Over the years, numerous manufacturers have made a concerted effort to capture the hearts and wallets of potential buyers with retro models. Some of these have proven to be a success, while some haven’t (to be polite). Occasionally, other adventurous souls have attempted to follow this path alone, and that is the story with this 1999 Corvette Convertible. The goal appears to have been to capture the look and feel of the 1953 Corvette, but whether it succeeds is a matter of personal opinion. The Corvette is located in Oceanside, California, and has been listed for sale here on Craigslist. The sale price has been set at $37,777. I have to say thank you to Barn Finder Taylor W for referring what is an interesting and unusual vehicle through to us.

The first thing that I will say is that the Torch Red paint on the Corvette looks very nice, with no signs of any significant scratches, chips, or blemishes. Now we need to tackle the retro-custom appearance. When you look at the quality of the fit and finish of the panels, it is not the sort of work that your average person might produce in a home workshop. While it doesn’t rate a mention in the listing, it appears as though it is actually the work of a company called Advanced Automotive Technologies (AAT), located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. These cars were known as the “1953 Commemorative Edition,” and if so, that makes this is 1-of-201 such conversions performed by the company. If you get a chance to inspect the vehicle, you will find an engraved and numbered plaque mounted between the seats. You can just see the edge of the plaque visible in the interior photo that I have included in this article. The quality of the workmanship looks to be quite good, and those custom panels have all been designed to attach to the standard Corvette mounting points. If this is one of those vehicles, then it has undergone a few changes over the years. The original wheels were chrome 5-spoke items, while the front brake calipers would have been painted red. The rear license plate recess usually had a chrome garnish, but this isn’t necessarily a hard-and-fast rule. One of the aspects of this conversion that doesn’t quite “work” for me is the wheels. I am sure that there are other wheels available that would have a more appropriate appearance, but one thing with these sorts of conversions is that they will always involve some form of compromise. For all of that, the overall condition of the Corvette appears to be quite good.

It is the interior of the Corvette that raised some initial doubts in my mind as to whether this was actually a genuine AAT conversion. You can just see the edge of the numbered plaque visible between the seats in this photo which tends to lend some authenticity to the car, but with the Torch Red vehicles, an interior retrim in red and white was usually part of the package. I have found some vehicles that retain the predominantly Black trim, but this is usually in vehicles wearing other paint colors. If this is a genuine AAT, then it would be one of the very few red vehicles to retain its black interior. Even so, the condition of the interior looks quite good, with no obvious defects or flaws. The leather on the seats has some wrinkling, but this is to be expected in a 21-year-old car. The Corvette also features the sorts of luxury items that you would expect, including air conditioning, dual airbags, power windows, power seats, cruise control, power mirrors, and a premium Bose stereo.

While it was possible to receive some performance upgrades when AAT waved their wand over the Corvette, the majority of owners chose to leave the drivetrain untouched. In this case, what we find is the LS1 engine, producing 345hp. The transmission is a 4-speed 4L60 automatic, while power steering and power brakes were standard fare in 1999. The presentation of the engine bay is quite tidy, and the owner claims that the vehicle has only covered a genuine 32,000 miles. He isn’t forthcoming on whether he holds any evidence to back this claim, but then again, he isn’t particularly forthcoming on how well the vehicle runs and drives either. Given the bulletproof nature of these Corvettes when treated with anything even vaguely resembling respect, you would expect that it should still run and drive quite nicely.

The reality is that retro conversions like the one that has been performed on this Corvette will not appeal to everyone. However, it obviously appealed to the 201 people who were willing to hand AAT their money to have the conversion performed in the first place. Of course, that then raises the question as to whether there are people today who are willing to hand over their hard-earned cash to buy a pre-owned example. The answer appears to be a resounding yes. They don’t come onto the market that often, but when they do, sale prices in excess of $60,000 are quite common. If this Corvette can be confirmed as being a genuine AAT conversion, that makes the asking price seem very competitive within that context. Do we have any readers who are tempted by this car?