Boy time flies. 30 years ago, my 81 Vette was built. A time of recession, a 55 mph speed limit (the "double nickle")as impossed by the Regan administration, and the beginning of electronic ignition. And it wasn't safe to be an air traffic controller in the U.S. apparently. I was lucky tho! At 23, I rolled this Vette brand new out of the show room at Edmonton Motors and onto Jasper Avenue. It was actually January 1983 when I bought it for $18,500, and they had two of them they just couldn't sell from 1981. It sported glass tee-tops, power mirrors, auto trans, an electronically controlled carb, two bolt main 350 SBC with very limited horsepower. I used to look at the 85 kph speedo in wonder? In fact, the only thing weaker was my 1980 Firebird T/A with a natually asperated 301......but that's another thread. I did enjoy driving the car, which was a summer only cruiser. In fact I can remember getting caught in the rain only a few times in this car. I worried about it more than I drove it. But it was still a Vette, and when I weakened in 1986 and I let it go, it had just over 20,000 kicks on the odo. The first two pictures were taken at a cabin in Radium BC, about '85 or so, the last shot shows "Mopar300" and his 76 Vette and my over exposed legs. Like Clint and his X11 thread, I was trying to look sporty by those day's standards, but would get punched out just standing in line at the bank-by today's standards.
Ditto! I liked the looks of it too. I'd love to have it back, and find a 383 "stroker" crate engine for it. Last I saw of it was at a house on McKnight Blvd and Edmonton Trail here in Calgary. I knew it was mine due to some markings by the driver's door and a little gouge taken out of the inside of the hood.....right where the A/C compressor clutch parted company once and bounced up and bashed the hood. Quality wasn't job #1 in the 80's!
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"Repulsive since 1959"
2015 Camaro SS1 2014 GMC Sierra 1969 GTO 2005 Dodge Daytona Short Box Regular cab P/U 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix Enduro stock car
Were the C4 Corvettes out already, and that's why the 81's were still on the lot? I can't remember when the C4's were introduced, but I remember they were mid-year.
C4's came out as an 84 model. No 83's, just 1982 as the last C3 year then the break until the C4. Both those years the cars had the Crossfire Injection 350. TPI came for 85.
The story goes that my Vette along with a silver one just couldn't sell. When I first saw mine, it hadn't even been pre-delivered. I saw it on a Saturday, left a deposit, but had to take the Red Arrow up the following Tuesday to bring it home. Sold my T/A to our dispatcher's son at P.W.T. on the Monday.
Right you are.....there was no '83.
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"Repulsive since 1959"
2015 Camaro SS1 2014 GMC Sierra 1969 GTO 2005 Dodge Daytona Short Box Regular cab P/U 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix Enduro stock car
Note the front plate, this was taken before Alberta did away with the need for a front plate, that was in 1986 or 1987 if I recall (although I hadn't run one since about 1982).
If you check the far right picture, you'll see the black "corvette" novelty plate on the front. That got me a $25.00 fine one sunny day. I wasn't treated as poorly with that as a law breaker as getting caught with my "Fuzz Buster". Hoo boy.....what a criminal I was then!
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"Repulsive since 1959"
2015 Camaro SS1 2014 GMC Sierra 1969 GTO 2005 Dodge Daytona Short Box Regular cab P/U 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix Enduro stock car
.........think there was something wrong with it?
!