1965 Chevrolet Corvette 1965 Red Corvette L76 Convertible w/Original miles

Rally Red w/White interior, L76 327/365hp, 4-speed manual transmission. Recent N.C.R.S. Top Flight Award winner!!

You know the expression, “They’re only original once”. Well, we think you would be hard pressed to come up with another mid-year as pristine and original as the example presented here. Mike found this incredible time capsule right here in Southern California! It was part of a private collection of amazing sports cars. And this one was the standout of the lot!

Looking at the car, you would swear it’s been restored. But it hasn’t! The Rally Red paint is in beautiful condition. And the white interior is a site to behold! The car has been driven just over 24k miles since it rolled out of St. Louis!

Of course, looks are important, but if she don’t go, then what’s the point? And go, she does! This is one of the best running and driving Corvette’s we’ve ever had! It starts up instantly, idles with the appropriate lope and accelerates right now! Going down the road is steady and arrow straight!

It’s an absolute pleasure to drive! And isn’t that what it’s really all about?

We thought you would enjoy reading about the owner history of this very special ’65!

This is the complete owner history as we know it now. Mike just spoke to a previous owner, 9-20-24.

In the early 1970s a gentleman by the name of Bill Landis bought the Corvette from a dealer in Pennsylvania. We believe the original owner traded it in and that’s how it became available. Bill showed the car in the Pennsylvania area many times and added the hooks underneath the car to tie it down to his open trailer.

In 1975 Anthony Pate from Rhode Island bought the car and trailer from Bill for $10,000.

He parked it in his huge warehouse full of Vintage Corvettes and Ferraris and kept it for 32 years. He added KO’s during his ownership.

It was at this time in 2007 that Frank and Dana Mecum visited him to buy some cars and bought the red 65 and a blue 65 both with white interior for $300,000. That also explains the letter from Frank Mecum saying he appraised the vehicle for $150,000 when he sold it to Ronald McDonald house.

Mike Vietro, while showing the car in April in Las Vegas, found the people who won the vehicle and got the previous photos posted on bring a trailer. When they sold the car, it went to a very wealthy attorney in Malibu who later called Corvette Mike to sell the car.
Mike visited with him, who is a past client, and bought the car from him in September 2023.

So other than the original owner, who remains unknown at this time the ownership history is now complete.

Here’s the Backstory from the Previous Owner in Malibu:

Also named Michael, this collector had an impressive lineup of European supercars—and among them, two standout Corvettes. One was this gem of a 1965, an original example, and the other was a 600+ hp big-block 1966 Coupe. Michael is a speed enthusiast, and to give the ’65 a little boost, he had a high-performance valve job done to improve breathing and freshen the original valve train. We’re currently searching our records for the receipts on that work.

When I was invited to his home to inspect the ’65, I was immediately struck by its originality. One of the key things I look for when inspecting a 1965 Corvette is the deck lid—specifically, for the two square yellow sponges. These primitive anti-rattle devices are unique to unrestored cars and rarely survive the test of time. To my surprise, one of them was still there, and the glue for the second one remained intact. I was thoroughly impressed.

As for its original condition: Yes, there has been some paint preservative applied to the frame rails and engine compartment, likely by the original owner during one of those cold Pennsylvania winters while tinkering in the garage. However, this did impact its star rating for the engine compartment and chassis. The exterior paint, though, is remarkable. In my opinion, it’s 90% original, if not more—I can hardly find any evidence of repainting. Be sure to check out our video for a closer look at this factory finish.