A Carlisle car gathering is an automotive event attended by a sea of like-minded auto enthusiasts. Carlisle, Pennsylvania serves as home for a rotating run of various automotive events, but one of the most popular has to be Corvettes at Carlisle.

This is a celebration of the iconic machine that's been produced since 1953. There have been more than a handful of special models over the course of the Vette's production run. One in particular, however, is making an appearance at the 2013 Corvettes at Carlisle show, and it's a pretty special one-off model.

Called the Chevrolet Corvette Rondine, the car seen above is the world's only steel-bodied Corvette ever produced. It is a concept car that was created for the Paris Auto Show. Based on the 1963 body-style, this metal machine was housed in the Pininfarina museum in Italy until 2008. From there it wound up crossing the stage at a Barrett-Jackson auction where it fetched $1.76 million and became the most expensive Corvette ever sold at auction.

Now it's heading to Carlisle where it will no doubt dazzle Bow-Tie-brand fans. This is a special piece of the Chevrolet Corvette history despite the fact that it's body is built from a material that no other Corvette utilizes. It still has a V-8 engine under the hood, however, and it bears the familiar Vette shape. Albeit one tweaked a bit by the famed Pininfarina designers. Regardless, getting a look at the Rondine is certainly a special treat for Corvette fans and lovers of all things automotive alike.

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