Corvettes for Sale: 1981 Corvette with a 4-Speed Manual on BaT

They may not be the most powerful Corvettes in history, but the 1980-82 coupes are arguably among the most beautiful ‘Vettes ever.

Check out this beige ’81 currently being auctioned off on Bring a Trailer, if you don’t believe us.

Unfortunately, over the years, that beauty hasn’t necessarily translated into a big return on investment for owners.

Indeed, the seller of this car – who obtained it last year after being registered in California from 1993 to 2022 – has a huge stack of receipts from previous ownership showing more than $30,000 worth of work was completed from 2016-18.

He says the work included interior improvements (a retro-look $5,000 stereo with Bluetooth and hands-free, new leather seat frames and foam, along with new seat covers, door panels, and console, new windshield, carpet kit, floor mats, etc.), mechanical updates (engine maintenance, transmission maintenance, motor mounts, spark plugs, oil change, clutch, etc.), suspension and drivetrain work (wheel alignment, rear torque arm bushings, etc.), and exterior details (new paint refresh, new glass T-tops, license plate holder, door stickers, etc.). Some purists might argue against the replacement REV Classic Series wheels, but we think they add a bit of individuality in the case though reverting to the original look is an easy enough fix.

The result is an ’81 Corvette that now shows very nicely in the more than 100 photos with the listing, especially considering that it may have more than 111,000 miles on the odometer. Personally, I’d rather have a car that’s been restored like this than a very low mileage example that’s just waiting to break if you finally put it to use on the open road where it’s intended to be used.

No word on whether the engine under the hood is the original, but if it is, it would have been an L81 350 V8 that put out just 190 horsepower. In this case, it does have the advantage of being connected to a four-speed manual transmission, one of only 5,757 such examples out of a total production of 40,606 coupes.

By the way, a couple of interesting notes about the ’81 model year. It’s the only model year built simultaneously in two locations – St. Louis and Bowling Green. Based on the “BS” in the VIN, this one was assembled in the former. Also, the ’81 was available in a staggering array of colors – some 18 shades to be exact, not including four two-tone options and one that left St. Louis in primer, according to the Corvette Black Book.

With six days left in the auction, the high bid is only $5,500. Where do you see this one topping out?

Source:
Bring a Trailer

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