It’s not all that common for a C3 Corvette with body modifications to be seen cruising the streets of my town anymore, and maybe it’s only because I paid such close attention to every one of them I spotted back in my youth that they almost seemed plentiful during the seventies and eighties, at least from my perception anyway. Back in the day, it wasn’t really viewed as taboo to take an ordinary ‘Vette and start removing the factory panels and making the car your own, and the owner of this 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Maco Shark here on Craigslist certainly subscribed to that theory. This one’s in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the asking price set at what seems like a reasonable $10,700.
Many thanks go out to reader Pat L. for the great tip here! A quick history lesson takes us back to the C2 days in the early sixties, when General Motors head designer Bill Mitchell was overseeing the Mako Shark concept, with a couple of prototypes produced depicting a futuristic look that many believed would be a basis for the next generation Corvette. But when the actual 1968 model car arrived, it wore a more subtle body which disappointed some who were expecting a more intense look, so that’s when the Maco concept sprang into action.
Motion Performance began offering body parts for owners who wanted to transform their standard Corvette from a mild look to an over-the-top appearance, but instead of calling it something entirely different, they kept a similar name while changing the spelling to Maco, perhaps a grey area but presumably enough to keep the GM attorneys off their backs. Unfortunately, the seller here doesn’t give us any background of his car and took all of his photos in the shade, but from what I can tell the body itself actually looks pretty good overall.
This one also received quite a bit of attention inside, with plenty of additional upholstery everywhere and still coming across as decent for the most part. The seller mentions that the car has been sitting although he doesn’t say for how long, but that under dash EQ/booster is probably an 80s component and there are a couple of CDs in the map pockets, so I’m guessing it was regularly driven until at least that decade.
A 350 can be found under the hood which the seller says runs strong, but it does make me curious why the owner stopped driving such a cool car if it’s still running. There’s no specific information given about the transmission other than it’s an automatic, and the seller states that the car is going to need some love though he doesn’t go into details here either. In any event, I think it’s a decent price for what we’re seeing here, how about you?
That hiked up rear end and the positive camber won’t bode well for the guy/gal that hosses this one around a tight corner at speed. All shiny outside and inside but the engine compartment looks like it just came back from Running Man mud.
You’ve won the most contemporarly relevant post of the day, mate!
…Make that Burning Man. Running Man was another goat rope.
It’s not enough that someone screwed the body up,but YELLOW?
It’s not enough someone screwed up the body but YELLOW?
The question is… is it a Maaco Mako?
JMHO, If I got this, I would have it re -painted in a metal flake Red !
( Like you see on some boats ). Then add some side pipes and go cruisin’
My comment is you can’t leave a comment for this car!
Running Man mud??
Hood looks to be the wrong color too
If you go read the news of the last few days you will see what happens to over 70,000K people in Nevada when heavy rains come and flood the whole place turning it into mud.
Good way to ruin a Corvette. Jacked too high, rear tires too skinny, the driver seat looks like it’s been poorly recovered, dirty. I’ve said enough.
I think I see a jack stand under the rear tire in one of the photos.
Yes, there is a jack stand holding up the right rear. Good catch. Is it included in the sale?
I think everyone is trying to say Burning Man, not Running Man. :)
I got my disasters mixed up….
That interior looks like a really bad ’70s acid trip.
I give it the Ray Charles award 😂 lol
Too soon!
Back in the day when these were 1st made I saw one driving down Foothill Blvd by the drive inn in Azusa California.
A standard ’69 looks much nicer. Someone put in a lot of money and time into making an uglier and even less practical version of what was a very elegant sports car.
Looks like a lot of Boomer Men commenting..
Good guess Gen X’er. Who do you think has the free time?
And have the cash! If they happen to buy it, why I will never understand 😂
Shockingly, I like it. LOL
Honestly, I always liked the late 60’s mako shark better than the first one. If I could get my hands on this one, I would keep the body and update EVERYTHING else. LSA swap… T-56 swap… update the suspension with coilovers and lower it over very tasteful wheels and tires. Trade out the interior for a C7 interior with dash conversion and make this a truly unique restomod. Just a shade over 10k… not a bad price. But then another 75k to make it how I want it. Eeehhhhh… that’s where the spike sticks into your side. Good luck to anyone who tries this one. Hopefully I see it at a carshow someday.
Bet it’s a fiberglass replica kit car. . .