1981 Corvette Rare Black W/Red Leather, Only 29,655 Actual Miles Nice Survivor

1981 Chevrolet Corvette

1981 CHEVROLET CORVETTE T-TOP COUPE
RARE BLACK WITH RED LEATHER INTERIOR (STRIKING COLOR COMBINATION)
ONLY 29,655 MILES AND NICELY DOCUMENTED
ORIGINAL UN-RESTORED SURVIVOR IN EXCELLENT CONDITION
CHASSIS AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT VERY CLEAN AND DETAILED NICELY
LAST YEAR FOR THE CARBURETOR AND ST. LOUIS ASSEMBLY ON THESE C3 CORVETTES
ANY QUESTIONS CAN CALL (417)-773-0318 OR (417)-425-9629
We recently acquired this corvette from a gentleman in the Chicago area which new about the history of this corvette. This is one of those real nice original survivor cars that has been well cared for and garaged its entire life. The car really speaks for itself from the photos and in person. The color combination is very rare and seldom seen. With the t-tops removed that red interior does stand out and gets many positive compliments. This was the last year for the assembly plant to produce corvettes in St. Louis as in the middle of the production year they were building them in Bowling Green Kentucky as they are today. This was also the last year to see a carburetor on a corvette as they went to the cross-fire injection in 1982. Truly a classic C3 and destined to be a collector type of car for years to come. Great investment as well as you will not see it depreciate like a new one or later model one. This car needs nothing and is ready for show or go. Everything works on this corvette including the air conditioning, heater, wipers, headlights, all instruments, radio and cassette player, and all power equipment including the original power radio antenna. This one will not disappoint and is a "must see" 1981 corvette. I would put this one up against any 81 model out there.
EXTERIOR & PAINT:The overall body is in excellent shape with no evidence of any damage to the body. I do believe it does have all of its original panels. The hood, doors, headlights, trim and t-tops all line up nice and fit as good as they come. For the most part the paint job is 80% original to the car. We did have the front and rear bumpers repainted and done right here locally at Redline Finishes. The reason for this is these original urethane bumpers tend to slightly fade and not shine up like the rest of the paint does. We had this car buffed and polished removing many surface scratches and swirl marks and when we did we could not get the bumpers to polish out as nice. The rest of the finish on this corvette I believe is original as it does not have any clear coat. It does shine very good now and does not need painting by any means. It actually is very impressive when you see it to be original. All of the door jambs are untouched and labels are intact. The weatherstripping is excellent around all of the doors including the windshield and t-tops as well. You can still see a yellow inspection mark on the inside of the rear license plate area as we left that area untouched and original paint. Even the license plate hardware is not all rusty and corroded as many you will see. All of the emblems are original and nice, door handles, outside sport mirrors, parking light grill assemblies, windshield glass are all in excellent original condition and none of these items need replacing. We did replace the front lower rubber spoiler piece that bolts on, but the rest of the underside of the front end is nice an undamaged with no paint chips or nicks. There is no cracking in those front and rear urethane bumpers as well. Original headlight bulbs still intact. Rocker moldings are also in nice shape.
INTERIOR:This interior is stunning. The contrast in color but as well as the condition. It simply looks as if it has all been replaceb but has not at all. Even the original carpet floor mats are in amazing shape. The door panels, seats, carpet, leather steering wheel, dash assembly are all original and in mint condition. All gauges function and look as fresh as the day it rolled off the assembly line. No fading whatsoever. Seats are original with the leather center section and side bolsters are vinyl, just like it was back then. We you buy new replacement seat covers today they are all completely leather and look nothing like the original material. This also speaks for the carpet. The pattern of this original carpet as well as the floor mats are completely different than the reproduction sets you buy from the suppliers today. This would be one corvette to have judged if desired. It just is that original. The rear carpet is as nice as well. The original jack and lug wrench is still intact along with the t-top storage bag covers that they all came with and are usually missing. The t-top strap hold down is still there as well. Glovebox opens to the light still working. Original radio still working and has been refurbished. The radio speakers have been replaced but do fit like the originals. The optional power drivers side seat also works. Door buzzer when key is in ignition along with all lights inside and out work. This interior is about as nice as you will see.
ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND CHASSIS:This is an original numbers matching engine and drivetrain. For the most part is untouched with the exception of some cosmetic detailing. We did replace the fan belt and had the original water pump rebuilt. We also replaced the fuel pump with an a/c delco one, but did save the original. I do have new upper and lower radiator hoses but didn't replace them as they looked very good. We did service this corvette with Lucas Oil, coolant flushed as well. The carburetor was also cleaned. It does still retain its original dated coded spark plug wires, original smog equipment and entire original exhaust system including the dated mufflers and catalytic converter, all in nice shape with no pin holes, original valve covers, intake, air breather, etc. You can still see many of the original labels and inspection markings on engine bay and chassis. We did remove the spare tire and wheel and washed it, repainted the mufflers and exhaust system to give it a nice clean fresh look. New exhaust clamps too. We tried not to overdue anything to the car and preserve its originality as much as we can. It does have a nice frame with no rust. Tie rod ends still look nice. The brakes have been redone as well at one time. Overall nice and presentable.
