This car dates back to the very earliest days of the Corvette. According to the auction listing, it started out as one of approximately 15 hand-built show cars constructed prior to the start of Corvette production in 1953. Used for testing and appearances at General Motors' Motorama shows, these cars weren't assigned conventional vehicle identification numbers , instead getting an"S.O." designation for"shop order."The car up for auction bears the serial number S.O.
A hint that this car was used to try out new design ideas is the placement of Corvette script, which is high on one side and low on the other for comparison. Designers also added a large gold"V" to the lettering to signify that the 1955 Corvette would be available with a V-8 engine, providing more muscle than the inline-6 engines used for the first two model years. S.O. 2151 was also painted in Bermuda Green, a GM production color of the time.
S.O. 2151 escaped the fate of most GM design prototypes, surviving intact in private hands. How it exited GM is unknown,notes, but the one-off Corvette was preserved by a series of owners and treated to an 1,800-hour restoration to its 1954 state. This piece of Corvette history won't be cheap. Gooding & Company expects S.O. 2151 to sell for $1.5 million to $2 million at auction.