new.”
I had not given him any hints, yet he noticed. His experience really was incredible.
After spending close to forty minutes examining every inch of the Corvette, inside and out and even underneath, Rafael approached me looking deeply satisfied.
“Jason, just what on earth happened to you in such a short time? The Mustang wasn’t bad, but this... this is not on that level. Your restoration skill seems to have jumped one step—no, two or three.”
“Thank you for saying so. Then... do you have any intention of buying it?”
I asked back, my heart trembling.
“Of course! My first number was 150,000 dollars, right? Hah, I must have underestimated you without realizing it. Hmm... 180,000 dollars, cash transfer right now. What do you think?”
Rafael said that while rubbing his long mustache with one hand.
One hundred and eighty thousand dollars!
For a second, the voice in my heart nearly burst out.
I had already been shocked when I heard 150,000 over the phone, but this was thirty thousand dollars higher than that.
Considering it had not yet received Bloomington Gold Certification or an NCRS score, it was an extremely respectable price.
“All right. Then—”
Just as I was about to offer Rafael a handshake to seal the deal—
“...Then I’ll say 190,000.”
Gary, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke.
At the same moment, one of Rafael’s eyebrows twitched. It was the first time I had seen that expression on him.
“Jason. Was this... an auction?”
“Uh... no. But I am going to sell it to whoever offers the highest price.”
Which was effectively the same thing. I had said something to that effect beforehand, but even I had not expected it to become reality like this.
“Whew. Then I’ll go to 200,000 dol—”
“210,000.”
Before Rafael could even finish his sentence, Gary cut in ahead of him.
Unlike at the event or on the phone, he had not broken a single drop of sweat.
“Ahem, Mr. Gary. No offense, but you don’t seem to be a broker. Are you intending to drive this Corvette yourself?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Haha, I see. Then rather than dragging this out, why not just name your number first? If it’s beyond my budget, I’d rather not waste time.”
At Rafael’s words, Gary shrugged without the slightest change in expression.
“That would be convenient, but I don’t know where my budget ends either. All I know is that I intend to offer more than whatever amount you name.”
“......”
“Gary...?”
The atmosphere had definitely seemed friendly at first.
But now I realized this place was a battlefield from the beginning.
Come to think of it, it probably had been from the very start.
I was simply the only one too clueless to notice.
“...Hahahahaha!”
Of the two men silently staring at one another, Rafael was the first to burst into loud laughter.
“Ah, my apologies. Then I’ll withdraw here. Here’s my card. If you happen to need another car later, give me a call.”
With an easy motion, Rafael settled the ivory cowboy hat he had taken off earlier back onto his head.
“Jason, congratulations on the sale. I’m in a position where I have to think about margins, so I can’t help it—but this car deserves a price like that. It was a pleasure seeing such a fine car.”
Then he leaned close to my ear and quietly added,
“I’ll get in touch again later. I think it’s about time you and I started having some serious business conversations.”
“All right. Understood.”
“Well then! Until next time. And if possible, come have tacos again sometime. Congratulations to you too, Mr. Gary.”
Like a cowboy from the Old West disappearing into the wind, he waved naturally and left.
“...Whew. I never imagined he’d hand me a business card in the middle of something like that.”
After Rafael left the warehouse, Gary let out a long breath and said that.
For some reason, the sweat immediately began to bead on his face again.
“I was surprised too. By Rafael, and by you, Gary. Was that really your plan from the beginning?”
Even knowing that Gary had been desperately searching for a ’63 Corvette C2, I had never dreamed he wanted one this badly.
“Haha, of course not. The moment I saw the car, my mind just went blank... but there was no helping it. Isn’t this exterior color code GM 923? And you did it properly in single-stage paint.”
As he spoke, Gary began slowly circling the Corvette again, examining it from every angle.
“And the engine bay is matte black, the brakes are all drums, and the wiring runs were left loose. You restored it in strict accordance with the AIM, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Yes, exactly. Gary, you’re no ordinary Corvette fan.”
He had looked as though he was merely trailing Rafael in silence, yet somehow he had fully grasped the car’s condition in detail. It was astonishing.
“Well, the truth is, I’m aiming to become an NCRS judge. For now I’m only participating at the helper level, though.”
An official NCRS judge was not a salaried job, nor was it a formal license. It was closer to volunteer work.
In many cases, even travel, food, and lodging costs for the judging events had to be paid out of pocket.
And perhaps because of that, their pride in it was tremendous. It was, in the truest sense, an honorary position.
“Anyway, thanks to you, I’ve finally bought myself a good car. Hahaha. It really... really took a long time...”
Honey was practically dripping from Gary’s eyes as he looked at the Corvette.
Watching him, I did not regret sending the car off at all.
I would remember every word he had said and pass them on to Donnelly.
I could already picture Donnelly letting out a pleased heh heh heh when he heard them.
“Donnelly, I can’t accept this.”
“Heh heh heh, don’t say such things. Just take it.”
The next day, I went to Donnelly’s warehouse after he called for me.
Since the Corvette payment had been transferred directly to Donnelly by Gary through a bank wire transfer due to the amount involved, my role in the sale was already finished.
So I had thought it was simply a meeting to celebrate the Corvette sale, but...
Donnelly offered me half the money from the Corvette sale.
A full 105,000 dollars.
“As I told you from the start, I didn’t do this for the money. Everything I learned in the process was more than enough.”
“I know. I feel the same way. That’s exactly why I want you to take it. You’re going to keep doing restoration work from now on, aren’t you? If you want to become a professional, you must never get into the habit of working for free. And besides, didn’t you say it yourself? This job wasn’t about helping me, it was about doing it together. Then naturally, you ought to be paid.”
Donnelly was adamant. To be honest, I already knew very well that there was no way I could overcome his stubbornness.
“But still...”
“But what? This is my investment in my successor. Go buy all kinds of project cars, make mistakes, take losses, and build up experience that way. If it were up to me, I’d give you even more... but good grief, who knew getting your life in order took so much money...”
Once Donnelly had said that much, I could not think of a single thing to say back.
The center of my chest grew hot, as though I had been burned there, and my vision kept blurring without my consent.
“Ahem...”
Pretending not to notice, Donnelly pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket.
A 1099-NEC—essentially a joint-work agreement so it would not become a tax issue later.
It was meticulousness to a merciless degree, and also his final word ending the conversation.
“When did you even prepare something like this...?”
The moment I saw it, I lost even the will to resist and surrendered completely.
“Jason. Don’t underestimate my fifty years of self-employment.”
Donnelly laughed in satisfaction.
My throat kept tightening too much for me to laugh along.