I have never been a Corvette guy, but I will admit to admiring them from afar:
The appeal is undeniable: The early generations have a great shape, long hood, curvaceous fenders, and sweeping lines create an aggressive stance. They are a great combination of muscular good looks, high HP, and performance They are the ultimate U.S. muscle car. I even considered the new 2020 C8.
Prices have moved higher, and are determined by the combination of engines, transmissions, and options. The rare 1963 split rear window brings big dollars, as does the even rarer L88 4-Speed. Prices for the C2 (2nd generation) cars have been moving higher, making the C3s relative bargains.
I came close to picking up the lovely C3 below. It checked all of the boxes, including a Tri-Power 427 CI/400 HP numbers-matching engine, and the original 4-Speed manual transmission. I even did a PPI on it, which revealed a few issues that required about $5,000 worth of additional work. It was a nice driver, but we could not agree on a price (about $7 k apart), so I stayed disciplined and passed. (It is still for sale 6 months later). But the experience sent me searching not for another C3 but into the world of C2s.
Half of the fun of classic cars is the search, diving into the permutations of each model, learning their history, and provenance.
Still, it is a lovely car. If I ever were to pick up a C3, it would be something like this one below.
Source: Ebay
