A identical car in year, colors, and build as I had in bought used in 1984 as a youngster, even the miles on it when I bought it was 16,900 then. Sad! LOL!! But was destroyed by a tornado. Never had fully insured it so total loss. Took me over 6 years to recover the loss paying for it even after it was gone.
"This is a 1 of 1 C3 that was considered for Knight Rider till they went for the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. I don't have the paperwork, but a crew member on Knight Rider claimed it was so, so I believe him. I know what I got, no lowballers!"
I still remember standing next to the street as a three year old in 1981, and seeing a guy with a ‘stache and a mullet roll in with a white, late model C3. Looking over his shoulder to verify that my three year old self was watching him. Then someone called out, “Hey, Randy is here!” Because of that C3, Randy was the coolest guy in the trailer court that day. I really did live in a trailer court too.
@@ElCrab Same childhood memory, but my guy was my dad's friend named Ron. Ehh, at least it's in the ballpark of R names. And I vividly remember the car sitting in his driveway, radio blaring the 1981 classic "All Those Years Ago" by George Harrison.
@@ElCrab when I was a kid in the late 80's, me & my friends actually did used to call everyone with a mullet "Randy" hahahaha..... Partly because of Randy Johnson (the pitcher) & partly just because.
lol... i was out for a cruise in my 81 last weekend and rolled through a local town. at a light , a couple and their toddler was crossing at the light and the little boy was staring at the car the whole time even when they were on the other sidewalk... i was thinking "that was a moment that will stick with that kid" just like it did for me growing up. funny
A decade ago, my Dad bought my Mom an '82 for mothers' day, back when she was fighting cancer. Deep purple; her favorite color. LONG hood, and you could never quite tell where the front was: we had to lay down a pair of sandbags so you didnt hit the nose on the back of the garage. My older brother did his first burnout in it. Hell, first time I ever fixed a car was jury-rigging a washing machine hose in place of a coolant line, all while my parents were out of town for the week. We only had it for a short few years, but... I never realized how much that car meant to me before. Thank you, Mr. Regular.
@@Kalepsis Jerry-rig has its own interesting story and is a variation rather than a misspelling. Use dates back to the 1800s. Language is a mess. Always has been, always will be. Best embraced. And of course, the argument of "cheaply and poorly made" vs "makeshift and quickly assembled" is pedantic.
@@72dodge340I have a 82 and I did one as well, but had to drive through water and even then it was hard as hell. Did get it sideways once in dry weather leaving school.
Size matter. And its no replacement for displacment if you can make 1 hp per cube the more cubes you have the more hp thats why people took the 400 crank and put em in the 350s to make a 383 with a longer stroke and alot of power
@@cleverkitsune4302it does have an off position but it dosnt really work. It does kick on when you put in the key and turn and if it’s on the off position the hot/cold air kinda halfheartedly dribbles out still.
The always-on fan was part of "Astro Ventilation," a flow-through ventilation system which started in 1968, as the C3 did not have wing windows. 68-77 C3s without AC had a constant running fan. 68-77 C3s with AC had an off position. 78-82 C3s with AC had no off position and ran when the key was on like this car, a feature which seems to have been added to prevent CO buildup in cabin. To add to confusion, the words "Astro Ventilation" was stenciled in script on the door windows (where the wing window would have been) from 68-75, whether or not the car had AC. (Cars with AC had the "four seasons" system) Also, some 74s had 75 glass and didn't have the stencil.
3:21 replacing the vacuum actuators with electric motors from an NA Miata is a mod that has been growing in popularity among C3 owners for the last few decades
I love my 79 vette. The wife and i "bought" it from her dad in 2023. He had owned it since 1998. She has loved it since he bought it. Its not fast but its fun and looks good.
The 1975 models with the L48 had 15 less horsepower than the 1980 305 models...it was a rough time, the emission regulations should have not been applied to the Corvette.
That's the engine my slug-slow '80 Mercury Brougham coupe had, heh! Edit: @Raptor3388 Looks like I need to put my glasses on - you're right, it was a 302, d'oh!
This is still the version I visualize in my mind when I think "Corvette." A neighbor down the street from me owned one of these when I was in grade school. Still the most beautiful version of the Corvette, to my eye. One of the most beautiful cars, period. Definitely doesn't handle well though!