The wheels on the car had some corrosion and were not perfect. What we decided to do is replace them with brand new ones from Corvette America including new lug bolts and center caps. They sure have a perfect shine and look great on this corvette. We also purchased brand new BF/Goodrich T/A White Lettered Radial Tires in the correct size that came on this car. This size was P225/70R-15. They all are balanced out smoothly and did take much weight at all. This set up along could run you easily over $1,500. This was done in December of 2018. Receipts included with the car.
Anything we did to this car we have copies of the original receipts documented in a nice three ring binder that goes with the sale of this corvette. In that folder I also have a copy of the original dealer invoice, window sticker, original owners manual, sales brochure, previous owner history and a signed odometer statement from the previous owner. There is also several other things from the previous owner as well. This includes receipts on new brake calipers from 2016 and service receipts on routine maintenance. We also was able to remove the original build sheet from the fuel tank without much damage to that document and is well readable. All in all documented nicely. Two sets of keys are with this corvette too. Fresh fuel in the gas tank as we did drive any and all older gas that might have been in this corvette. Premium fuel is in the tank now with no ethanol and fuel stabilizer added to the fuel tank. The battery was replaced recently with an a/c delco one. The one photo is of the original build sheet to the car that we personally removed from the fuel tank. It is readable and shows the red interior and black exterior colors as well as the options this Corvette has.
This Corvette was built on Thursday January 8th, 1981.It was the 15,874th corvette built out of 40,606 total produced for that model year.4,712 were finished in black but narrow that down with the red interior, it is much less than that.
This Corvette was sold new at:Gene Wesner Chevrolet Inc.201 Red Bud Trail NBuchanan MI, 49107
Original MSRP was $17,156.52 (Which was alot of money back then)Options include:AU3 Power Door Lock SystemA42 Six-Way Power Seat - Left HandN90 Aluminum WheelsQGR P225/70R-15 S/B Radial White Lettered TiresUM6 Electronic Tuned AM/FM Stereo Radio W/Cassette TapeU75 Power Antenna
OTHER STANDARD FEATURES INCLUDES:L-81 5.7 Liter 4-BBL V8 Engine ( There Were No Engine Options In The 1981 Model Year)MX1 Automatic Transmission With Converter Clutch Feature In Both Intermediate & Drive RangesLimited Slip Rear AxleAir ConditioningTinted GlassPower WindowsLeather Wrapped Tilt/Telescopic Steering WheelDual Sport Mirrors24-Gallon Fuel TankPower Steering And Power Four Wheel Disc BrakesComputer Command Control SystemConvenience Group With Time-Delay Dome And Courtesy LightsHeadlight Warning BuzzerAnti-Theft Alarm SystemUnderhood LightLow Fuel Warning LightColor-Keyed Floor MatsFull InstrumentationCenter ConsoleIntermittent Windshield Wipers And Lighted Right-Hand Visor MirrorDual Front And Rear SpeakersBody-Color Front Bumper Cover With Integral Air DamCornering LightsFunctional Black-Accented Front Fender LouversBody-Color Rear Bumper Cover With Integral SpoilerRemovable Body-Color Roof PanelsTelescoping Left-Hand Sunshade For Shielding From Side GlareLarge Rear Storage Compartment With Concealment ShadeInside Hood ReleaseHigh Energy Ignition SystemWide 15- by 8- Inch WheelsFully Independent Four-Wheel SuspensionExhaust Valve RotatorsDelcotron Generator With Built-In Solid-State RegulatorHydraulic Valve LiftersFront Stabilizer BarFrame Structure With Corrosion-Resistant CoatingHide-A-Way Windshield Wipers With Integral Washers In Wiper ArmsPower-Operated Retractable Headlamps With Halogen Hi-Beam Inner UnitsCorrosion-Resistant Steel-Reinforced Fiberglass Body With Partial Steel UnderboyAcoustical Insulation PackageDay/Night Inside Rearview MirrorSpecial Sport-Styled 3-Spoke Steering Wheel With Leather Rim CoverAircraft Style Center ConsoleBucket Seats With Folding Seat Backs And Inertia Seat Back LocksElectronic Tachometer (7000 rpm)Voltmeter, Oil Pressure, Fuel And Temperature gages, Separate Trip Odometer,Console Mounted Parking Brake ControlCut-Pile CarpetingCigar Lighter And AshtrayColor-Keyed Seat And Shoulder BeltsRoof Courtesy Light With Automatic Door SwitchesCurb Weight With Automatic Transmission is 3,345 pounds
