If you’re a car fanatic, you probably know about Jay Leno and his toys. More recently, you probably know about his relatively new show called “Jay Leno’s Garage.” Well for the upcoming season, he secured a very special guest — Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden. That’s right, turns out the VP has been a hot-rod enthusiast all along.
In the sneak peak for the upcoming season, viewers see Biden and Leno taking Biden’s 1967 Corvette four-speed Stingray out for a spin. “I owe you big,” Biden tells Leno before putting the pedal to the metal and doing a big burnout. He later goes on to explain to Leno that this is the third time in seven years that he’s been given permission by the Secret Service to drive his baby. For all of you speed demons out there, you can just imagine how painful that must be.
While his ’67 ‘Vette does represent a great deal of sentimental value — his father gave it to him as a wedding gift — what’s arguably more valuable is how much this vehicle currently appraises for.
Total ‘Vette Value
As a Christmas gift a couple of years ago, the VP’s sons had the ’67 ‘Vette’s engine rebuilt for him. Naturally, this bumped up the price slightly, and Biden’s ’67 Corvette is currently worth $78,000, according to “Jay Leno’s Garage.” Which isn’t surprising, considering 100,000 Car and Driver readers said the Corvette Stingray was considered the best all-around car of 1967 — and it went up against some very stiff competition.
While the value might seem impressive to us, it can’t hold a match to how it must make Biden feel to see his father’s wedding gift still running — and looking — like it was just rolled off the lot.
Engine Specs and Other Info About Biden’s Sweet Ride
The engine on the ’67 Corvette Stingray is a 327 V8 engine, that puts out 300 horsepower. Even by today’s standards, that’s still an impressive amount of power. Don’t believe me? Then consider the fact that a ’67 Stingray with a four-speed transmission is able to hit 0-to-60 mph in just 4.7 seconds. That’s still stupidly fast. Especially since the 2016 Corvette Stingray Z51 model is able to reach 0-to-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Not even a full second faster than its predecessor from ’67.
The top speed on Biden’s ‘Vette caps out at 152 mph, which is still plenty fast enough to compete with today’s modern rigs.
It’s Also a One-Owner
This car was bought in August of 1967 by Biden’s father, and then given to Biden directly. That means this is a one-owner rig, which has also been exceptionally well-maintained over the years. No wonder why it looks brand-spanking new.
But, this particular ‘Vette does much more than just showcase Biden’s ability to stay on top of maintaining his cars. It’s also a testament to Chevy and the brand’s engineering prowess. The fact that a car from almost 50 years ago is still able to keep up with the other performance cars on today’s market with their newfangled gadgetry is simply mind-boggling.
