1981 Chevrolet Corvette

Description

With its unusually low mileage, and coveted factory-correct interior and two tone exterior still very much intact and looking good, this 1981 Corvette Coupe represents a rare chance to own a thoroughly well-equipped, numbers-matching third-generation Corvette still very much at the top of its game and ready to hit the road for a new chapter of asphalt adventure.

Because this 1981 started life just one year before the end of the run for its generation of Corvettes, Chevrolet had 14 model years' worth of time to refine the model and it shows. The sweeping curvature of the front fenders, that long hood and the sloping rear windshield combine to create a very distinctive presence. Its two-tone factory-correct Autumn Red over Dark Claret Metallic paint job shows off that curvature to great effect. Sitting low and level to the ground, it's got a great, agile look – at the time it was introduced it was one of the most aerodynamic Vettes ever built, with the drag coefficient to prove it. Sporting clean glass and rubber seals everywhere you look, you can readily see it's been well-looked after and, judging by the absence of any spider cracks in the front bumper, has likely spent much of its life indoors when not on the road. The T-top configuration is a great feature – the T-tops, themselves, surprisingly light and easy to install, while providing the option of enjoying the open-air motoring experience of a convertible should you so choose ... but with substantially less wind noise should you opt for protection from the elements.

Inside, the code 74 Dark Red leather interior looks exceedingly fresh, with very little evidence of use at all. The bucket seats look plenty supportive, with deep bolsters and relatively high backs to them, and the red carpeting below shows not so much as a heel mark. The distinctive instrumentation in Vettes of this era is truly a thing of beauty – that assortment of gauges occupying the center console just above the AM/FM/Cassette stereo provides an almost aeronautical look. A lot of Corvettes rolled off the assembly line with a bevy of great options included, but finding those options in good working order more than 35 years later, as is the case here, really is unusual. The A/C system cools with a lot of conviction, the power windows roll up and down without complaint and the tilting/telescoping steering column still moves perfectly. Get out on the highway and you'll find that the cruise control also performs its duties as precisely as when the first mile was logged.

Underneath that long hood, the same 350V8 this Vette started life with in Bowling Green, Kentucky sits in a clean and stock engine compartment and it seems to have thoroughly vanquished time, still running very smoothly and quietly. It's mated with a 3-speed automatic transmission that was right there with it from the beginning and shifts smoothly. Take this Sting Ray's relatively light weight, then factor in power disc brakes at all four corners, and you have a performance vehicle that stops just as well as it accelerates. This fine example of an early 80's Corvette sits on stock 15" Corvette rims, wrapped in Goodrich T/A radials.

Coming with important documentation including the original window sticker and reproduction build sheet, if you're on the lookout for a low-mileage third-generation Corvette that's been impeccably maintained and carries an impressive list of options, you really need to check out this 1981 Corvette Coupe!! Call today!