1981 Chevrolet Corvette

$19,900

Price
$19,900
Engine Size
350ci V8
Transmission Type
Automatic
Body Style
Convertible
Miles
30,208
Vin
1G1AY8762BS416590
Stock
901246
Figure based on a stock vehicle with OH rates with $100/$300k Liability/UM/UIM limits. Rates vary depending on the state, coverage selected and other factors. Policies underwritten by Essentia Insurance Company. Some coverage and discounts not available in all states. Call 877-922-9701 to speak with a representative or apply online. $180 /YEAR Insurance
Price
$19,900
Engine Size
350ci V8
Transmission Type
Automatic
Body Style
Convertible
Miles
30,208
Vin
1G1AY8762BS416590
Stock
901246
Figure based on a stock vehicle with OH rates with $100/$300k Liability/UM/UIM limits. Rates vary depending on the state, coverage selected and other factors. Policies underwritten by Essentia Insurance Company. Some coverage and discounts not available in all states. Call 877-922-9701 to speak with a representative or apply online. $180 /YEAR Insurance

Extremely Rare, Convertible, EXCELLENT CONDITION, #'s Match, PRICED TO SELL!!

….

Please call Matt directly at 513-708-1468 with any questions about this car.

Seven Hills Motorcars is proud to offer this beautiful and exceptionally rare 1981 Corvette Convertible in excellent condition with only 30,208 original miles. This Corvette looks fantastic, runs great, and is an excellent driver. As any Corvette enthusiast will know, Chevrolet did not produce a convertible in 1981; 1975 was the last year that a convertible was available on a C3 from the factory. Many Corvette aficionados prefer the looks of the 1980 to 1982 body style over the late 1970's C3's, but would also like to have a convertible body style. For that reason, there have been a handful of 1980 to 1982 Corvettes that were converted to convertibles, this is one of those examples. According to the previous owner, this car was sold new and immediately taken to a shop in Saginaw, MI that specialized in Corvette convertible conversions. They did an excellent job converting the car to a convertible and many people who are not familiar with Corvettes would never know that this is not how the car left the factory. The car has been refinished in the beautiful and highly desirable color combination of Dark Blue over Silver Gray that looks stunning on this convertible body style. This is an excellent opportunity to own a very rare classic Corvette convertible that is ready to be used and enjoyed at an unbeatable value. One could easily buy this car now and sell it for more than the purchase price in years to come as the market on the 1980 and 1981 Corvettes is strong right now and on the rise. In our experience the 1980 and 1981 model years draw a good premium over other late C3 Corvettes. Please peruse all of the photos, the list of numbers, video, and information to get a true sense of how nice, clean, and original this Corvette really is.

There is a copy of the AutoCheck vehicle history report in this ad. The report is clean and shows no accident history. There are also photos of the current Ohio title in our dealership name. The title is also clean and the low mileage is verified not only by the condition of the car, but also the title that shows the milage as Actual.

This Corvette is "Numbers Matching" meaning that the engine and transmission are the correct and original units that were installed at the factory in St. Louis in January of 1981. The last six digits of the VIN, 416590, are stamped on the engine pad, which is pictured in this ad, and the engine is original to the car. The transmission is also original with the last six digits of the VIN stamped on the main case and pictured.

As a side note, this Corvette is not a dealer auction vehicle. We hand pick each car after careful inspection. Our Corvettes come from owners who expect their car to go to someone that will give the vehicle the same care and attention as they did. We invite and encourage you to examine the car in person or have the car inspected. Please take the time to scrutinize each picture. We photograph each vehicle to the greatest extent so you can feel confident about your purchase. If you have a question about the Corvette, just give us a call.

Exterior

The Dark Blue exterior is in very nice driver condition. As one can see in the photos the finish has a terrific gloss, deep shine, and smooth finish. The N90 aluminum wheels and center caps are in great condition with a brilliant finish and no burb rash. The Firestone Firehawk raised white letter tires have plenty of tread left and are correctly sized 255/60R15. The convertible top is in excellent condition with no holes, rips, or frayed edges. The rear window is not scratched, yellow, or foggy. There are no major imperfections that have been intentionally excluded from the photos. There are some touch ups, discoloration, and some very tiny blemishes that were too small to show up in the pictures, but nothing that is really noticeably from about five or ten feet away. It is evident that the nose of this car has been resprayed and the blends line is visible on the front fenders. The fit of the windows to the top is not perfect. As one can see in the photos of the underside, this car is very clean underneath and this Corvette has absolutely NO RUST ISSUES. The underside even still has some of the factory original chalk markings from when it went down the assembly line. The frame is totally solid with no rust around the "key hole" area in front of the rear tire and I have seen no evidence of corrosion around the windshield or “birdcage,” which are the two most notorious spots for rust on a C3 Corvette. We have included specific photos of the areas most prone to rust to show how nice this car looks.

