1981 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
You may be surprised to learn that the 1981 Corvette with a manual transmission was the fastest U.S. production car in 1981. By today's standards, 8.1 seconds to 60 miles per hour is dog slow. A 2024 Honda Civic can get there in 7.3 seconds, so that puts it in some perspective. Still, that's quite the esteemed credit to have in the car world and is testament to the midpoint of the malaise period when manufacturers were saddled with growing regulations and attitudes around the "gas crunch".
For consignment, the fastest American production vehicle of 1981! A pampered 4-speed manual Corvette with a title verified 46,784 actual miles. This is a very original car in a desirable color that's been part of a collection for a good part of its life. The malaise C3's often get a bad rap, but here we have a stunning example, a time capsule of sorts, of a true American icon.
Exterior
If this car was a movie character, there's no doubt it would be Darth Vader. The single stage inky black paint shimmers in the light, evidence that this car has likely been mostly garaged. Everyone knows black is the most difficult paint to maintain, but proper caretaking here has paid off. The side gill vent and front grille lend to the monochromatic look of the car as they are in black as well. Push down door actuators are flush to the body in one of the epic styling cues of this era of Corvettes. The aero hood, the curved back window, and the molded tail into the rear tail lights and bumper cover create a streamlined car that had much less drag than previous models. The T-tops look great on or off. The stock wheels, known as the "YJ8" wheels in Corvette circles, are in fantastic condition and their openings are lined with black paint further enhancing this car's overall appearance. In terms of imperfections in the paint, we notice two. Tap the fiberglass nose and it will cause stress cracks in the paint in a spider web pattern and we see that here. The nose piece also has some stress cracks where it meets the passenger side fender.
Interior
For a short period of time, GM offered silver interiors and that's what we have here. It begins on the door panels which finishes with a gray carpeted bottom piece. The silver continues onto the leather seats which have a metallic luster. They are the distinct two part seats of the time where the seat bottom comes up to middle back at which point the second piece begins to support upper back and shoulders, truly bucket seats! The driver's side has power adjustments. Silver leather wraps the thick, three spoke steering wheel mounted on a steering column with tilt adjustment. A rectangle tunnel houses the two main dials, one for speed and the other for rpms. The center stack is spaceship like with five gauges showing pertinent information and the surrounding black plastic is in great condition. The AM/FM/Cassette radio is just above the climate control panel. The center console houses the magic stick, the magic that rendered this car the fastest to 60 mph in 1981, the 4-speed manual, this one topped with a shiny metal ball. The gray cut pile carpet is in condition expected on a 46k mile car, meaning great, and carries over to the back storage area.
Drivetrain
The original 5.7 liter, 350ci V8 is present and accounted for and is topped by a 4-barrel carburetor. Intake manifolds were aluminum from the factory while the exhaust manifolds are cast alloy iron. The T10 transmission is numbers matching and sends power back to the rear 2.72 gears with Positraction. Power disc brakes were standard for the '81 Corvette. A peak into the engine bay reveals a clean setting with little patina. Black accented rocker covers and a chrome plated air cleaner cover are original! Nice job Chevrolet!
Undercarriage
Plenty of surface rust here with some areas of advanced, pitted surface rust on suspension components. The frame itself looks great and there's little evidence of oil seepage. The exhaust has some surface rust but nothing invasive as the Y-pipe enters a catalytic converter then splits again to meet two stock-style mufflers which send out two turn down tips that terminate before the back bumper but are slightly visible from behind the car. The rear independent suspension is a relatively complex system for the time, employing the differential, tubular axle drive shafts, transverse strut rods, and torque control arms along with transverse leaf springs. The front independent suspension employs coil springs.
Drive-Ability
Feeling a bit like an X-wing fighter, we get behind the wheel of this long-nosed sports car. Even with pedestrian seat belts, you feel well-supported by the bolsters and locked in as we head to our target...er...test loop. This engine really purrs and the shifts are long and smooth. We did notice a bushing squeak on the driver's side over small imperfections in the road, but otherwise a silky ride, (silky as one could expect in a sports car!). The car accelerates well, warp speed was not a factor in 1981, but you get a decent push from the manual and the car is absolutely planted. The disc brakes worked as expected. We note that the A/C is not working.
The Corvette world is vast and they welcome newcomers regardless of what generation Corvette you've selected. C3's remain as some of the most affordable specialty cars in the market and this car represents a very nice, low mileage example that is missing nothing except a new owner. Right this way, Mr. Skywalker....
1G1AY8762BS419215
1-USA
G-General Motors
1-Chevrolet
A-Manual Belts
Y-Corvette
87-Coupe
6-350 ci V8 4bbl
2-Check Digit
B-1981
S-St Louis, MO Assy Plant
419215-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
C06-October 6th
TRIM 152-Silver Leather
PAINT 19L-Black
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
