Very few C3s are special... many, many more are just plain old 'vettes. I've been in the market for a nice '73 coupe for the past year and have not found the right one, so I'm thinking I'll just buy something close and build what I want.... and yeah that includes some eventual LS power and a 6 spd.

mardyn

 

27 Here,

I think it comes down to personal preference really. The fad in my area seems to be German Engineering in general, so I fall into the minority group. Always have.

I have a supercharged C6 and I couldn't be happier with it. I love corvettes in general and i think they are the only car GM has really done right by and preserved over the years. I have had C3's, C4's and a C6 and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them in different ways. They have all been a blast to drive, but have all been very different. Today the C3 is the muscle, the C4 is the autocross car, and the C6 is the performance luxury super car in my eyes.

I recently picked up a 78 and if all goes well it destined for a LS Swap. Here's why; I drive my cars. The LS swap gives me the ability to make 400hp, while still achieving 24-28MPG. It is also very reliable, and very daily driver friendly. Its not unusual for me to get in any one of my cars and go for a 300 mile ride.

I still have my first car... my 71 Chevelle (pictured in profile). The engine is out, and I was in the process of refreshing a 454BBC for it. Even though I will drive it when its done, its going to be a more limited use, local vehicle. Its tough driving far with gas prices $3.70 a gallon getting 7MPG.

Last year I drove my 46 Chevy 30 miles each direction to work every day. 216 straight 6 and 3 on the column. Fuel economy was not bad at 55MPH, but it was a long ride to work every day. It was fun, but its much more comfortable commuting in the C6 at 85MPH.




Just so we are clear on this one, that is my soon to be wife driving the C4 in front of my 96 Impala SS. We were 200 miles from home and the storm was completely unexpected.
yellow zo6 is not mine, neither is the blue c4


DG

 

How many folks do you know can pour Babbit bearings for a Model A?
Rebuild a Flathead?

The times change and old technology goes away.

Several members of my club have been discussing this subject recently. The older guys are looking to turn the club over to some of us younger ones but I fear the knowledge will be lost.
I know the old guys dont want to share the club with the young guys, I hear "oh they just tune a computer", or "they dont have any interest in a 40 Ford." It makes me sad to see it going away in front of my eyes.

 

Dad got really put out when I sold my 39 Chevy that I restored to original. He's a 30's car guy because here in NZ, those were the cars him and his mates used to drive in their younger days (he's 74). So those cars were nostalgic for him. I could see the writing on the wall, and sold her before I had no-one to sell it to for reasonable money, and got MY dream car, a C3. BUT, my 17 year old daughter had a party on Saturday night, and all the guys were in the garage drooling over the Vette! However, I believe they'll lust after the cars that appeal to them. Be it a Nissan Skyline, Honda, Toyota, etc. I just hope the Stingray made an impression on them so maybe one day, it will be their dream car. One can but hope.

 

To your point, I rarely hesitate to toss the keys of my 96 (its an auto) to anyone that shows an interest and hop in the passenger side. Its not old but I can remember my first Corvette drive 30 years later as if it were yesterday.
Maybe it will impress someone enough to get an interest in them.

 

My "Old Mans" has an old 1927 Austin Seven that he's had since I can remember, he makes me sware I'll look after it when he's gone. Which I would for his sake.

However, it does nothing for me, not a thing, I rode round in the back of it as a kid going to club runs, so I should have a connection, But , Nope , Nothing.

I put it down to when I was growing up, what was the out of reach car, what did I look at as a youngster and say "Wow"..

For me now at 44, it was a 68-72 C3 .. and still is..

And I'm sure for Dad , now at 79, it was a 27 Austin Seven.

So, will there be people out there with the Passionate memory's of 20's-40's vintage cars.
Well, fewer and fewer,

Just a few,that can say," my Grandpa "Apparently" used to have a car like that."

Therefore I think that's why the prices for Vintage has slowly been declining in general.
Acceptions being the top end "Duesys" and alike.