Interior

The Silver interior in this Corvette is in fantastic condition. The seats look just as great in person as they do in the photos with no rips, split seams, or excessive wear. They are not overly worn in the typical area on the bolster where the driver gets in and out. The gauge faces are crisp and clean and the lenses are crystal clear. The carpet also looks new with no stains, rips, or holes. This includes the rear carpet, which is often neglected. The dash and console are in nice condition with no cracks or sun damage. The door panels are in nice shape overall and the door pulls are solid and intact. The jack and jack handle are still with the car, stored correctly behind the passenger seat. The original spare is also still with the car and has never been used. This Corvette has never been smoked in; there are no burn marks and no aroma of cigarettes.

Corvette interiors from this era are not known to wear well, especially for a convertible, and the excellent condition of this interior is a huge testament to the meticulous care and attention this car has received throughout its life and another great verification of the low original miles.

Mechanical

This Corvette seems to be in very good mechanical condition. The numbers matching L81 engine starts right away every time, runs well, and idles smoothly. It drives great and feels nice on the road and at highway speeds. In the video in this ad one can observe the car accelerating on the highway up to about 70mph, shifting through all the gears, braking to stoplight, and going through some curves. Please note that there are no vibrations or strange noises and the car performs quite well overall. The transmission shifts well throughout the power band. The brakes are responsive and do not pull to one side or the other. The car runs cool and does not overheat. This Corvette has plenty of power and is quite fast. Also, the engine compartment is beautifully clean and highly detailed as one can see in the photos.

The horn works as do all the exterior lights, interior lights, wipers, power windows, and indicators. Even detailed items the key buzzer still work. The blower for the heater and a/c works on all speeds. The air conditioning itself works and blows cold. One can observe the a/c compressor clicking on and engaging properly in the video. The vacuum system for the headlights works correctly. The headlights go up with no effort or binding the mechanism. Also, the headlights go up correctly with either the headlight switch or vacuum override switch under the column. There complete operation form both switches can be viewed in the video below. The power locks do not work. As one can hear in the video this Corvette has a very healthy exhaust note with no catalytic converter. It sounds like the car may have a cam and would probably benefit from some tuning and carburetor adjustments to smooth it out. Not enough can be said as to how much of a pleasure it is to drive this car, especially the top down on a beautiful day.

Overall Condition



Overall, this 1981 Corvette is in fantastic driver condition with very low miles. It is exceptionally rare with the convertible conversion. Convertible Corvettes draw a great premium over the standard T-Top. Numbers matching is extremely important in Corvette pricing, and as any buyer can see this Corvette is extremely correct. The convertible body style, the beautiful color combination, the excellent overall condition, and the great extent to which the numbers match make this car especially important and very hard to duplicate. This Corvette always gets a ton of attention driving down the road. It is apparent that the vehicle has been well taken care of by its previous owners. The prices of C3 Corvettes have increased considerably over the past several years. They are secure and wise investments for a collector. One could easily enjoy this vehicle for several years and sell it for more than the purchase price with minimal effort.

Other sellers are not taking the time to show the car in such great detail to give you all of the numbers, options, photos, and video. As stated above, numbers matching is extremely important in Corvette pricing, especially for an exceptional example like this car, and will become even more important as time passes and this car becomes older and even more rare. This information is very valuable and important for pricing. Any perspective buyer, for any of our vehicles or from other sellers, should ask for all the numbers and information before he or she makes a purchase.

Thank you for looking and please do not hesitate to email or call with any questions.

As a licensed and registered dealer in The State of Ohio we are required to collect sales tax for residents of Ohio with a rate based on the buyer's county. Additionally, Ohio has a special sales tax relationship with buyers who are going to register their car in Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, or South Carolina so we are also required to collect sales tax. Please keep in mind the you will not be paying additional tax and you will not be taxed twice. Buyers from those states will simply pay of portion of their sales tax to Ohio and they will then be credited with that amount when they transfer the title in their home state. Buyers from all other states will not owe any sales tax to The State of Ohio. For all buyers, including residents of Ohio, all other states, and all other countries, we are required to collect necessary paperwork and have the current title transferred in the buyer's name and address. This process takes two days at the Ohio BMV and any buyer should expect to receive their title within 30 days of purchase, although it is usually closer to one week to receive the title once we receive the returned paperwork.

item
number
description*

VIN
1G1AY8762BS416590
The first digit, "1," indicates that the US is the country of origin. The "G" is the manufacturer, GM. The third digit, "1," is the make, Chevrolet. The fourth digit, "A," is the restraint system, manual belts. The fifth digit, "Y," is the series, Corvette. The "87," is the body style, 2-door sport coupe. The eighth digit "6" is the engine, L81. The ninth digit is a check that car vary from car to car. The tenth digit, "B" is the model year, 1981. The "S" is the plant where the car was produced, St. Louis. The last five digits are a sequence number so this is the 16,590th Corvette made for 1981 in St. Louis, MO.

