From an investment standpoint, the C3 Corvettes are on a rise. Nice ones still bring good money, but for the most part, there are just too many of them with not enough excitement. That’s what makes them ripe for upgrades, and you can take a ho-hum 1980 Corvette and transform it into a 400 plus horsepower, screaming silver bullet that will run with the fastest of today’s machinery. With approximately $60,000 in build, this 1980 Corvette is just such an animal, a unique creation that’s far, far more than the sum of its parts. Forget investments and authenticity, were talking eye-watering performance and simply having fun with your plastic fantastic.

There’s no question that this Corvettes DNA is fully intact, and in fact, body modifications are limited to the addition of a C2 stinger-style hood. But the addition makes such a difference in the overall shape of the car that the whole thing looks far more radical than it is. That’s a cool trick.

It’s also covered in a coat of silver metallic paint that’s so brilliant; it almost vibrates off the surface of the fiberglass. The workmanship throughout this car is very high quality, with good gaps, excellent prep work, and none of the typical old Corvette issues with cracking and bonding. If you’re going to call attention to yourself with a car like this, you’d better make it right, and no matter how closely you look, you won’t find any signs of corners that have been cut. A lack of orange peel in the finish means that someone spent a lot of time color sanding and buffing the finish to get it this smooth and shiny. The finishing touches are a hand painted red pinstripe and a red stripe down the center of the stinger hood.

In 1980, you could get an L82 small block that cranked out 220 horsepower as the top motor, but this car goes way beyond that. Instead, it’s a 430 horsepower 383 stroker motor that has been fully detailed for show, and it runs as well as it looks. Glittering polished aluminum and stainless steel are the primary finishes under the hood, from the K&N air cleaner atop the 4-barrel Edelbrock carburetor, to the matching finned valve covers, this one was built to show off. Liberal doses of shiny chrome throughout the engine bay make it stand out, including the alternator, master cylinder, and A/C compressor. There’s more flash in the form of an aluminum water pump and billet pulleys that also adds reliability, and braided stainless steel hose covers look great. There’s a big aluminum radiator up front, cooled by a pair of electric fans that are far more efficient than the original engine-driven fan, and red spark plug wires tie it all together. It starts easily, and pulls like a freight train out on the open road if you’ve driven stock late-70s or early-80s Corvettes, you’ll be astounded by how fast this one is.

VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS:

* Professionally restored custom
* 383 stroker motor with 430 HP
* 700R automatic transmission
* 4 wheel power disc bakes
* Tilt telescopic steering wheel
* Power steering and windows
* Factory air conditioning
* Factory tachometer
* Factory cruise control
* Hooker header side pipes
* Ceramic coated headers
* MSD power ignition
* Edlebrock carburetor
* Aluminum radiator w/ fans
* Alpine AM/FM CD player
* Killer code 13 Silver paint 9 rating
* Red leather bucket seat interior
* Stinger hood with red stripe
* Aluminum US Mags wheels
* Cooper Cobra GT radial tires
* Restored with an open check book
* Approximately $60k build cost
* Runs and drives outstanding