The headlights on shining into the grille looks awesome, tbh. Would deff have some sort of line lock specifically to do that while driving in the early evening
My grandfather drove an '82. It was the first car I ever fell in love with. I was 2 years old. Nothing made me happier as a child than being driven around in that car. My grandmother risked her marriage to take me driving in it. She took the door off trying to park it in the garage after one of our surreptitious excursions. I wanted it to be my first car when I turned 18. My parents blocked it, because the insurance payments would have been outside their budget. I'd have worked 2 jobs to own that car. He sold it to his neighbour, who turned it into a show car. I don't care that it isn't fast. The C3 is quite possibly the most beautiful car I've ever seen, and nothing will ever change my mind.
Those C3s were dirt cheap when that movie came out... I should've bought one as my 2nd car, went for an early 2000's Maxima instead. Vettes don't rust either, and Rusty Nail drove a rusty truck. 🤣
My C3 litererally exploded on Christmas day. A carb jet melted, filled the distributor with gas, and boom. Vaporized the entire vacuum system... thanks Chevy.
I love the way these cars look. I like the notch window earlier ones better than the later hatchback ones. A restomod that had power and handling would be amazing. Factory CB is a pretty great feature.
@@cleverkitsune4302 Dude, it has almost 50/50 weight distribution with slightly more weight biased to the rear depending on options and engine, all within the axles which is exactly what you want for oversteer correction. Cars like the Ferrari Enzo, all generations of Porsche 911 or the BMW E30 have it way off by comparison - not saying the C3 is the best candidate for impecable handling but it will definitely benefit from suspension mods (that are usually easily reversible) and it's weight distribution is very much a perk rather than a problem.
@@Strongholle Seconded. These cars respond VERY well to ~500lb-ft front springs, a ~360lb-ft fiberglass rear spring and some bilstein sports. But only if ALL bushings, yes even the dreaded trailing arm bushings, are FRESH.
@@Maakyuhlinsky After working in a restoration shop I found that a big chunk of the unwieldy handling American cars are famous for come from perished suspension components, lack of maintenance and bad mods. Drive a stock E30 with shot bushings and shocks and it's like walking on oily marshmallows. Once again, an almost 2 ton box of steel from the 60's or 70's with a steering box and one finger power steering is never gonna handle like a go kart but too many cars are cosmetically restored while the suspension is left like it came from the field it was found in. Plus, on many vintage cars (not this 81though, presumably) the suspension is tuned for soft bias ply tyres with tons of sidewall movement which behave nothing like modern tyres.
The 80-82s are lighter than the 78-79s but all of the parts swap. Aluminum heads/radiator, relocate the battery. Delete the steel vaccum tank and just run manual brakes. All that takes a lot of weight off the front of these. Or just do the dreaded LS swap and have an aluminum 5.3 from a 2008 truck. The transmission is literally the same for an '82 lol.
My middle school art teacher, who had red hair, wore a leather jacket, and was maybe 5 ft tall when she wore heels had a yellow C3 that she drove to school daily... even in the cold Alberta winters. She was rad.
I work near a local ford dealership and there is a guy there that drives an sun faded through the clear coat tan C3 every day of the year outside of deep winter (we get lots of snow). It isn't pretty, but it sounds perfect, and it gets used. I end up following him out to the main streets some lunches/evenings and it like nothing else on the road, curves in the right places and small compared to modern cars. You can tell the guy just likes his C3 enjoys it every damned day... which is something we should all try to do with our fun cars.
Damn, the fact it was a mono FM switch is incredible. You can get better signal by ignoring the multiplex hardware that dices up the FM signal for stereo.
I’ve been dailying one of these for a year. 150k on the engine, which has never failed me; rain or shine, got it cold, that L81 wakes up and gets me to work. It’s everything attached to the engine (excluding the headlights) that continues to amaze me in the worst way possible and at the most inconvenient times. Driving from Virginia Beach to Lancaster at 10 PM in a rain storm and having the wiper switch get disconnected is only the most recent woe that happened.
The C3 is a REAL Corvette. The THING they pass off as a Vette now is a wannabe Lambo/Ferrari. Not a Corvette! The C3 was the last Corvette with pure style. Couldn't care less if I can be passed by a Fiat 500. This is STYLE!!
