Lot #1359 - This is one of the most famous 1953 Corvettes, being Number 300 of 300 built, often referred to as "the last of the hand-built Corvettes." The car was assembled on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1953. It marked the end of an era as Corvette assembly was then moved from Flint, MI, to St. Louis, MO, for more automated production of the 1954 models. This car has a solid history and has been well-known through the years by various Corvette experts. It has all-original no-hit body and trim parts (no reproductions) - as well as all of its original panels, chassis and drivetrain components. It has attained many top awards, including NCRS Duntov Award, NCRS Top Flight, Bloomington Gold and Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee, and has appeared in numerous books and magazines. It was used in GM's World of Motion display in the early 1980s. It has appeared three times in the Bloomington Gold Special Collection over the past 24 years: in 1991, 1998 and 2009, when it was featured as part of the Bloomington Gold "Grand Finale." The car was also featured at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2008 as part of the GM Centennial Celebration. The current owner purchased the car in 1998 from long-time owner and well-known enthusiast Ernie Hendry of Florida. By 2007 the paint on the car was starting to lightly "craze." Bloomington Gold/NCRS Master Judge Steve Newsom of Texas was chosen to refurbish the paint and ended up doing a full frame-off restoration to exacting standards, with top and interior by specialist John Kennedy. Since that time the car has been fastidiously maintained in strict climate-controlled conditions. In December 2015, Newsom completed a thorough servicing of the car, and it remains in impeccable condition. It comes complete with mint original side windows, factory jack, manuals, an assortment of historic records and a new-in-the-box original (never activated) tar-top battery. The car has been shown only three times in the last 17 years, providing a great opportunity for a new owner to get it back out in public, where it can be viewed and more widely appreciated. During the last 30 years it has had just two private owners. One would be hard pressed to find a rarer, better known, historically significant example presented here in immaculate cosmetic and functional condition. Automatic transmission. From the Evelyn and Jim Fasnacht Collection.