By Dean Larson

Photos: Seller, eBay

With a name like Beck-Lister Chevrolet, it’s clear that there’s a lot of history in this curvaceous roadster. Going back to the 1950s, Brian Lister’s kit supplied roadsters were cleaning house on road courses in America and Europe. Powered by everything from Bristol and Maserati straight-sixes, to early Chevrolet V8s, Listers experienced their greatest success with Jaguar engines under their long hoods, made famous by the Lister Knobbly and slick Costin-designed bodies.

Despite the Jag engine’s record on track, enterprising Americans were keen to replace it with a larger American V8 — which came with varying degrees of success. The Jag remained king, but a few cars fitted with Chevrolet V8s got the formula right, and were very successful in SCCA racing. These Lister Chevrolets were obsolete by the 1960s, but their radical looks and hairy performance earned a place in gearhead history.

The concept was revisited several times, notably by Chuck Beck of Porsche replica fame, who designed an elongated Lister Chevrolet in kit form. The Beck-Lister Chevrolet is a handsome roadster that utilizes Corvette suspension components, and is quite capable of showing many Cobra roadsters a look on the race track.

By most evidence, this Beck-Lister Chevrolet on eBay should be a great catch. It’s reportedly around 80-percent completed, and a fantastic looking ride with silver and black paint accenting its curvaceous body. A proven Chevrolet 383 with fuel injection and a stout 10.7:1 compression lives under the hood, and a full list of tech specs is provided for the built mill. With much of the heavy lifting finished, this Beck would be an excellent project car if the price is right.

We’ve seen many completed Beck-Listers sell for between $28,000 and $40,000, with ambitious sellers asking in excess of $50,000 for some cars. The seller is asking $20,000 for this car, which means you’ll likely have an $8,000 to $10,000 allowance to get the car right and running. With that coin, you’ll have to finish the wiring, interior and exterior trim to get the car roadworthy. You'll also have to apply for a title and get the car registered, as the car has yet to see street use.

The seller is including some Corvette-style alloys for the car, but we’d advise going with traditional kidney-bean style wheels instead. And while we’re at it, we’d likely swap the 700R4 automatic out for a stick for a better driving experience. Depending on how savvy you are in the shop, you could probably have this car driving and presentable for under $30,000.

See the seller's ad here on eBay.