This Anonymous Internet Hero Has 33 Split-Window Corvettes And Counting

The buyer, known only by their "DDSEOE" username on Bring A Trailer, has spent a staggering $6.69 million on 33 different 1963 Corvette coupes offered by the auction site, for an average of about $202,000 per example. The bidder's interests aren't limited solely to split-window coupes either, with more than handful of other C2 'Vettes and a smattering of C1s, C4s, and C7s appearing in their win history – plus at least one 1959 Cadillac and several inter-war American classics.

An Identity Shrouded In Mystery
The personage behind DDSEOE remains a curiosity among Corvette enthusiasts, but the buyer's notoriety started to pick up on Bring A Trailer in 2023, when bidders noticed they'd snagged their sixth split-window 1963 coupe. In the intervening time, BaT users have tagged the username in Corvette auctions to flag the bidder's interest, which has led to some insight how DDSEOE chooses which vehicles to bid on. It seems as though the buyer is primarily interested in specs, colors, and options they don't already own, likely to curate a varied private collection of 'Vettes and other classic cars.

Upon winning their latest acquisition, a 1963 Corvette Stingray in Saddle Tan with an L75 327-cubic-inch V8 making 300 horsepower and a four-speed manual, the buyer responded to another BaT user inquiring where all of these neat Stingrays were ending up.

A Bidder For The American Everyman
The mystery buyer seems to enjoy lots of support on the auction platform, with other users celebrating the wins and commiserating the losses. For example, when DDSEOE won an August 2023 auction for a C2-generation 1962 Corvette convertible, which reached reserve at its high bid of $69,000, the seller suddenly balked. Apparently, a represenative for the seller named Ken Arnold emailed the bidder to inform them that the owner would not be completing the sale at the final auction price. Since Bring A Trailer considers reneging on an auction sale – for either the buyer or seller – to be a violation of its terms of use, the owner of the '62 was banned from the site permanently.

That swift justice didn't stop commenters from sympathizing with DDSEOE, calling the outcome regrettable, concerning, and disappointing. That's certainly the case, but don't feel too bad for the bidder just yet, because four days later, they won a 1963 split-window and even snagged a similar C2 convertible almost exactly a year after the infamous auction with the shirking seller.

What Else Is In The Collection?
According to a comment in the buyer's profile on March 2, DDSEOE still owns all 125 vehicles they've purchased on Bring A Trailer, with none being resold for profit or shipped overseas. In response to another BaT user asking how they might acquire one of DDSEOE's vehicles, they quipped, "Check with the executor of my estate when the time comes."

Among those 125 vehicles is the aforementioned 1959 Cadillac Coupe De Ville (one of the division's best cars ever) that's been repainted in a blazing pink pastiche. There are also 12 C4 Corvette ZR-1s, including one that had just 10,000 miles at the time of the sale, as well as one C3 Corvette project and the very first production fuel-injected Corvette from 1957. There are also two Cords – a supercharged 1936 810 Phaeton and a 1930 L-28 cabriolet – a couple first-generation Thunderbirds, and a handful of Chevrolet Bel Airs. The list goes on and on.

The most expensive vehicle in the list is, what else, a 1963 Corvette Stingray coupe with the iconic split window, which sold a few months ago for $345,000 – 100 large more than the car's concours-quality value per Hagerty. Painted Riverside Red with the same L75 327 and four-speed manual as the latest win, the pricey Stingray is arguably one of the most iconic vehicles in the collection, bundling some of the best all-around performance options in a package that is quintessentially "Corvette."