1981 CORVETTE FACTS:Exterior styling carried over from 1980, but emblems did change slightly.The tubular stainless steel exhaust manifolds, used for 1980 Corvettes soldin California with the LG4 305ci engine, were standard with the 1981 base engine.Chevrolet's "Computer Command Control" used on 1980 Corvettes sold inCalifornia became standard equipment on all 1981 Corvettes. The system automaticallyadjusted ignition timing and air-fuel mixture.Chevrolet introduced a fiberglass-reinforced monoleaf rear spring for 1981 Corvettesequipped with automatic transmissions and standard suspensions. The plastic springweighed eight pounds compared to forty-four pounds for the steel unit it replaced.All 1981 valve covers were magnesium for weight reduction.For improved fuel economy, 1981 Corvettes with automatic transmissions had torqueconverter clutches for second and third gears.The anti-theft alarm system was improved in 1981 by the addition of an ignition interruptto prevent engine start.A detail change to the 1981 Corvette interior was the color-keying of the headlamp andwindshield wiper switch bezels to the interior color. In 1980, they were black regardlessof interior color.The 1981 Corvette was the first model year to be built simultaneously in two locations.The first Corvette was completed at the new Bowling Green, Kentucky, assembly lineon June 1, 1981. The last Corvette built at St. Louis was completed on August 1, 1981.The St. Louis assembly plant used mainly lacquer paints through the end of productionin that facility, while Bowling Green used enamel basecoats followed by clear topcoats.Bowling Green painted two-tones and solids. St. Louis painted mainly solids, but a limitedtwo-tone production run at St. Louis of about 100 cars using the Bowling Green enamel-clearcoat system has been verified. These were first offered to GM employees and may nothave been available to retail customers.After several years of weight increases, the Corvette was lighter weight in 1980, carriedover in 1981, as engineers trimmed weight by using lower density roof panels, reducingthe thickness of hood and outer doors, and using aluminum for the differential housingand crossmember. Aluminum intake manifolds became standard.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO END LISTING EARLY AS THE VEHICLE IS FOR SALE LOCALLY
We welcome any inspections on this Corvette done at out facility at most anytime. Give usat least a one days notice as we also can put this car on our drive-on lift to view the undersideof this Corvette.
Local pickup at airport is available at no additional cost. We are located in Nixa, Missouri and onlyabout 15 miles from the Springfield Missouri National Airport.
We have been in business since 1988 and have several references available upon request.
We strive to buy and sell only the real nice low mileage C3 and C5 Corvettes. We sell quality andnot quantity. We are a small operation family operation and are here after the sale as well.
Clear Missouri title in hands with no liens.
1981 was also the first year for a 17 digit VIN # so a Carfax Vehicle History Report is availablefor this car. We do have one on this Corvette and it is clean with no issues and also shows themileage on this car.
Upon purchasing this vehicle we require the vehicle to be paid in full within (3) to (5) businessdays unless other arrangements have been made. We are easy to get along with and if moretime is needed we will work with you in a reasonable amount of time. Also when the vehicle hasbeen paid for we have a nice heated building to store the car in up to 30 days.
Payment must either be by bank wire transfer, cash in hands, or a certified cashier's check.Please not that if payment is made by a check the funds mus clear our bank account beforeany release of the vehicle and or title. No exceptions.
For any financing needs I recommend J.J. Best Banc out of MASS as they specialize inclassic car financing.
We offer a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE on our vehicles that we sell. This simply means thatif for some reason you are unable to view the vehicle in person and would like to purchasethe car sight unseen, we will write up a contract and send it to you and once the vehicle ispaid for we can help arrange shipping to you at buyers expense. If not fully satisfied uponarrival and inspection of the vehicle, simply have the driver load the car back onto the sametransport truck it arrived on and we will refund your money on that car. The buyer will beresponsible for the freight charges back to us as well as to them. This is something mostdealers will not do, but we pride ourselves with nice automobiles to sell and believe thebuyer will be satisfied with their purchase.
Several additional photos available upon request.
Questions can call (417)-773-0318

• Condition: Used
• Make: Chevrolet
• Model: Corvette
• Type: Coupe
• Year: 1981
• Mileage: 29655
• VIN: 1G1AY8760BS415874
• Color: Black
• Engine size: L-81 5.7L 350 C.I. V8
• Number of cylinders: 8
• Power options: Power Drivers Seat, Power Antenna, Air Conditioning, Power Locks, Power Windows
• Fuel: Gasoline
• Transmission: Automatic
• Drive type: RWD
• Interior color: Red
• Drive side: Left-hand drive
• Options: Leather Seats
• Vehicle Title: Clear
Want to buy? Contact seller!