Mecum’s one-day no-reserve auction in late February of what had been the Jim Rogers’ Classic Car Museum collection had a few 1980s cars among the 231 total. As one would expect for long-time museum cars, all cars in the auction were explicitly represented as “may still need mechanical and fuel system maintenance” and “car has not been driven”. Most had at least had their engines started.
1984 red Avanti coupe with red interior and 22,000 miles. A Steven Blake-era Avanti (no more Avanti IIs by 1984) with a 180 bhp/190 bhp (depending on who you believe) Chevrolet 305 V8 and an automatic transmission—$10,000 is between #3 and #4 money according to Hagerty’s valuation tools
1986 brown Jaguar XJ12 Vanden Plas sedan with 4,800 miles—$20,000 seems like a lot of money for this car, even with the low mileage. The cream interior did look near perfect.
1988 triple white Rolls-Royce Corniche II convertible with 15,000 miles—at $68,000, by far the highest eighties sale of the auction and about $10,000 over Hagerty’s “all the money”
1980 red/silver two-tone Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II sedan with red interior—$19,000
1986 red Porsche 928S coupe with automatic transmission—$17,000 indicates about #2 condition
The rest of the auction was perhaps a little more interesting than these five cars. The oldest car was a black and silver 1915 Ford Motel T while the newest vehicles (from 2012) were a brace of Fisker Karma sedans and a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter conversion. The least expensive sale was a yellow 1948 Chevrolet fire truck that went for $3,000 while the most expensive car was a beige 1962 Rolls-Royce Mulliner convertible that hammered for $320,000. The distribution of cost versus year is shown in the chart below.
Yutaka Katayama passed on February 19th, 2015, after a long and full life—he was 105. “Mr. K” was the person most responsible for bringing the Z car to market. It is beyond the purview of this blog to head back to the original and groundbreaking 240Z, but we can take a look at the second-generation 280-ZX.
“It’s Black. It’s Gold. And it is awesome.”
For 1980, the 280-ZX received a ‘T’ bar roof and a new digital clock for the GL version, but Datsun otherwise mostly stood pat for the standard car. There were five new colors available.
Power continued to be provided by the L28E 135 bhp 2.8 liter/168 ci V6 with multi-port fuel injection. Car and Driver recorded a 0-60 time of 9.4 seconds in the 2,970-pound coupe—reasonably competitive in 1980. The top speed was about 117 mph.
With the standard five-speed manual transmission, EPA fuel economy ratings were 21 city/31 highway by 1980 standards. Moving to the three-speed automatic transmission significantly impacted mileage—ratings on the sticker were 19/26. With a 21.2-gallon gas tank, an owner of a manual-equipped 280ZX could expect an impressive range of 405 to 445 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $9,899 280-ZX Deluxe (about $41,800 in 2025 dollars or about what a current Nissan Z Sport starts at) included tinted glass, a power antenna, a four-wheel independent suspension, four-wheel power disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, and P195/75HR14 tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch steel disc wheels. Inside, a six-way driver’s seat with lumbar support, a quartz sweephand clock, and an AM/FM stereo radio with three speakers were standard.
Stepping up to the $12,238 Grand Luxury (GL) added a ‘T’ bar roof, a rear window wiper/washer, power recirculating ball steering, and aluminum alloy wheels. Inside, Datsun added cruise control, fully integrated air conditioning, a quartz digital clock, a lockable hidden storage compartment, a six-way adjustable seat with lumbar adjustment for the passenger, and an AM/FM stereo radio with four speakers and surround sound control.
For 1980, there was also a 10th Anniversary Edition (auto manufacturers were beginning to become aware that anniversary cars could really bring the buyers) available in two different two-tones: either Thunder Black and Rallye Red or Thunder Black and Golden Mist Metallic. The 10th Anniversary Edition went for $13,850—about $59,700 in today’s dollars, or almost exactly what a 2026 Nissan Z Heritage Edition goes for.
Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the loaded10th Anniversary Edition included everything on the GL, along with the aforementioned two-tone paint, special badging, headlamp washers, and Goodyear Wingfoot radial tires on alloy wheels with colored inserts. Inside, a limited edition numbered plaque, automatic heating and air conditioning, leather six-way bucket seats, a Hitachi AM/FM stereo radio with cassette, and power windows were included. Period window stickers show no options for the 10th Anniversary Edition.
Exterior and mechanical options for the “normal” 280-ZX included a blackout package (Deluxe), mag-style cast aluminum wheels (Deluxe), two-tone paint (GL), and rear window shade louvers (of course). Buyers could add fully integrated air conditioning (Deluxe), leather seating surfaces (GL), a CB one-hand mic system, and the usual cassette and 8-track stereo choices to the interior.
Production Numbers & Period Reviews
Overall production numbers for the 280-ZX were impressive—Nissan reported 53,687 sold for the 1980 model year. Interestingly, 1980 was the worst year of five for the 280-ZX—86,007 were sold in 1979. Of the 1980 sales, 3,000 were the 10th Anniversary Edition—2,500 black/gold and 500 black/red.
Contemporary reviews were glass-half-full. Car and Driver‘s tagline was “A Japanese Corvette,” and they talked about Datsun discreetly following Chevrolet in terms of price and features. The new ‘T’ bar roof was generally liked for both its availability and its execution—as Popular Mechanics stated, this was the “closest the car would come to being a convertible.”
The View From 2025
There is good club support for the 280-ZX, though not quite at the level available for the now-classic original 240Z. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1980 280-ZXcoupe in #1/Concours condition is $84,400, with a more typical number #3/Good condition car going for $13,200. 280-ZXs often appear in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer.
Lord help me, I would like one in the black and gold two-tone …
I was driving westbound on the Schuylkill Expressway in Philadelphia on a morning in February 2015 when I saw a Fox Mustang convertible (red exterior, black top).A good enough reason to write a blog entry about these attractive cars.
“It’s not just a convertible … it’s a Mustang.”
For 1983, the big news for the Ford Mustang was the return of the convertible for the first time since the 1973 model year. Introduced on November 5th, 1982, the convertible was available only in the luxury GLX trim and the performance GT trim—lower-end L andGL trims remained with the notchback coupe (L and GL) and the hatchback coupe (GL). The GLX was also available only with V6 and V8 engines (no inline-four—turbo or not—would sully the drop-top experience).
The V6 engine choice for the GLX was the Essex 112 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci with a two-barrel carburetor. Optional on the GLX ($595 additional) and standard on the GT was (of course) the Windsor 175 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor.
Starting at $9,449 (about $30,800 in today’s dollars) and rising significantly during the middle of the model year to a non-trivial $12,467 (about $40,300 in 2025 funds, which is almost exactly what a 2025 Mustang EcoBoost convertible starts at), the GLX did come reasonably well equipped. Standard external and mechanical features included power front disc brakes, tinted glass, and an automatic transmission. Standard interior equipment included a light group and an AM radio.
Convertible pages from the 1983 Ford Mustang brochure
The GT version of the convertible listed for $13,479 (about $43,600 in 2025 dollars). Standard external and mechanical features included power front disc brakes, power steering, rear spoiler, and a five-speed manual transmission. Standard interior equipment included an AM radio.
All 1983 Mustangs included dual rectangular halogen headlamps, a modified MacPherson strut front suspension, front disc/rear drum brakes, and rack and pinion steering. Inside, full instrumentation (tachometer, trip odometer, fuel/temperature/oil/alternator gauges), full vinyl bucket seats, and a cigarette lighter were included.
Options & Production Numbers
The Mustang option list was long. Inside, air conditioning ($724), speed control ($170), power locks ($160), a tilt steering wheel ($105), and an AM/FM stereo radio with a cassette player ($199) were all available.
All 1983 Mustang convertibles came with a power top, and all windows rolled down—an emphasis Ford frequently made in reference to the Chrysler K car convertibles.
The 1983 Ford Mustang convertible sold reasonably well considering its expense (the GT convertible stickered for 45% more than the GT hatchback). For that year, it probably saved total Mustang sales from dropping below 100,000—helping hold that off until 1991. Between 1983 and 1993, Ford would sell over a quarter of a million of the pony car convertibles.
