If my research proves accurate, the stretched limousine concept has been around for nearly a century, with the Armbruster Coach Company of Arkansas generally credited with building the first one in 1928. Originally referred to as “extended-wheelbase multi-door auto-coaches”, most people now just call them limos, with the Chevrolet Corvette being an unusual but fine choice to give this treatment to. An internet search shows that there have been a few lengthened ‘Vettes created with extra doors added, but an early C3 body, such as this 1969 model here on Facebook Marketplace, works exceptionally well as a starter, with the chrome bumpers in the front and rear. This one’s in Santa Ana, California, and it’s not cheap: the seller’s asking price is $98,000. Curt, thanks a lot for your great tip here!
For my limousine desires, this one would fulfill my dreams nicely, as all the custom touches have been very well executed. There’s no information about who built this or when it was transformed, but the fit and finish appear excellent, with some noteworthy features such as two sets of T-Tops. The extra fender gills added between the doors sort of bring the design together, and the American Racing wheels look right at home here. Those are some of the longest side pipes I’ve encountered, and I’m sort of a fan of how entry-level mirrors were incorporated instead of the more sporty units. A chrome luggage rack might have been a practical addition, but not everyone likes them, so it’s probably just as well this was left off.
Surprisingly, we don’t get a good close-up photo of the rear quarters, but the chauffeur’s area has received some tasteful mods and appears to be in superb condition. The standard gauges have been removed, and digital components are in their places now, along with a more recent steering wheel and an upgraded sound system. We only get to see the TV that folds down from the dash, but the seller says there are two more in the rear, with all four leather seats reported to be power adjustable.
This one’s also got a more modern engine than would have been under the hood in ’69. In the bay now is a TPI, or Tuned Port fuel-injected motor, and it’s connected to a 700R4 transmission with four forward gears, so this one’s definitely ready for some highway travel. I’m thinking the visionary hit their bullseye here, as this 1969 Chevrolet Corvette is about as well done as any limo I’ve seen in a while, in my humble opinion. What are your thoughts here?
What?! How have I not done a photoshopped four-door Corvette yet?! This is great, Mike – nice find, Curt!
A crushed-velour leisure suit and a mullet is all you need…
Dont forget the thick gold chains around the neck and shirt unbuttoned to the belly button. Add to that a fake rolex watch.
Unique and well done. A quality build and factory level design. Nice.
A quality piece of work….an incredibly poor piece of design. Good design would have practicality included. IMO, of course.
Picked a great color for it also 👍
We used to ride baby
Ride around in a limousine
We’d look so fine baby
You in white and me in green
This is really cool. I have to admit, when I saw the opening photo, for a second I thought….. What did Scotty draw up now??? It looks like a high quality job and absolutely LOVE the fact it has two sets of T Tops.
Who is going to be the first to complain that it’s not a 4 speed?
I almost was!
I’m really not into cars, but I like it!!!
Money and boredom meet… Car comes with a warning, Must be no taller then 5’10”, weight no more then 200lbs… Nice write up.
It’s a waste of a good Corvette.
They may not have been good to start with.
“Why ruin a good story with the facts?” Yeah, cool looking without an ounce of practicality. A vanity project…”I did it because I could”. Where do you put the luggage? Where do you put the T-tops when off? What woman would want to go to a party having just done her hair with the T-tops off? Basically a 3-seater. A museum piece and nothing more. Sorry to be a wet blanket grouch, well-executed albeit not well thought out. The price matches the costs of the work but does it match the market?
this one definetly comes under the heading of”just because you can,doesn’t mean you should”…
This is one of the most unique Corvettes I have ever seen. Be a great prom/ wedding limo.
Although the car’s workmanship appears nice there are a couple things which bother me. The big one is an adult having to contort themself just to enter the rear of a ‘limousine.’ The other is the flatscreen in the driver’s compartment. When it’s in use the screen intrudes into the passenger’s footwell. How well does that work?
The absolute best thing about this car will occur when someone else asks ‘what if….’ The fact it’s been done before might prevent this from happening again.
I think the screen is down just to be able to show it off to prospective buyers, but when the passenger would want to watch it I think it would rest on his knees.
Ir probably doubles as a rear back up camera! I can’t imagine running this car in reverse is much fun.
Like they always say on Antiques Roadshow….”to the right buyer, this could be worth a whole lot more!”
how many beers deep was he when he made this limo?
I kinda’ like it. The only design change I would have made would have been to slant the forward edge of the rear side windows to more closely match the front windows.
I think it would be popular for the ‘Rent-a-Limo’ market.
Pretty cool Vette!!
I hope the owner is a pimp because this certainly is a pimpmobile IMHO.
Otherwise it is a waste.
At first I thought, “The Corvette is a driver’s car, not a rider’s car. But then I thought, “What a great way to take the family (or just the kids) with you. You get to drive your ‘Vette AND take the family too! Plus as another said provide a limo service. (Weddings, Proms etc.) It is no longer an autocross vehicle. But the fact that the family can come to “cars and coffee” or to the car show with you is cool. Luckily for me, the Mustang held the family. But not in the same STYLE as this.
…..no way I want my family to tag along to cars and coffee….that’s MY private time….🤣🤣
It’s unique, that’s for sure. It’s pretty well-built, but honestly, if I had money to squander, I think it would not be on this machine.
Unique and Vette don’t always belong in the same sentence.
I recently viewed a video of this car entering a car show. Interesting Yes, desirable to me No. I tend to be a purest. I owned 2 C3’s in the past, both bone stock. After them I tried a C4….not the wisest choice, but again bone stock. For the past 10 years I have been driving my Stock C5, in Black on Black with stock chrome wheels. My only wish is that our weather would be nice all 12 months. We have cold, ice and snow, but then we don’t have earthquakes and tornadoes, so it stays in the garage 4-5 months of the year.
We don’t have tornadoes, but we did an ocational earthquake. But they only last 10 seconds or so. And don’t leave a,salt residue on the roads. So driving a.nice car on the highways can happen every day of the year. (but there are a day or 2 when we do get snow. But it is usually done by noon.).One of the reasons that I moved to northern Nevada. I have ridden a .motorcycle all year around also.
Nope.
This Sting Ray would fulfil my nightmares nicely…
Looks like the price is also stretched.
anybody ever see the movie “Mystery Men”?
Well, I will say one thing nice: it looks to have been professionally done, not a backyard hack job like you often see.
The lack of interior shots, especially in the back, indicates a lack of motivation on the seller’s part.
Just because it could be done doesn’t mean it should be.
Someone, at a Corvette club somewhere, just threw theirself onto their jack handle.