The C-3 Corvettes took a heck of a ride from introduction in 1968 through the conclusion of the model run in 1982.  In the beginning, the Corvette was pretty much a rip snorting animal.  While some lower horsepower vehicles with automatic transmissions were not very fast, they lacked refinement.  This could be overlooked because everyone saw them as sports cars and nothing else.  The higher horsepower cars were even hairier and scarier animals.  With thundering horsepower and an all business persona, they are still looked back at with fondness by fans of the muscle car era.  Sadly, all good things must end, and so did the Corvette’s mission as an all go no show sports car.  By the early eighties, the C-3 had evolved into more of a grand touring machine, complete with a smooth, quiet engine, a much softer ride, and many other signs of sophistication.  This 1981 Corvette, found on Craigslist in historic Macon, Georgia, is a good example of how soft the C-3 had become in its final years.  Priced at just $7,000 this good looking Corvette is within the reach of many enthusiasts.

In the sixties and early seventies, the option list for a new Corvette was long and detailed.  This allowed you to tailor your car to your needs and desires.  If you just wanted the cheapest Corvette possible, you checked off the base engine and as few options as you could get away with.  If you wanted a high speed cruiser, you ordered a high horsepower engine, 3:08 gears, and a stiff suspension.  Racing on your mind?  Then checking off the right boxes might get you a call from Zora Arkus Duntov himself, or one of his engineers, to see if you were serious and worthy of a Corvette that received a little extra attention.  While this practice often worked well to get the right car in the hands of the owner, it was a costly and cumbersome process.  As the seventies wore on, the option sheet got smaller and smaller, pacing itself with the horsepower numbers as emissions became more and more of a priority.  Big blocks, convertible tops, high horsepower small blocks, and other goodies fell off the list, and the Corvette became a shadow of its former self in the eyes of enthusiasts.

In the whole scheme of things, that was probably all that could be done.  Lacking the technology to both pass emissions tests and provide a little vertical pedal fun, the whole industry began to sell luxury and comfort.  Even customized vans became a thing, as most felt that if you can’t go fast, you might as well have fun in other ways.  The Corvette we see here is an example of this trend.  The exterior was flashy and fit in fairly well for the times.   Inside, the seats were more comfortable and the rest of the cockpit was positively plush for a sports car.  While this one needs a little work to return to tip top condition, the level of the materials, fit, and finish inside wouldn’t be out of place on a Cadillac of the era.  Comparing this to earlier C-3s is like comparing the Gemini capsules to a space shuttle.  Both get the job done, but there is a lot more refinement in the later examples.

Beneath a nest of hoses and wires comparable to a snake scene in an Indiana Jones movie rests the ubiquitous Chevrolet small block V-8 with 350 cubic inches of displacement.  Choked down to a humiliating 190 horsepower, the engine somehow found a way to accelerate from 0-60 in a little over eight seconds.  Quarter mile times were in the low sixteen second range.  This was pretty good for the time, but not fitting with the Corvette’s heritage.  It was, however, a very smooth and reliable engine well suited for long trips.  These cars had the best air conditioning systems of the era tucked under the hood, and the furnace like cockpits of the past were no more.  In all, the Corvette moved uptown, whether enthusiasts liked it or not.

For $7,000, this Corvette is not a bad buy at all.  It looks fairly unmolested under the custom hood that mimics a big block mid year hood.  The color, which I believe to be burnt bronze, is subtle yet beautiful.  There are a few areas that need some spotting in or touch up, but that shouldn’t cost too much.  The seller, who has few words of description to give us, says that it runs and drives great.  A test drive would be in order before any offers, but getting this one back in shape likely wouldn’t cost more than $1,000 or so and some weekends.  While it may not be the tire melting monster that many early C-3s are, there are a lot of times in a car lover’s life where cruising in comfort has a certain charm of its own.