JMHO !

 

Interesting. Certain model c3's will probably stay original, but lets face it there are plenty of rubber bumpers going around.

I love the idea of putting in something new (lsx) but at the same time, I like that now. Let's say I had a 69 with an ls7 in it....in the future that ls7 will be an out of date engine and at that point, most would probably want the period correct. Even if it was in the garage and not in the car.

Personally, I am a big fan of midyears both original and restomods. I am 23. That is where I always gravitate to. I should also mention that my favorite cars ever were built basically mid 50s - 70. I have had several c3's, actually had a 63 split window briefly, c4 zr-1's, etc. The one's that do it for me are the "old ones' (midyears and 90-95 zr-1)

It is true though, it seems a lot of people around my age gravitate towards the c3's than any other model (even 1st and 2nd generation).

I should also include that I believe that the original drivetrain belongs with the car. I love orginality and believe it should be there. That's why I love the idea of having it outside of the car knowing they can be reunited.

 

As much as we irrationally love our old Corvettes, there are many reasons why "they don't build them like that anymore".
The newer cars are:
1)Safer in a crash. Anti skid brakes, air bags, traction control, better seat belt design. When my '74 was built, a shoulder belt was an option!
2)Smoother riding and better handling. Modern chassis design makes the structure of the newer cars light years stronger and stiffer than our old "flexible flyers".
3)Quieter
4)More fuel efficient
5)Emit far less emissions
6)Start and run better. No major manufacturer has designed a car with a carburetor for, what, 25 years?
7)Require less maintenance
Etc, etc, etc.
So I think the younger generations interest in keeping everything stock will wane. Origional cars will be of interest to serious collectors and museums only. Anybody who actually drives the car will make some sort of a restomod out of it.
Maybe if it keeps our old girls out of the junkyards, that'll be OK.

 

I suspect very few people will pay 50K for any BB 69 Vette in the future as the people who grew up with these cars pass away. Price comes down, younger generations may toss out the old technology BB, put in something much more potent, drive the car. Pretty much the trajectory the value of older cars have taken.

 

I'm 64 years old and have a 1970 convertible that, when I bought it, had a replacement 350 crate engine in it. The original LT1 was long gone. I bought it specifically because I thought it was a perfect candidate for an LS engine swap and restomod project. I'm in the middle of the build now and will have it done by the end of August.

I agree with the comments from another CF poster stating that the younger car guys seem to really like the C3 body style, even over the more expensive C1 and C2's. They just like it's looks. When they decide to buy one, they want the looks WITH today's engine, upgraded suspension and all the modern amenities. And even though I'm 64 and have owned lots of cars from the 50's and 60's, I don't want to cruise around in a car now that doesn't have the comfort, ride or power that a restomod Corvette can provide.

However, I do draw the line at exterior mods. I want my car to look pretty much original on the outside, but be new and modern underneath. That's why I went for a Street Shop chassis, C4 suspension, rack and pinion steering, and LS3 480 hp engine, etc.

Down the road, only the older car guys are going to value NCRS cars. The next generation of car guys, and some of us old ones too, will continue to move toward the Restomod trend.

 

Not to sound like I'm bashing the purists, because I honestly do appreciate viewing a car that has been brought back to showroom condition...........but I can't help but wonder if the NCRS will even exist in 20-30 years.

 

I guess I'm an old guy at 35, but have ZERO regrets pulling out my Big Block for my LS2/6speed.

 

As it relates to the value or my resto-mod...problem solved. I'm passing it down to my oldest son when the time comes. He has grown up with my vette, and I will be proud to pass it along to him. I'm only 45, so he will have to wait awhile.

He won't have to bother with originality. By then everything will have been replaced anyway. Hopefully that will make it easier for him to continue the love of an old corvette.

 

Interesting thread...

I am 44 and just bought my first Vette, the 80-82 bodystyle i love so much.