Nice find RCR. I bought an 81 my junior year of HS (2020) red over red, automatic, and 65,000 miles for 9500 dollars, and not that it matters, but it is also a numbers matching car. Ive been daily driving it since then, I currently have around 96,000 miles, i graduate college this year. Its a fun car, not fast, but it turns heads. The gray example you have here is uncommon due to the 4 speed and CB radio. I would kill for a CB in my car. Very very nice example. They make good cruisers and good daily drivers if you can live with the uptick in maintenance past. 75,000.
December of 1980 i bought a brand new 81' blue corvette, took it to orange county raceway and ran 16.41, it was "kind' of a hot rod coming from 1980 vette that only had a 305ci, i was young and all my friends where into 4x4's so i gave in to peer pressure and traded it in on a K5 blazer...i signed up to win this baby!
80-82 Corvettes were the best looking since the 63 split window. The 81 4 spd i owned was actually pretty quick once i ripped the clutch fan off, considering GM put a 2.72 rear axle in the 4spd and 2.87 in the automatic ... (go figure) Great Video, you are pretty funny ! Grandpa getting out of his chair !! Ha😆Dr. Giggletouch is looking for you !
The early C3’s are realy cool. A Countach-like vulgar but also elegant front engine design with chrome. Time is finaly getting around to appriciate the C3 design. Including me.
11:22 yes, that era blower moter would turn on with the ignition and stayed on all the time. I had something to to do with Co2 safety. It was just a thing GM was doing at the time. My dad worked at GM proving ground at that time and the blower motor was something that they talked about. Even the Chevrolet Chevette did it.
I know the C3 isn't the best performing generation, but THIS was the Corvette of my childhood! It just LOOKS like it's doing a buck-fifty cruising down the road. This was the Vette from before I was born til I was 11 years old! I'd love to get one of these, update the motor, suspension, and technology a little, and just cruise. Drop an LS in the engine bay, back it up with a modern 6 speed manual with overdrive, tighten up the chassis, and it would be my dream!
If someone in California (like me) won this car, would it even be possible to register it since it'll have to pass smog for the year it was made. Seeing as we only got the 305 version, this might be a deal breaker and I'm wondering if it's even worth trying.
I bought a 1981 Corvette in 2021 and this seems to be the car that I will never sell. It's a perfect mix of a '60s-'70s-'80s American car from the muscles to the plastics. I love to cruise with it, it's a real dream that came true. Oh yes, and the vent is designed to be always on, it's supposed to create a continuous flow from the front to the back, it's called Astro Ventillation System.
I have a CB and it seems to be used less and less by truckers over the past few years, channel 19 is highway chatter, 9 is emergency, and 6 seems to be the one you get the most random stuff from (i think its because of how far you can receive on that channel)
I know the entire generation is so maligned but to me the pre-facelift C3 (which I wanna say was 68-70?) is one of the most beautiful cars ever. Hell, made me fall in love with american classics. And even the ones after that have a certain raunchy charm to them.
Gotta get a strait-laced ex-cop as your partner/buddy, and Mike Post to write your theme song; bonus points if you live on a boat that will never leave the dock
imagine being RCR and saying the "not having to deal with a corvette guy" line without laughing ahahahahaha great work as always, love the vids these last few years
Another thing about the C3, not only was it old in '82, but the chassis was basically carried over from the C2 that came out in '63 and predated some of the more modern GM parts bins, like for example ram-assisted steering that went alll the way to 1982. Even lowly Novas had better internally assisted gearboxes by the mid 60s. But credit where credit's due, they had fixed four piston calipers all around right from the start. It was an iron caliper, but still, same style of caliper that's still used today in performance cars.
I got the 82 collector edition. Grandmas hand me down. It’s in about the same shape as this black one. Has the factory CB radio also. Crossfire fuel injection sucks. Big Oldsmobile injectors in hollowed out carb bodies.
I have a 75 with a 4 speed…previous owner swapped the intake manifold and carburetor, swapped the headers and straight piped it along with a few other quality of life/ daily drivability upgrades…it’s still a total dog when it comes to speed, but goddamn it looks and sounds amazing and it’s super fun to drive…to me, the C3 is the epitome of Corvettes…there’s been many faster models both before and since, but that design is timeless in my eyes
Get Entered to WIN this immaculate classic Corvette!
go.getenteredtowin.com/regularcars
DEADLINE to ENTER is March 20th @ 11:59pm (PST).
> The Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the USA (including D.C, excluding residents of Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, and New York)
wait, what?
