Eva LaRue is a Hollywood actress with a dark secret. Although she has an affinity for early Chevrolet Corvettes, she'd much rather not drive one.
"I'm not normally a Corvette fan, but I just love the ones from the late '50s and early '60s," LaRue told us in an interview. "I just love them."
That's why she drives a resto-modded fifth-generation Corvette that wears the body of a much older Corvette. Like many of Hollywood's residents, her car has benefitted from a longevity-enhancing facelift. Underneath, the classic-looking 'Vette is just a fifth-generation convertible.
The actress was born and raised in southern California, where her father was a new and used car dealer.
"There were always cars coming through," LaRue said.
When she's not driving her Corvette mashup, Eva prefers her "mom cars," which have included a Land Rover Range Rover Sport and a BMW M6. In addition to writing a pilot, acting, and launching a jewelry line of her own, LaRue makes time to enjoy her cars.
We spoke with LaRue about one of her more interesting automobile purchases:
Auto World News: What got you involved with cars?
Eva LaRue: My father owned a dealership and had a zillion different types of cars. I really had an appreciation. My dad always said that a car should be an investment. Don't be hung up on whether something is new or used, because it's going to lose value when you drive it off the lot immediately. I loved classic cars, and I always felt that they were the only ones that held their value. Any car that was a new car wasn't worth sinking my money.
Given the classic car affinity, explain your car.
There is a company up in Oregon called CRC [Coachworks]. They've bought the 1962 Corvette body and stretched it out, I think, six inches in length and four inches across the front, to fit a 2000 to 2004 Corvette chassis. They take a donor car, chuck the body, and they put a beautiful '62 body on top. That way, everything inside the car is computerized-you're not dealing with strong-arm steering or manual windows, or any of that. I have a navigation system and a fantastic stereo inside. It's everything I hoped for in a classic car, which, I remember saying to my husband at the time, "I've always wanted a 1962 Corvette, but I would never drive one because I'd hate driving it. Why doesn't someone do gorgeous classic cars and put the body on top of a brand-new car?" Not two weeks later, my husband found this car on the internet. He said, "You're not going to believe it." I bought it on eBay.
So, you're not the original owner?
The original owner had two made by this company: one in the original red with white insets, and one done in champagne-which is mine.
You were looking for a no-compromise classic car. Had you considered a classic car restoration instead, like the programs from Porsche, Land Rover, and Toyota?
This was the car I wanted. I'm not normally a Corvette fan, but I just love the ones from the late '50s and early '60s. I just love them. Those are the only Corvette body types that I fell in love with. They're so sexy. It's pretty safe to say that I'm not a classic car buff. If I were, I wouldn't want it any other way than the way it came, in its original condition. I love the look of a classic car with the drive of a modern car.
Since your purchase, two new generations of Corvette have come out. Have you driven either the sixth or seventh-generation Corvettes?
No. Quite honestly, I'm not a Corvette fan.
But you enjoy driving this one?
Yes. I love driving this one.
What was your first car?
A Hyundai, right when the brand came out. It was red, and I financed it. It was made out of aluminum foil, basically. Everything on it fell apart. It was super-cheap and affordable. Hyundai makes a much better car now, evidently.
What's your favorite part about driving your Corvette?
It has guts. Four hundred fifty horsepower and a nice growl to it when you turn it on. It's a sexy beast.
Has your car featured in any of your work?
No. I think this is the first time that anyone has ever taken a picture of it.
What are the reactions you get from people on the street?
They stop me all the time. If I'm at a stoplight, people roll down their windows and ask me what it is. There are a couple of things that don't look original on the car. It doesn't have the rounded windshield up front, and modern door handles and mirrors. You're not quite sure what it is when you first see it. People stop me all the time—mostly guys—when I pull into gas stations and parking lots. It's definitely a conversation-starter.
And you like to drive fast?
Yeah. That's tough to do when you're going 5 mph on the 101 or 5 freeways in L.A., but I love to take it to Palm Springs.
No, just the one from the man who I bought mine from. He only wanted to sell one of them. This one is more feminine. My daughter calls it the "Barbie car."
If Barbie could be so lucky.
Barbie has a pink car—a Corvette?—but it looks like a little pink hot rod.
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