Real Wheels: Ladies love Lima woman's 1959 Corvette
Feb. 19—LIMA — Cindi Burden, of Lima, brought her 1959 Chevy Corvette to the Gary Allen Memorial Cruz In. She has owned this beauty for 25 years.
Like most car enthusiasts, Burden knows the history of her 'Vette.
"This car has only been owned by women. I am the third woman owner. I have copies of the titles," Burden said.
Not only does Burden have copies of the titles, but she has a picture of each woman that has owned it.
Burden's beauty includes a 283 cubic inch V-8 engine and manual transmission. It comes with both a hard top and soft top.
Harley Earl was head of General Motors' styling section and was an avid sports car enthusiast. He recognized the need for an American sports car after seeing GI's bringing home Jaguars, MG's and Alfa Romeos after World War II. The Chevy Corvette was introduced in 1953 in New York City and is still in production.
There were 9,670 Corvettes built for the 1959 model year. This was the last year the taillights were on top of the rear fenders. The four headlights on the front were exposed, something that changed in 1963 with the flip-up headlights. The base price of a 1959 Corvette was $3,875.
Burden tore her car down herself. She worked on the electrical components while her husband, Michael, did body work and painted it.
