1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”
Built by Bob Nordskog, Don Ferrara, and George Barris of Barris Kustoms.
Delivered new from the factory in just primer to facilitate customizing.
Caused a sensation at the 1963 Long Beach Autorama, where it won best of show.
The Asteroid was acquired by the Audrain in 2014 and shown in the 2015 exhibition Customs & Hotrods, and again in 2017 in Fast, Fun & Fabulous. The car was originally purchased in 1962 by Bob Nordskog. Nordskog was a mechanical engineer by trade and a renowned speedboat racer later in life. When Chevrolet introduced the second-generation Corvette for the 1963 model year, Nordskog immediately ordered a Stingray sans paint. The car was then delivered to Barris Kustoms for customized bodywork by George Barris. Barris created the original body and copper color scheme of the Asteroid, but Nordskog soon had it repainted to match his fleet of race boats. After a handful of owners, the Asteroid was purchased by Randy Koettel, owner of Desert Autosports, who had it restored to its original deep metal-flake gold color in 2013.
George Barris was the co-founder and owner of Barris Kustoms, located in Hollywood, CA. After originally opening in 1945. Barris is perhaps best known for creating iconic cars such as the Batmobile, Black Beauty from Green Hornet, and the Munster Koach.
The Asteroid has many custom-made body features. The nose of the car was revised and then elongated, which led to headlights hidden behind a custom grille, lowered, and tucked away. The 1963 factory (now iconic) split window was eliminated, the rear elongated, and the taillights replaced with lower custom lights. The interior was stitched by Nordskog’s brother-in-law, Don Ferrara. The engine was built by Nordskog, inside Nordskog Industries.
The Asteroid won top awards for a show car at the 1963 Long Beach Motorama and the 1963 Mickey Thompson Auto, Boat & Speed Show. Shown in the gallery is the trophy presented at the Mickey Thompson Show that was presented to Bob Nordskog.
The car is currently displayed on cloud-like batting as it was during both 1963 shows- the driver’s side showing the road wheel, tire, and side exhaust configuration, and the right side showing the drag setup including slicks and open headers.
The Asteroid is actually louder than the 2003 Ferrari Enzo!
Specifications:
Engine: 352 cu in V8
Horsepower: 400 at 6,500 RPM
Torque: 430 ft-lbs
Speed: 12.20 second quarter mile @ 6,500 rpm
Transmission: 4-speed manual