First American in Space – Alan Shepard’s 1968 Corvette

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First American in Space – Alan Shepard’s 1968 Corvette 1968 Corvette Convertible with L89 427 c. i. 435 H. p. Aluminum Head Option previously owned by Astronaut Alan Shepard. the first American in space inspiring my Dad to order vanity plates on Florida Challenger tags: 1st-UP. The car has been in our family for over 40 years but needs to be sold for estate liquidation purposes. Alan Shepard received this car in 1968 as part of 1960 Indy 500 winner Jim Rathmann’s lease program through his Chevrolet Dealership to astronauts of Apollo space missions. Jim related some stories to my Dad about this car while Alan owned it and some of the pranks his astronaut buddies pulled on him because of his impulsive street races. Apparently several “enemy kills” were painted on the driver’s door. similar to “kills” painted on cockpits of fighter pilots. Seems there were several “kills” from Al drag racing against MG’s. Triumphs and the occasional Schwinn Bicycle! In the past. it has been housed in several museums including the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for a number of years. We have documentation from Alan Shepard’s initial membership to Cape Kennedy Corvette Club while he owned this car. In addition. the original 1968 Corvette order form from Jim Rathmann Chevrolet is included. Don’t miss out on this iconic piece of 1960’s history. The mileage is not known exactly at this point because the car is in storage. I know it has been stored either in museums or indoors for the past 30 years with the occasional Parade outing in Cocoa Beach. Florida to celebrate the space program anniversaries. All parts are believed to be original except the convertible top and the door panels.