The View From 2025
There is strong club support for the 1983 Mustang, as there is for all Mustangs except the mid-seventies Mustang IIs. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1983 Mustang GT convertible in #1/Concours condition is $58,300, with a more typical #3/Good condition car going for $14,500. 1983 Mustangs often show up in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer—as I update this blog entry in March 2025, there’s a Red 1983 Mustang GLX convertible with a white top, a white vinyl interior, an aftermarket V8, and 89,000 miles available on Hemmings for $18,000.
In June 2022, a Saddle Brown Crystal 1984 Chrysler Laser XE with 17,000 miles came up for auction on Bring a Trailer. That was enough reason for me to substantially update this now ten-year-old post.
“The competition is good. We had to be better.”
Debuting in 1984, the Chrysler Laser was intended to be an upscale complement to the Dodge Daytona. Its equipment was not notably different from the Daytona’s, but the Laser had a more luxurious emphasis with a slightly softer suspension.
Two engines were available. The base engine, Chrysler’s 93 bhp 2.2 liter/135 ci inline four, was available with a standard five-speed manual transmission or a three-speed automatic transmission ($439). Mileage with the manual was 22 city/32 highway by 1984 standards (19/29 by today’s measures). Moving to the automatic helped city mileage a bit but dropped highway mileage significantly—23/27.
The more interesting engine was the optional Turbo I 142 bhp 2.2 liter/135 ci turbocharged inline four with the same transmission choices as the base engine. Depending on whether you were adding the turbo to the base Laser or the XE, the extra cost was either $934 or $872. Mileage with the hot setup (turbo and manual) was 20 city/27 highway by the day’s standards (18/25 by 2025 measures), while Road & Track recorded a 0-60 time of 8.6 seconds. Moving to the three-speed automatic once again killed highway mileage, making the ratings 20 and 23. With a 14-gallon gas tank, the owner of a five-speed/turbo Laser could expect a range of between 275 and 295 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
1984 Chrysler Laser television commercial
Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the base Laser (priced at $8,648 or about $27,500 in today’s dollars) included a rear spoiler, power-assisted rack and pinion steering, power front disc/rear drum brakes, and P185/75R14 steel belted radial black sidewall tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch wheels with Premium wheelcovers. Inside, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, intermittent wipers, and an AM radio with a digital clock were included.
Moving up to Laser XE ($10,546 or about $33,500 in 2025 dollars) added features such as an electronic instrument cluster, tilt steering wheel, driver’s side sport seat, dual power side mirrors, and an AM/FM stereo radio.
Options, Period Reviews, & Production Numbers
Optional equipment included air conditioning ($737), cruise control ($179), rear defroster ($168 base/$143 XE), power windows ($185), power door locks ($125), and AM/FM stereo cassette ($285/$160). With all the trimmings, a Laser XE could fairly easily get to $12,900 or so or about $41,000 in today’s dollars—almost what a 2025 Dodge Hornet R/T SUV costs.
The buff books liked the presence of the Laser and Daytona on the market, but wanted more. The final paragraph of Road & Track’s review began with, “although we applaud the concept and basic execution of the Laser, the car badly needs refinement.” In particular, they complained of a booming resonance anytime the engine exceeded 2,000 RPM—not great in a sporty car that Chrysler claimed was a sports car.
The Laser sold decently in its first year, with almost 34,000 base coupes and nearly 26,000 XEs crossing dealer lots. These numbers were actually better than its Dodge Daytona sister car (with a total of almost 50,000 sold).
However, Chrysler must have been disappointed—this was an era where the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, and Pontiac Firebird were routinely selling in the hundreds of thousands (the three models combined for 530,000 sold in 1984).
Chrysler would never see these first-year totals again—by 1987, the Laser would be gone, with the Daytona hanging on through the 1993 model year after a few pretty good years in the late 1980s.
The View From 2025
Lasers rarely appear in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, or on Bring a Trailer (the most recent BaT example was only the fifth in eight years). You see some Daytonas on eBay and BaT, but even they are relatively uncommon.
Not surprisingly, allpar.com has an interesting and detailed article on the front-wheel-drive Lasers and Daytonas—it is here.
