Few cars invite closer inspection than a 1963-1967 Chevrolet Corvette. At any show, auction, or cars-and-coffee, someone will eventually lean over the passenger-side fender looking for numbers. There's a good reason: the difference between an ordinary small-block Sting Ray and a documented, original-drivetrain big-block car can be six figures or more.

This guide shows you how to read those numbers, what each one can prove, and where each one stops.

The collector car world’s top prize, Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, was awarded today [Sunday, August 16, 2026] to a Duesenberg SSJ originally owned by Clark Gable. The 75th celebration also reached a major milestone, surpassing $50 million in total charitable giving.

This year, 218 cars—including 33 international entries from 14 countries and 185 US entries from 30 states—pulled onto the competition field. The winning 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster was shown by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio.

A Classic Industries coworker told me several months ago to go visit the Segerstrom Shelby Event Center, in Irvine, California, and several times thereafter over the passing months. Every time he mentioned it, I'd make a mental note to myself while responding to him with something like, "Yeah, I gotta go there and check out all the Shelby Mustangs, Cobras, and Shelby Daytona coupes."