What are the odds of winning 2 cars in a row? Also, whoever detailed the sti did a pretty stellar job.
A identical car in year, colors, and build as I had in bought used in 1984 as a youngster, even the miles on it when I bought it was 16,900 then. Sad! LOL!! But was destroyed by a tornado. Never had fully insured it so total loss. Took me over 6 years to recover the loss paying for it even after it was gone.
"This is a 1 of 1 C3 that was considered for Knight Rider till they went for the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. I don't have the paperwork, but a crew member on Knight Rider claimed it was so, so I believe him. I know what I got, no lowballers!"
😂
Rare. One of only 10 black cars made on a Sunday in April.
knightrider historians could verify that. just slide them some hasselhof hair as a bribe, who's going to argue with them about it
For Knight Rider??? I had no idea.
At one point, I read somewhere that a 280ZX was considered.
Thank God they didn't go with the Corvette. The TranAm/Firebird is so much cooler of a car.
Drinks Busch Light and eats bush heavy
HELL YEAH BROTHER
BIG 1970s BUSH
The perfect comment doesn’t exi…
Hello, I'm from the future, and this comment still makes me laugh.
we need @RegularCars to say that in the V O I C E
1981 C3 Corvette: The official car of "No razor will EVER go down there. My ladies love the birds nest of mess!"
The unofficial car of "why would I comb it? It's just going to get matted when I see Marge tonight."
I CALL IT THE "LOVE NEST" 💪
[Muffled Welcome to the Jungle playing in the distance]
@@JPR3Dfixed: _[muffled “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” playing in the distance]_
BIG, HEARTY BUSHES THAT COVER THE BIGGEST ROAST BEEF FELINE YOUVE EVER FUCKIN IMMMAGINED U MILENNTIAL LI-LI-LI-LIBBBBERRRALLL
I still remember standing next to the street as a three year old in 1981, and seeing a guy with a ‘stache and a mullet roll in with a white, late model C3. Looking over his shoulder to verify that my three year old self was watching him. Then someone called out, “Hey, Randy is here!”
Because of that C3, Randy was the coolest guy in the trailer court that day. I really did live in a trailer court too.
They were all named Randy back then.
@@ElCrab Same childhood memory, but my guy was my dad's friend named Ron. Ehh, at least it's in the ballpark of R names. And I vividly remember the car sitting in his driveway, radio blaring the 1981 classic "All Those Years Ago" by George Harrison.
@@ElCrab when I was a kid in the late 80's, me & my friends actually did used to call everyone with a mullet "Randy" hahahaha.....
Partly because of Randy Johnson (the pitcher) & partly just because.
lol... i was out for a cruise in my 81 last weekend and rolled through a local town. at a light , a couple and their toddler was crossing at the light and the little boy was staring at the car the whole time even when they were on the other sidewalk... i was thinking "that was a moment that will stick with that kid" just like it did for me growing up. funny
A decade ago, my Dad bought my Mom an '82 for mothers' day, back when she was fighting cancer. Deep purple; her favorite color. LONG hood, and you could never quite tell where the front was: we had to lay down a pair of sandbags so you didnt hit the nose on the back of the garage. My older brother did his first burnout in it. Hell, first time I ever fixed a car was jury-rigging a washing machine hose in place of a coolant line, all while my parents were out of town for the week.
We only had it for a short few years, but... I never realized how much that car meant to me before. Thank you, Mr. Regular.
Re: the long hood, I had a cousin who had a ‘68. He attached a curb feeler vertically to the leading point of the hood so he could see where it ended.
Thank you for being the first person I've seen on the internet in ten years who properly spelled the term "jury-rigging".
Wait, hold up... someone did a burnout in an '82 Corvette? In rain, you mean?
@@Kalepsis Jerry-rig has its own interesting story and is a variation rather than a misspelling. Use dates back to the 1800s. Language is a mess. Always has been, always will be. Best embraced.
And of course, the argument of "cheaply and poorly made" vs "makeshift and quickly assembled" is pedantic.
@@72dodge340I have a 82 and I did one as well, but had to drive through water and even then it was hard as hell. Did get it sideways once in dry weather leaving school.
The official car of “fuck off, I got work to do”
Safety always off
And failing grade 10
Even with its suffocated engine, this Corvette is one of the best looking cars ever made.
