Vehicle Description
It's rare for a C3 Corvette to have a contemporary look, but the
clean two-tone finish on this 1981 Corvette certainly makes it easy
to forget about disco and remember that the 'Vette is a sports car
first and foremost. Oh, and if you add in a fuel-injected and
supercharged L98 from a C4, you get a car with classic good looks
and the performance it always deserved.
Fortunately, the color is correct code 33/38 Silver over Dark Blue
so this Corvette looks very authentic as it sits. We believe it is
original paint but still looks excellent, with that bright silver
metallic paint emphasizing the C3's outrageous curves. It was
purchased by the current owner in 1999 and given a deep cleaning so
it looks quite good today, which is surely due to the fact that
most Corvettes like this get more than their fair share of care.
The look is clean and restrained and certainly not as flashy as
some of the '70s designs that flowed out of GM design studios at
the time, and a few custom touches such as the single-color
taillights give it a slightly custom look. Fit and finish are about
what you'd expect for a hobby-grade Corvette that's ready to drive
and enjoy: so nice that it attracts a lot of attention on the
street, but not so perfect that you're afraid to drive it if the
weather report is sketchy. If you want an entry-level 'Vette that's
a little unusual and a lot attractive, this is an excellent
choice.
The unusual blue cloth interior is also nicely finished and is how
this car was originally delivered. The driver's seat shows only
minor wear while the rest looks almost completely untouched, which
is truly remarkable for cloth upholstery! The carpets, door panels,
and dash pad are equally nice and the leather-wrapped 3-spoke
steering wheel feels great in your hands. The gauges are
comprehensive, as they are in any Corvette, with the only notable
upgrade is a boost gauge on the A-pillar, which we'll talk about in
a moment. A Kenwood AM/FM/cassette stereo fits so well you'd almost
think it was designed for the Corvette, and the factory shifter now
controls four gears instead of the usual three. Options include
A/C, power windows and locks, cruise control, and a tilt column,
which is how most Corvettes came from the factory and all of it
works. The T-tops remain in excellent shape and provide a nice
alternative to the convertible, which had been gone for six years
by the time this car was built.
The original engine was tired, so a late-model Corvette L98 was
sourced, rebuilt, bored to 355 cubic inches, and dropped between
the frame rails. The bottom end was balanced and topped with a set
of ported heads, a roller LT1 camshaft and rockers, and topped with
a factory fuel injection system and an MSD ignition system. On top
of that, a Vortech supercharger blows 12 pounds of boost into the
stout small block, making for a very entertaining vintage 'Vette.
It's also bulletproof reliable, never overheats, and goes about its
business as if the factory built it that way. The same C4 donated
its 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission with a heavy-duty rebuild
inside, and it feeds the original rear end, which has a Posi unit
inside. The chassis is impressively clean for being more than 30
years old and uses a beautifully built custom dual exhaust system
with long-tube headers and even a pair of mini cats for emissions.
Beautiful slotted alloys are some of the most attractive Corvette
wheels ever made and they wear fat 255/60/15 Goodyear radials.
This is a heavily documented entry-level Corvette that provides the
performance and look you've been looking for. Call today!