Torden71

Hi,
I have been offered to buy a 1979 Mako Shark, but the seller claims that it is a kit car. Is there anyone that have som knowledge about this? I have no idea, just been dreaming of owning a Corvette since I was a kid. Now I have the opportunity to buy this, but I'm afraid it has no value at all. If I am going to buy and restore an old Corvette, I want it to be of some value. Kit cars usually have a bad reputation...

AllC34Me

First, welcome to the Corvette Forum, glad to have you on board.

I didn't know they made a 1979 version of the Mako Shark. The Mako was the predecessor to the C-3 Stingray and as such was being designed in the late 60's. The 68 Corvette was, I suppose, the closest standard stingray you could get that emulated from the Mako, but a Mako was rare and always a kit.

I would suggest as this is your first Corvette that you get some assistance in the assessment from a knowledgeable source that can help break down the pros and cons of your offer before you pull the trigger.

Good luck with your decision.

Best regards,

David

derekderek

post some pics of the car you are considering.

PainfullySlow

Welcome to the forum!

I guess the question I would ask you is: was your dream to own a Corvette, or to own a Mako? If this is your first time looking at a C3, I would strongly suggest that you keep looking until you find a car that you LOVE. If you are planning on restoring/working/building your own C3 then it will represent a large amount of your time and money. Personally I would want to make sure that the money was spent on something that I would cherish forever when I was done and not just something that I felt kind of 'meh' about.

It took me about a year to find the perfect car that I wanted to use as the base of my project...

Good luck in your search!

KenSny

I would stay away from a kit car as a first time car. Yes, it may catch some eyes as you drive it, but in the end most of them will never be worth very much. They guy who built the kit car is the one who thinks it is rare and valuable, and collectible.

cheapta

I think all Makos were kits on production Corvette cars, I'm not aware of a stand alone Mako kit. The Mako Shark kit as a great looking car, I'd love to have one but there's a ton of work to do the full makeover. I have to agree, I think I would pass unless I had at least one C3 under my belt first. These cars are weird, except for motor and trans there's NOTHING from any other Chevrolet that is anything like you'll find on a C3 and trying to figure out what's Corvette and what's Mako kit night dampen your enthusiasm once you get into the car. I agree that pics might help.

Peter

vettebuyer6369

You need to clarify your description. Mako body panels were produced as custom additions. Some shops (Maco by Silva, Motion) would take a donor car and turn it into their vision of a completed car. However there were not 1979 Mako Corvettes produced only Mako parts added on to a 1979 (which is odd given the back window... they usually used earlier cars). Finally, none of these cars are kit cars. They are GM Corvettes that are customized, not some Fiero made into a Lamborghini.

If you are calling the Mako body panels a “kit” then they are all kit cars.

vettebuyer6369

Here’s a typical Maco conversion:

Jstan2014

Welcome aboard and best of luck with your C3 choice!

Goody

Need pictures to get an idea of what you are talking about. All C3's are Mako Shark inspired cars. Given the body of a C3 is fiberglass there are several things that can be done to them to personalize them and just because a person spends 20K making it look right doesn't really add 20K to the value of the car to the next buyer if they don't like the look of the finished product... Cars are unique things and some people can have unique ideas of what the car should look like. Not right, not wrong....

Torden71

Haven't got pictures yet, but I hope to get some soon.

Torden71

Wow, thanks for lots of good answers. Seems to be a lot of knowledge to get from you guys. As I suspected, this is a big choice to make. I was offered to buy this car, just got a glance of it in a barn (here in Norway), so I have no pictures yet. I think he said it was a 79, but I might have got it wrong. Hope to get it out of the barn and get a better look of it. Will post pictures when I get them. Hopefully I can realize my dream sometime, wether it is this one or another one.

L-46man

Here's a REPRO, no expense spared COPY of the original Mako II of 1965. I Think Sweden.

Kacyc3

If you want the car to be worth something after you are done find a chrome bumper car, 1979s do not have/hold the value to them like the early cars and have the highest production numbers of the c3s. Even if you love the car you need to be real about your ability to work on the car.

L-46man

Kacy...sorry I DO NOT agree.

1. Why cut up a classic?
2. Very good use for an un-loved 75'
3. What bumpers are on the car makes no difference...it's a kit!
4. The value of the car is SOLELY determined by the skill and taste of the Poster.
5. I will be a totally unique car...an E ticket ride to any Corvette Show....
6. If he does it badly....meep! The world has lost another 75....(not such a biggie)
7. If it's registered as a 75...who cares! it's a MAKO2 recreation.

The pictures I posted of the one in Sweden....The guy was talking about it being worth $375k plus....

If the poster can get pix of the kit....we'll all chime in.

Unkahal

Kacyc3

My post was not about converting a chrome bumper car to a Mako, just that they have a higher value than the rubber bumper cars. He did not say he wanted to make a Mako, just that he was looking at a car with a kit on it.

Stev-o

There are many different types [none mine]

80-Vette

Am I the only one that thinks this is ugly?