I love the "plastic-fantastic" touches on it.
this is officially one of the greatest gifts I could wake up to. thank you for another video.
what a beautiful Monday morning.
Glad you enjoy it!
The official car of "every replacement for displacement"
1 hip replacement for every displacement
Size matter. And its no replacement for displacment if you can make 1 hp per cube the more cubes you have the more hp thats why people took the 400 crank and put em in the 350s to make a 383 with a longer stroke and alot of power
That isn't a saying
Mr Regular slow-mo stepping out of the Vette in the intro goes so hard in the paint. I think I just got pregnant And I don't even have a uterus.
It says right in the manual about the blower .. "There is no off position."
All GMs at the time had this "feature" lol
Bullshit i had a 76 and blower had an off position
I have an 82 Firebird and it turns off fully
@@cleverkitsune4302it does have an off position but it dosnt really work. It does kick on when you put in the key and turn and if it’s on the off position the hot/cold air kinda halfheartedly dribbles out still.
The always-on fan was part of "Astro Ventilation," a flow-through ventilation system which started in 1968, as the C3 did not have wing windows. 68-77 C3s without AC had a constant running fan. 68-77 C3s with AC had an off position. 78-82 C3s with AC had no off position and ran when the key was on like this car, a feature which seems to have been added to prevent CO buildup in cabin. To add to confusion, the words "Astro Ventilation" was stenciled in script on the door windows (where the wing window would have been) from 68-75, whether or not the car had AC. (Cars with AC had the "four seasons" system) Also, some 74s had 75 glass and didn't have the stencil.
@@cleverkitsune4302 You're both right, see below.
Babe wake up Mr Regular dropped another e621 reference
There was another?
Barbs and knots. Best of both worlds! :D
DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT
3:21 replacing the vacuum actuators with electric motors from an NA Miata is a mod that has been growing in popularity among C3 owners for the last few decades
Man... I love 80's vetts. The batmobile look is great.
Ok, unrelated, but surprised to see another demigirl here...
Stingray, actually.
@@stevevarholy2011
No, that's... that's a Corvette...
@@thejay8963 Make that three. :)
Even as a Ford guy I gotta admit the C3 is a beautiful car.
I love my 79 vette. The wife and i "bought" it from her dad in 2023. He had owned it since 1998. She has loved it since he bought it. Its not fast but its fun and looks good.
My uncle had one of these in the 90s. 6'3" 300lb muscle beach boy with frosted hair. He ran a night club/sports bar. Yup.
The fact that they put a 305 V8 in some of these should have been illegal.
I had a 76, it had an l48 only cali cars had 305s
The 1975 models with the L48 had 15 less horsepower than the 1980 305 models...it was a rough time, the emission regulations should have not been applied to the Corvette.
That's the engine my slug-slow '80 Mercury Brougham coupe had, heh!
Edit: @Raptor3388 Looks like I need to put my glasses on - you're right, it was a 302, d'oh!
@@greenbriar07 a Mercury would have had a 302, or maybe even the 4.2L V8 in 1980…
That only happened in 1980 California.
I just love the shape of these late C3s, so much so that I'd have one in a heartbeat even if it came with a lawnmower engine.
Exactly!!!
Buy one. They are cheap and plentiful and DO come with a lawnmower engine 😂
Shockingly cheap if they're original.
I have a 77 C3 and I only paid so much because it's a 383/5 speed. Feels like a C3 should.
Mr Regular didn't need to deal with the Corvette Guy... so he became the Corvette Guy
With the CB! My dad was into that too. He ordered his ‘84 Seville with the CB, and everything else except the moon roof. Kept it til he died.
This is still the version I visualize in my mind when I think "Corvette." A neighbor down the street from me owned one of these when I was in grade school. Still the most beautiful version of the Corvette, to my eye. One of the most beautiful cars, period.
Definitely doesn't handle well though!
Yes, cabin ventilation. Blower always on.
The headlights on shining into the grille looks awesome, tbh. Would deff have some sort of line lock specifically to do that while driving in the early evening
There actually is one built in. You can pull a vacuum switch under the dash to switch the lights on and off without moving them
The c3 vette is the best looking car ever put on the road. That’s why I picked up a 78 L82 😁
The official car of Cryus from TPB.
“Fuck off, I got work to do”
Smokes! Give em!
*same guitar riff on repeat*
Safety, always off.