My beat-up '80 is not worth a dime in terms of originality or collector value and it will never become a collector item.

But who cares: Young people (18-23 years) who see the car for the first time are speechless when they see the lines of this 30-year old shark, it is nothing compared to their VW's, Beemers or Japanese junk.

I want to keep the original bodylines but i will modify the car and put a decent engine in, the term "numbers matching" does not mean anything to me.

But i hate to see an original 63 SW chopped up.

 

'72 350, muncie, Vert here...Was an old show car, so '68 OLDS tail lights, which I LOVE, only vette in the world with them....bet on it....rectangles...had flares, but trimmed back for street use....still wider than you would imagine for a '72, much closer to '82......

engine change was to a roller truck block L98 which now sports an LT1 induction with HEI ignition....modified the intake with help from a welder buddy....

lets just say it belongs to my son someday, at that point, it's his decision over it.....

I have commented in similar threads on this topic, and observed the hotrodded 30's Fords brought more money as hotrods than restos back ~25 years ago.....

What is different about vettes???

 

I don't know what you mean by "king" or "take over and pass" so I can only assume you mean value...as in dollars. Will a well done resto-mod or custom ever be more valuable than an unmolested L88? I would not bet my money on that scenario. Look...not all C3s were created equal and they sure are not equal today. Out of the 553,000 or so made, there are very few that are truly collectable...now or in the future.

Unless the builder has some sort of national recognition, a custom car has a very small audience for resale. Would you pay a whole bunch of money for a no-name's idea of what is cool? I don't think so. People like to pick these things up for pennies on the dollar. Watch the auctions and you know this is true. Even perfectly-executed clones of real collector cars, such as Yenko Camaros, go for far less.

I really could care less if people want to modify these cars. The more that are molested only decreases the supply of original cars. The number of people with money in the world is rapidly expanding (the rich are getting richer) and that will only increase demand for all things collectable. I have no idea how many of the C3s will be in that picture...but the answer is undoubtedly car-specific.

 

In terms of how trends and cycles go, I would start by saying,

I'm amazed by the amount of threads in here lately where people have started off by saying,
"I'm 35-45 years old, and have just bought my first C3" Myself included.

I put it down to the fact that this generation mentioned is perhaps moving into a stage of their life where these vehicle are now affordable to them and their budgets are allowing them to relive a few of their dreams once held as youngsters.

And for this age group C3's were the dream car of their childhood.

Perhaps the next gen y's will flip out over , C4/5 's ?

Just a thought..

 

If by customs you mean preserving the look of the orignal C3, replacing the power train with modern gear, that may gain momentum as younger buyers buy them to drive. I can't see younger buyers shelling out big $$ for a restored or original Corvette if they want to drive them often without fear of spoiling the restoration work or damaging original parts, reducing value. As they say, originals are original only once, best left for shows or museums. Question is whether there will be nearly as many collectors interested in C3 Corvettes, say 15 - 20 years in the future. Based on what I've seen of the older car market, I doubt it. There will always be some C3 collectors but I suspect not nearly as many as we see today.

If you're speaking of styling modifications, once the body or interior are customized it becomes very much a matter of taste. I wouldn't bet on this class gaining much value.

 

Look close to stock.... but everything else made to modern day tech as much as possible! RETO-MODS!!

jmho...


look at all the 57 chevys.... the ones going for the big bucks are the retro-mods....

And as far as the rubber bumper cost thing goes... if the smog laws change and years go up... so will the price of the rubber bumper..... imho... and just that, I think the Rb looks way better... but as I have stated many times, beauty is in the eye of the beholder... and kids, future buyers, see steel bumper cars as old... all the cars they are growing up with are RB... food for thought... but its just an opinion.... and i know many will differ... cool.

 

Now that's what I call swimming against the current... putting a rubber bumper ahead of a chrome bumper. But it got me thinking... I need to ask my 14 and 17 year old their thoughts on old cars and what the younger generation thinks.