My Corvette journey first started as a conversation with my cousin last year. I was bouncing ideas with him regarding what sort of sports car I should buy. I had in mind a vintage boat tail Ford, or perhaps a Porshe Boxster. I wanted something with style combined with power.
Later, I happened to be in Strathalbyn looking in the antique shops there, and dropped into the vintage car museum to ask if a boat tail was for sale but to no avail. They suggested going to a car yard down the road just 2 minutes away. That I did and found several cars there for sale ranging from a lovely concourse MG TC for only $15,000 to various muscle cars. However, what caught my eye was a 1981 left-hand drive auto Corvette Stingray Special. I thought this was very nice. I liked, dare I say, the sensuous shape, and the V-8 engine. I had never driven a V8, let alone owned one (astonishing at the age of 63). The shape also had a certain visceral and emotive feeling to me of Thunder Birds or Apollo 11 era that harked back to my childhood. I was hooked!
I began a frenzied search for a similar Corvette, but one which was a right-hand drive and manual. Eventually I found one in November 2023 that ticked all the boxes: 1980; factory manual gearbox; right-hand drive conversion; white Duco; and red leather interior.
However, she was in Victoria. After contacting the owner and getting an RAA inspection, I flew over to Melbourne to buy her. There were issues with her which I was aware of thanks to the RAA report, this being no windscreen wiper motor (please don’t rain on my drive back to Adelaide!), some oil leaks (normal?), head lights not popping up (vacuum issues – got to get back to Adelaide before dark!), all belts needing replacing (please don’t break on the drive back!), original sloppy GMH seat belts (please no head-ons!), a broken hand brake handle, ten year old mags (please don’t shred while I drive to 12 Tickets available at our upcoming meetings Adelaide!), and the air conditioner had no gas. Not knowing if I would make the drive back to Adelaide, I set off with a devil-may-care attitude and a prayer.
I made it to Adelaide, at a cost of $200 in fuel and the indicator handle falling off, but the eight-hour drive was a load of fun.
Since then, I have been busy getting her up to scratch to pass Regency. I subsequently found out that she did not have rack and pinion steering as described to me by the Victorian owner. It had the original hydraulic piston steering but converted for a right hand drive with welded arms to operate the front wheels (I now know why I had to wrestle with the steering wheel all the way from Melbourne to Adelaide!). This will cost me a bit to convert it to a proper, and legal, rack and pinion. Moreover, the right rear suspension arm was seized which had to be cut off and replaced by Graham. Some bushes required replacing but the belts were brand new!
The air conditioning unit and a new wiper motor also needed replacing.
Although there were some issues to iron out, I am still pleased with my buy and can’t wait to participate in Club events!