At least Julian had a an all black c4
My grandfather drove an '82. It was the first car I ever fell in love with. I was 2 years old. Nothing made me happier as a child than being driven around in that car. My grandmother risked her marriage to take me driving in it. She took the door off trying to park it in the garage after one of our surreptitious excursions. I wanted it to be my first car when I turned 18. My parents blocked it, because the insurance payments would have been outside their budget. I'd have worked 2 jobs to own that car. He sold it to his neighbour, who turned it into a show car.
I don't care that it isn't fast. The C3 is quite possibly the most beautiful car I've ever seen, and nothing will ever change my mind.
Suddenly on the CB... "Caaaaandy Cane! I want my Candy Cane. This is ... Rusty Nail.."
Those C3s were dirt cheap when that movie came out... I should've bought one as my 2nd car, went for an early 2000's Maxima instead. Vettes don't rust either, and Rusty Nail drove a rusty truck. 🤣
My C3 litererally exploded on Christmas day. A carb jet melted, filled the distributor with gas, and boom. Vaporized the entire vacuum system... thanks Chevy.
kinda your fault lol
My name is Cooter, and I approve this message
That's a nice lookin' Cooter you got there 😂
Big Muncher killed me💀
I love the way these cars look. I like the notch window earlier ones better than the later hatchback ones. A restomod that had power and handling would be amazing. Factory CB is a pretty great feature.
Agreed on preferring the earlier look. Most bubble back C3s had fixed glass. The '82 special edition was the only true hatchback.
I adore my 383 C3. An absolute blast to drive.
The rarest thing about this ‘81 is that it’s a 4-speed manual. If the lights don’t go up fast you have a vacuum leak.
One of my favorite intros to any video. Like up there with the Subaru Brat
Nothing will top the intro for the AE-86 video
I know they're slow, but they have some great lines on them. I'd love to modernize the suspension and drive train.
Please don't they are wonderful on their own, suspension wont compensate for poor weight distribution
@@cleverkitsune4302 Dude, it has almost 50/50 weight distribution with slightly more weight biased to the rear depending on options and engine, all within the axles which is exactly what you want for oversteer correction. Cars like the Ferrari Enzo, all generations of Porsche 911 or the BMW E30 have it way off by comparison - not saying the C3 is the best candidate for impecable handling but it will definitely benefit from suspension mods (that are usually easily reversible) and it's weight distribution is very much a perk rather than a problem.
@@Strongholle Seconded. These cars respond VERY well to ~500lb-ft front springs, a ~360lb-ft fiberglass rear spring and some bilstein sports. But only if ALL bushings, yes even the dreaded trailing arm bushings, are FRESH.
@@Maakyuhlinsky After working in a restoration shop I found that a big chunk of the unwieldy handling American cars are famous for come from perished suspension components, lack of maintenance and bad mods. Drive a stock E30 with shot bushings and shocks and it's like walking on oily marshmallows. Once again, an almost 2 ton box of steel from the 60's or 70's with a steering box and one finger power steering is never gonna handle like a go kart but too many cars are cosmetically restored while the suspension is left like it came from the field it was found in. Plus, on many vintage cars (not this 81though, presumably) the suspension is tuned for soft bias ply tyres with tons of sidewall movement which behave nothing like modern tyres.
The 80-82s are lighter than the 78-79s but all of the parts swap. Aluminum heads/radiator, relocate the battery. Delete the steel vaccum tank and just run manual brakes. All that takes a lot of weight off the front of these. Or just do the dreaded LS swap and have an aluminum 5.3 from a 2008 truck. The transmission is literally the same for an '82 lol.
I know these are low power, but that's easy to fix these days. This is honestly my favorite gen classic Corvette!
Kunkleman approved!!!
THEY KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!!1!
One of your best reviews! I have a ‘78 Indy 500 Pace Car with the L48. You described it to a tee, but I do love it so.
About time the 81 C3 gets some love !
Love the look of these vettes. They look much better than the C8 vettes
It may have been nerfed in the engine department, but man it looks reeeeeally good in red! :)
Late seventies early eighties Corvette, official car of a talking mullet saying "y'know they're lettin' em in Congress now."
You say that like it's a bad thing...
My middle school art teacher, who had red hair, wore a leather jacket, and was maybe 5 ft tall when she wore heels had a yellow C3 that she drove to school daily... even in the cold Alberta winters. She was rad.