Body Build Date
F15
"F" corresponds to January and "15" is the fifteenth day of the month meaning this Corvette's body build date is January 15th, 1981.

Engine Code
V0106
"V" means the engine was build in the Flint, MI plant.  The "01" is the first month of year and the "06" is the sixth day of the month meaning the engine was assembled on January 6th, 1981.  This is correct as it precedes the build date of the car.

Suffix Code
ZDD
This means the motor was intended for a 1980 Corvette with an automatic transmission, which is correct for this car.

Engine VIN Stamp
416590
The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 416590, are stamped on the engine pad and pictured below, meaning this engine is original to this car.

Engine Block Casting Number
14010207
The engine block has the correct 14010207 casting number for a 1981 Corvette.

Engine Block Casting Date
I 8 0
"I" is September, "8" is the eighth day of the month, and "0" is the last digit of the calendar year so the engine block was cast on September 8th, 1980. 

Driver's Window
YZ
"Y" is October and "Z" is 1980 so this window is original, made in October of 1980.  This is correct as it predates the build date of the car.

Transmission VIN Stamping
416590
The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 419218, are stamped on the main case of the transmission and pictured below meaning this transmission is original to this car.

rpo code
description

1YY87
Corvette Sport Coupe

AU3
Power Door Locks

A31
Power Windows

D35
Sport Mirrors

J50
Power Brakes

K35
Cruise Control

N37
Tilt-Telescopic Steering Column

N41
Power Steering

N90
Aluminum Wheels

QXH
255/60R15 White Letter Tires

UM6
AM/FM Radio, Stereo

U81
Dual Rear Speaker

Engine

Engine Type
Gasoline
Engine Size
350ci V8

Body

Body Color
Dark Blue
Body Style
Convertible
Doors
2

Basic

Year
1981
Make
Chevrolet
Model
Corvette
Miles
30,208

Interior

Interior Color
Silver (152)
rpo code description
1YY87 Corvette Sport Coupe
AU3 Power Door Locks
A31 Power Windows
D35 Sport Mirrors
J50 Power Brakes
K35 Cruise Control
N37 Tilt-Telescopic Steering Column
N41 Power Steering
N90 Aluminum Wheels
QXH 255/60R15 White Letter Tires
UM6 AM/FM Radio, Stereo
U81 Dual Rear Speaker
item number description*
VIN 1G1AY8762BS416590 The first digit, "1," indicates that the US is the country of origin. The "G" is the manufacturer, GM. The third digit, "1," is the make, Chevrolet. The fourth digit, "A," is the restraint system, manual belts. The fifth digit, "Y," is the series, Corvette. The "87," is the body style, 2-door sport coupe. The eighth digit "6" is the engine, L81. The ninth digit is a check that car vary from car to car. The tenth digit, "B" is the model year, 1981. The "S" is the plant where the car was produced, St. Louis. The last five digits are a sequence number so this is the 16,590th Corvette made for 1981 in St. Louis, MO.
Body Build Date F15 "F" corresponds to January and "15" is the fifteenth day of the month meaning this Corvette's body build date is January 15th, 1981.
Engine Code V0106 "V" means the engine was build in the Flint, MI plant.  The "01" is the first month of year and the "06" is the sixth day of the month meaning the engine was assembled on January 6th, 1981.  This is correct as it precedes the build date of the car.
Suffix Code ZDD This means the motor was intended for a 1980 Corvette with an automatic transmission, which is correct for this car.
Engine VIN Stamp 416590 The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 416590, are stamped on the engine pad and pictured below, meaning this engine is original to this car.
Engine Block Casting Number 14010207 The engine block has the correct 14010207 casting number for a 1981 Corvette.
Engine Block Casting Date I 8 0 "I" is September, "8" is the eighth day of the month, and "0" is the last digit of the calendar year so the engine block was cast on September 8th, 1980. 
Driver's Window YZ "Y" is October and "Z" is 1980 so this window is original, made in October of 1980.  This is correct as it predates the build date of the car.
Transmission VIN Stamping 416590 The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 419218, are stamped on the main case of the transmission and pictured below meaning this transmission is original to this car.
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