Le Mans blue with a bright blue leather interior. this has to be the finest C3 on the market today. Finished in its original Le Mans blue metallic paint, just about the best colour there is for a chrome bumper Corvette, combined with an equally eye popping bright blue leather interior, how could an early C3 roadster get any better?
Add a full Corvette Kingdom body off, a GM ZZ502 crate motor, factory side exhaust, and a Tremec 5 speed transmission, thats how!
So where do we start? Back in 2006 a very good friend of mine commissioned us to locate and build a money no object chrome bumper roadster, preferably a 69 with a big block motor and 5 speed transmission. We started with a very together 69 small block auto and set about the conversion. The body was removed and the chassis completely stripped as per our normal body off, the frame and all components were sandblasted and resprayed, pretty much everything was replaced or rebuilt, from the suspension and steering, to the complete rear end and everything in-between including all fuel and brake lines. Even 14 years on everything under there is still in tip top condition.
The body was resprayed in the factory blue, and the interior was renewed and refurbished accordingly, all the chrome trim was replaced or re-plated as necessary, wheels were refinished, your basic full on restoration...
Then the cool stuff was added, the motor is a genuine General Motors ZZ502 crate motor, the full specification is pretty mighty so I will condense it down here.... 502 cubic inches, 502 horsepower and 567 ft/lbs of torque, aluminium heads and intake, roller cam, 870 CFM Holley, HEI Tach drive distributor, this really is a superb motor. The real nice thing about aluminium headed big blocks is that they don't make the car feel heavy and hard work like a lot of heavy big block Corvettes can be. This is a thumping 8.2 litre powerhouse that is as happy flat out as it is trundling around the country lanes, easy to drive and docile in traffic, it's about as good as it gets.
Hook that all up to a Tremec TKO600 5 speed and it is a match made in heaven, super low cruising RPM and MPG in the low 20's cruising at 70mph. Also bear in mind that to add this transmission to any other Corvette is getting into the £7000 bracket now, more if you're converting an auto!
It doesn't stop at the engine and transmission though, cooling is handled by a Dewitts aluminium radiator and twin Spal electric cooling fans, the standard V belt system has been replaced with a billet aluminium March serpentine pulley system, stock exhaust manifolds have been replaced with some very expensive ceramic coated tubular headers and hooked up to an aluminised factory side exhaust setup.
Equipped with factory power steering and power brakes, the steering is nice and light with a good feel, the brakes work well as one would expect from Corvette brakes in good condition. The clutch is nice and light, no crazy heavy racing clutch here, this really is an easy car to drive, there is no fighting, no wrestling, just a good time all round! The tyres were replaced two years ago and are excellent, having covered little mileage in that time Ralley wheels are as new, as are all trims. in fact the exterior is all but spotless some 14 years after the rebuild with only a few age related marks.
The interior was renewed at the same time and still presents very well, the dash top was replaced last year, and the gauges were renewed at the same time, including a rebuilt speedometer, the convertible top was renewed around 2012 and is still in superb condition, as is all weatherstripping throughout.
There is an extensive history folder with invoices form the build and subsequent works adding up to around £70,000, to build this car now would cost substantially more than that. There is a copy of Classic American magazine in which this Corvette was featured, and this was a recent winner of Best modified C3 at the CCCUK Nationals in 2018.
Make no mistake here, this is a superb opportunity and one that doesn't come up very often, forget 383 strokers...this is the Daddy of all crate engines!
I really like this car. I think it is fabulous to drive, looks awesome, sounds like a wild animal, and has some good memories. I think you will be hard pushed to find another Corvette for sale today that comes even close to this one, in fact I just don't think you could, period.. Priced to sell at £38,500 and ready to go.
Call 01263 739944 for more details or to view. Please understand that during this Covid 19 period any viewings are to be under strict contactless guidelines. The car has been sanitized throughout and masks and gloves are to be worn by both parties. We will provide gloves if required but you must bring your own face mask.
We can arrange delivery to any mainland UK destination or port for export and will take another Corvette in part exchange up to 1981.