12:35 Trucker here, it's Ch19 by the way .
The famous "Breaker One-Nine"
I work near a local ford dealership and there is a guy there that drives an sun faded through the clear coat tan C3 every day of the year outside of deep winter (we get lots of snow). It isn't pretty, but it sounds perfect, and it gets used. I end up following him out to the main streets some lunches/evenings and it like nothing else on the road, curves in the right places and small compared to modern cars. You can tell the guy just likes his C3 enjoys it every damned day... which is something we should all try to do with our fun cars.
80s GM, the running blower motor at ignition. My 89 G10 van still had this. Impressed this is four speed, wow..Stupid wide ratio four speed.
Had a driver-grade, black on black '76 automatic. I never got so many compliments in a car. I miss it.
Shocking. My 77 is my nicest car by a mile and everyone geeks about the Baja bug instead.
Damn, the fact it was a mono FM switch is incredible. You can get better signal by ignoring the multiplex hardware that dices up the FM signal for stereo.
I’ve been dailying one of these for a year. 150k on the engine, which has never failed me; rain or shine, got it cold, that L81 wakes up and gets me to work.
It’s everything attached to the engine (excluding the headlights) that continues to amaze me in the worst way possible and at the most inconvenient times.
Driving from Virginia Beach to Lancaster at 10 PM in a rain storm and having the wiper switch get disconnected is only the most recent woe that happened.
The C3 is a REAL Corvette. The THING they pass off as a Vette now is a wannabe Lambo/Ferrari. Not a Corvette! The C3 was the last Corvette with pure style. Couldn't care less if I can be passed by a Fiat 500. This is STYLE!!
late C3s are still so cool looking
Nice find RCR. I bought an 81 my junior year of HS (2020) red over red, automatic, and 65,000 miles for 9500 dollars, and not that it matters, but it is also a numbers matching car. Ive been daily driving it since then, I currently have around 96,000 miles, i graduate college this year. Its a fun car, not fast, but it turns heads. The gray example you have here is uncommon due to the 4 speed and CB radio. I would kill for a CB in my car. Very very nice example. They make good cruisers and good daily drivers if you can live with the uptick in maintenance past. 75,000.
That's bold for a first car!
December of 1980 i bought a brand new 81' blue corvette, took it to orange county raceway and ran 16.41, it was "kind' of a hot rod coming from 1980 vette that only had a 305ci, i was young and all my friends where into 4x4's so i gave in to peer pressure and traded it in on a K5 blazer...i signed up to win this baby!
Fun fact, if you strap a kayak to the top of a c3 people get really offended
"The urge to misuse this..." Lol!
I used to work with a guy who owned one of these many years ago. He legitimately talked about how his then-current 2.5L Camry was notably faster.
80-82 Corvettes were the best looking since the 63 split window. The 81 4 spd i owned was actually pretty quick once i ripped the clutch fan off, considering GM put a 2.72 rear axle in the 4spd and 2.87 in the automatic ... (go figure) Great Video, you are pretty funny ! Grandpa getting out of his chair !! Ha😆Dr. Giggletouch is looking for you !
The early C3’s are realy cool. A Countach-like vulgar but also elegant front engine design with chrome.
Time is finaly getting around to appriciate the C3 design. Including me.
Yup, older GM the motor was always on, even when 'off'. They wanted to ensure no exhaust fumes loitered in the cabin.
The C3 is the best looking corvette, and the final years were the best looking C3s. I would gladly roll one of these anywhere.
honestly the popups shining into the engine bay with grilles pointing the light out, it's a genius concept and i love it
11:22 yes, that era blower moter would turn on with the ignition and stayed on all the time. I had something to to do with Co2 safety. It was just a thing GM was doing at the time. My dad worked at GM proving ground at that time and the blower motor was something that they talked about. Even the Chevrolet Chevette did it.
Looking cool doesn't mean you also have to be fast. They don't have to be mutually inclusive...
DR. GIGGLETOUCH🗣
I know the C3 isn't the best performing generation, but THIS was the Corvette of my childhood! It just LOOKS like it's doing a buck-fifty cruising down the road. This was the Vette from before I was born til I was 11 years old! I'd love to get one of these, update the motor, suspension, and technology a little, and just cruise. Drop an LS in the engine bay, back it up with a modern 6 speed manual with overdrive, tighten up the chassis, and it would be my dream!
