1979 Corvette With Wicked Custom Bodykit

Does the wicked wing make its butt look big?

The C3 Corvette is no stranger to body kits. From Can-Am widebody kits to the occasional Corvette Summer clone, people have grafted on the odd bit of extra fiberglass or sculpted their own bodywork to the ’68 through ’82 Vettes. That said, this ’79 Corvette with custom bodywork looks unlike most custom C3s we’ve seen. It was recently posted for auction on eBay, where it went bidless on an opening bid of $2,500. It’s not exactly pristine, but it’s definitely worth a bit of deeper examination.

The eBay seller claims this car hasn’t run in a decade, which is believable from the rust-pitted Moroso valve covers on the late ’70s Chevy 350. The aftermarket valve covers suggest the possibility of some engine work, likely very mild, but there’s not much more information other than “motor turns freely” and everything has rust on it.

If it’s still the original engine, the VIN suggests it’s a base-model L48 V8 with 195 horsepower, rather than the high-output L82 with 35 more ponies. The transmission was converted somewhere along the line from a standard four-speed manual to a 700R4 four-speed automatic, which was introduced a couple years after this car was built. That’s a curious choice, which also might suggest the engine is non-original.

Everything inside the car looks reasonably intact, albeit worse for wear. So the seller’s claim — “Interior can still be used (depending how nice you want to make the car)” — looks to hold true. The thin leather buckets don’t have major rips, and the console and gauges all look to be there, though fitment is a bit lacking.

From the front, we love the bulging hood and the wheel-well vents that look like a modern prototype race car. Unfortunately, a bit of the lower faschia includes some tears in the fiberglass. So the prospective buyer can add “fiberglass repair” to the list of things that need attending.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Wild C3

The star of the show, however, is the rear-deck. The custom treatment eliminated the sloped back window in favor of truck-style rear glass and flying buttress C-pillars. The entire rear deck sits flat with the Corvette emblem-topped gas cap nicely centered. You can’t miss the exaggerated duck-bill spoiler — part-Porsche, part-Firebird, and all-1970s party time — that ties the look together.

All told, this is one way to make a Corvette from an un-collectible era (somewhat) interesting. It obviously needs the right owner and some TLC. Any sense of Hagerty value is totally useless because of the mods and the non-running condition, but what kind of money would you give for this project? And does anybody know who’s responsible for this body kit?