In the world of special edition vehicles, Corvettes easily outnumber most any other marques. I could be wrong but I’m fairly confident it is easily the most over-marketed vehicle of all time. That’s not to say there are not limited production Corvettes that aren’t worth a fair chunk of change; hardly. The Grand Sport is one of the most desirable Corvettes out there, made for just one year and limited to 1,000 units – but it’s that truly limited number that makes it collectible. This 1982 Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition here on eBay is an affordable project with some period-correct charm, and that’s what makes it attractive.
The seller is asking $7,300 or best offer for this C3. At some points throughout history, a low-mileage model like this would have gotten auctioneers excited and Corvette-hungry enthusiasts waving their paddles for a chance at ownership. That’s more or less a bygone era, especially as the customers who eagerly awaited its arrival in the showroom age out of the hobby. The iconic paint job, turbine-style wheels, and two-tone leather interior are tell-tale signs you’re looking at a C3-era Collector Edition.
You also likely know that the Collector Editions were the only C3 with an opening rear hatch. This has always struck me as one of the more curious features to install in a special edition of a muscle car – after all, how many Corvette enthusiasts at the time wanted better cargo area access over more horsepower? Perhaps an early 80s focus group revealed how important it was to load golf clubs in the back of a Corvette. The seller does have the original seats and center console, which were removed by a prior owner to replace the carpets; only the trunk area carpets were replaced. The rest of the cabin still needs attention.
From the start, Chevrolet simply made too many of these cars, with a total production run of 6,759, which eliminated almost any chance of these C3s being truly collectible. As you can see, an Edelbrock intake and carburetor resides in the place of the original “Cross Fire Injection” setup, and the seller speculates it still needs to be dialed in. When new, these cars made a fairly weak 200 b.h.p., which doesn’t help the late-production C3’s legacy. Still, for a Corvette you don’t see every day with a slightly more interesting story than your garden variety C3, this looks like a fair price for a project that really just needs some tuning and re-assembly.
I always liked the 82 body style… I guess that’s why I bought a 76….. Yes, sarcasm… My buddy had a brand new 84, 3 months in, the digital dash went out. 6 months later the new dash went out. Good thing it was under warranty…
The only Corvette where the first year of the body style wasn’t a case of buyer’s remorse was 1963.
121k is not low mileage for one of these. So many people salted them away, thinking they were sitting on a gold mine. This has depressed prices. But I do think it’s cool it has actually been driven and enjoyed.
I personally would do the minimum to make it safe and drivable, clean it up as best as I could including a light paint correction, and continue to enjoy it. It would be too easy to get upside down if you tried to restore it. You’re competing against too many cars with like 175 miles on them or whatever, yeah , and there are only so many people who want these.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these with over 5000 miles lol !
So many were put away ,and were generally a terrible investment ,like most cars. “In the world of special edition vehicles, Corvettes easily outnumber most any other marques. I could be wrong but I’m fairly confident it is easily the most over-marketed vehicle of all time”
Hey Jeff ; Have you ever heard of a little car company in Germany called Porsche ? They offer a few ” special editions ” every year ,and the faithful dutifully keep them socked away ,only to bring them out a few years later ,to sell at a profit to fellow members of the cult..
Sort of like saving your trophy wife for the next guy .
If it came with all the parts that were removed, it might be worth it.
How about the black one in first picture ? Is that one for sale ???
Provided history report says rebuilt title i don’t follow this market so I don’t know if this is a fair price or over priced like most of them are. Personally I have never ridden in a Corvette I think it would be kinda fun just to get it back on the road and cruise it but at 58 my kids would be going what the heck are you doing and I would be saying I’m spending your inheritance.
This is over priced. This body style Corvette easy to find nice looking and running $7,500.00 to $10,000. This one has a lot of miles along with a salvage title which carries a lot of problems by itself.
Always liked the looks of these special edition Vettes. Weren’t that fast but nothing was super fast for those years. This car has a lot of bumps and bruises but is worth saving and enjoyed. Would be fun to put back on the road.
Would love to have one but,
Very expensive to replace a lot of specialized parts on this collector’s corvette.
eg.
Seat covers = $600 ea. Glass roof panels ( cracked) hard to find in bronze.
Yikes !
These frames are comically weak.