My boy rcr is killing it with the double denim and work gloves
If someone in California (like me) won this car, would it even be possible to register it since it'll have to pass smog for the year it was made. Seeing as we only got the 305 version, this might be a deal breaker and I'm wondering if it's even worth trying.
Move to arizona
I've never understood the lack of love for this generation Corvette. I know they lacked in performance, but my god they are so sexy looking.
And easy to fix that performance problem. Build any small block Chevy and slap it in there.
I think the 1981 Corvette is the coolest car ever.
And love my C3.
I bought a 1981 Corvette in 2021 and this seems to be the car that I will never sell. It's a perfect mix of a '60s-'70s-'80s American car from the muscles to the plastics. I love to cruise with it, it's a real dream that came true.
Oh yes, and the vent is designed to be always on, it's supposed to create a continuous flow from the front to the back, it's called Astro Ventillation System.
I definitely don't wanna sell my C3 any time soon. I have fun every time I drive it.
I have a CB and it seems to be used less and less by truckers over the past few years, channel 19 is highway chatter, 9 is emergency, and 6 seems to be the one you get the most random stuff from (i think its because of how far you can receive on that channel)
8:55 was where I decided not to send this to my mom
nothing beats the view over the hood. never gets tired. i have an 81.. love cruising it
Arguably the nicest looking era of Corvette... even if it was completely lacking under the hood
I know the entire generation is so maligned but to me the pre-facelift C3 (which I wanna say was 68-70?) is one of the most beautiful cars ever. Hell, made me fall in love with american classics. And even the ones after that have a certain raunchy charm to them.
Anyone that doesn't like the look of a C3 can't be trusted.
85MPH speedometer in a Corvette... the 80's were pretty ugly for us car guys.
Now I can have my own 80s detective show
Gotta get a strait-laced ex-cop as your partner/buddy, and Mike Post to write your theme song; bonus points if you live on a boat that will never leave the dock
@@RobCamp-rmc_0 and Vietnam veteran.
I know these cars are not good, bud damn if they don't have amazing curves. As one of my first hot wheels i wanted one.
Marvelous. This is why I watch RCR.
Even if it's slow it's absolutely beautiful
That was the best looking generation for the corvette
I know these are slow AF but dang does this generation look good
Not all are slow. Beating most C1-6s The early ones.
If ever a LS swap would an acceptable replacement option... But not before making it almost handle
An LS swap with original suspension just sounds like a fantastic way to acquaint 2/3 of the car with the nearest roadside tree. lol
3:35
Thank god theres a few electric headlight conversion kits. Some of them even use the motors from na Miata popups
Thanks for throwing the Santa Cruz under the bus, instead of the Maverick!
Lol
I tied an onion to by belt, which was the style at the time.
Channel 19 is the common channel.
imagine being RCR and saying the "not having to deal with a corvette guy" line without laughing ahahahahaha
great work as always, love the vids these last few years
The official car of SiriusXM Classic Rewind
Claiming that the modern GT86 competes with modern Corvettes is a big stretch
I feel these are some of the most beautiful Corvette
This car deserves an LT4
Another thing about the C3, not only was it old in '82, but the chassis was basically carried over from the C2 that came out in '63 and predated some of the more modern GM parts bins, like for example ram-assisted steering that went alll the way to 1982. Even lowly Novas had better internally assisted gearboxes by the mid 60s. But credit where credit's due, they had fixed four piston calipers all around right from the start. It was an iron caliper, but still, same style of caliper that's still used today in performance cars.
I got the 82 collector edition. Grandmas hand me down. It’s in about the same shape as this black one. Has the factory CB radio also. Crossfire fuel injection sucks. Big Oldsmobile injectors in hollowed out carb bodies.
I have a 75 with a 4 speed…previous owner swapped the intake manifold and carburetor, swapped the headers and straight piped it along with a few other quality of life/ daily drivability upgrades…it’s still a total dog when it comes to speed, but goddamn it looks and sounds amazing and it’s super fun to drive…to me, the C3 is the epitome of Corvettes…there’s been many faster models both before and since, but that design is timeless in my eyes
Are you really transmitting over the CB radio for all those scenes?
the E621 reference was wild
They look so cool.
I think I can pull it off. I've got plenty of chest hair. I just need the deep v neck and a couple gold chains.