Project Car Collector Edition: 1982 Chevrolet Corvette

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.