The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The Chevrolet Corvette Kelly one-off by Vignale.
The Chevrolet Corvette Kelly is a striking one-off masterpiece that combines American engineering with Italian craftsmanship. Built for the prestigious 1961 Salon de l’Automobile in Paris, this car represents a harmonious blend of transatlantic design sensibilities. The vehicle was based on a 1959 or 1960 Corvette chassis and was commissioned by Gordon Kelly, a designer from Wisconsin with an ambitious dream. Kelly was passionate about creating a car that reflected his personal vision of automotive design. In the early 1960s, he traveled to Europe in pursuit of this dream, seeking the expertise of renowned coachbuilders. He ultimately chose Vignale, the celebrated Italian coachbuilder known for its elegant and innovative designs, to rebody the Corvette. The result was a stunning transformation that set the car apart from any other Corvette of its era. The reimagined Corvette featured distinctive European styling, including sleek, flowing lines, a lower and more streamlined profile, and meticulous attention to detail—a hallmark of Vignale’s craftsmanship. Despite its unique appearance, the Corvette Kelly retained the performance and engineering that had made the original American sports car a legend. While the car was completed in the early 1960s, its story continued for decades. Gordon Kelly remained attached to his creation and oversaw its maintenance and preservation. In 2004, the car received a final paint job under Kelly’s supervision, ensuring it remained a testament to his vision. Sadly, Kelly passed away, but his legacy lives on through this extraordinary vehicle.
The story of Carrozzeria Vignale represents one of the many somewhat forgotten success stories born against the backdrop of an Italy that was torn apart by the Second World War and which, starting from the end of the 1950s, was able to recover enough to know a real miracle. economical just a few years later.