The January auction at Mecum Kissimmee provided some interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the at least fairly stock 1980s cars (and a few trucks) that sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a blue 1986 Porsche 930 Turbo custom coupe with 29,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $85,000) and add some of my opinions. Mecum Kissemmee is a huge event, so I’m going to separate it into two posts—this second covers from Thursday to the final and rather spare Sunday.
Thursday:
1980 silver Chevrolet Corvette coupe with the L82/automatic combination and 66 miles—$24,000
1984 black/silver two-tone Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds custom coupe – $29,500. An interesting and unusual resto-mod which retained the original lightning rod shifter. How much would it have gone for if it was stock?
1981 brown Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 custom coupe—$15,000
1986 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS custom coupe with an aftermarket five-speed manual—$9,500
1981 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 55,000 miles—$13,000
1989 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z convertible with the LB9/ automatic combination and 9,300 miles—$20,500
1985 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with the LB9/ automatic combination and 963 miles—$21,000
1980 platinum Porsche 911SC Weissach Edition coupe with a five-speed manual and 9,500 miles—$56,000 for this handsome car with multiple awards
1989 red/tan two-tone Ford Bronco II Eddie Bauer Edition SUV with 42,000 miles—$8,500
Friday:
1980 red Porsche 928 coupe with the automatic and 46,000 miles—$9,500
1987 black Buick Regal Grand National coupe with 6,900 miles—$28,000
1987 black Porsche 911 Carrera Targa coupe with 66,000 miles—$37,500
1981 red Chevrolet Corvette very custom convertible (by definition, since Chevrolet didn’t make any “shark” convertibles after 1975) with 45,000 miles—$19,000
1981 white Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 coupe with 58,000 miles—$17,000
1987 black Buick Regal GNX coupe with 276 miles—at $80,000, the fourth highest eighties sale of the auction and hitting the lower limit of Mecum’s estimate
1983 red Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with the power sunroof and 33,000 miles—at $65,000, not quite making Mecum’s lower estimate
1987 white Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with power sunroof and 40,000 miles—at $85,000, the second highest eighties sale of the auction
1988 white Rolls-Royce Corniche II convertible with 65,000 miles—$47,000
Saturday:
1987 red Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with 34,000 miles—at $84,500, the third highest eighties sale of the auction
1987 black Buick Regal GNX coupe with 10,000 miles—at $67,500, the fifth highest eighties sale of the auction
1988 white Chevrolet Corvette Corvette Challenge race car with 5,300 miles, driven in five 1988 races by R. K. Smith and Brad Murphey—$45,000
1988 white Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary coupe with the 4+3 manual, the Z51 sport suspension, and 9 miles—$38,000
1989 red Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition coupe with 6,500 miles—at $350,000, by far the highest eighties sale of the auction
Sunday:
1985 red Jeep CJ-7 SUV—$7,500
1988 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe—$6,000
1984 blue Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 60,000 miles—$4,000
I walked to the local supermarket today to secure some Coca-Cola which we had somehow run short of. We’re located on the southeastern edge of what most weather forecasters seem to think is going to be a full-out blizzard over the next day and a half or so.
It’s only a couple of blocks to the supermarket. On the way is a little tan house which almost always has an original Natural Suede Tan Dodge Aries or Plymouth Reliant station wagon parked next to it. There is no garage for the wagon, so usually it sits out in the weather and rust is definitely showing in parts of that famously squared-off body.
An early Chrysler corporation K car station wagon sits quietly under a little snow and a car cover this morning
This morning, however, there was a fitted blue car cover on the wagon to help protect it from this particular storm, which has just begun.
I may be projecting here, but I choose to see a lot of love and caring for an old and hardworking friend. Is that cover original or new (you can still get them) ? Does it only go on when the predictions are as dire as today’s? How many miles does that wagon have?
Questions, questions, questions. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the owner — if I do, maybe I’ll ask a few.
The January auction at Mecum Kissimmee provided some interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the at least fairly stock 1980s cars (and a few trucks) that sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a blue 1986 Porsche 930 Turbo slantnose coupe with 29,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $85,000) and add some of my opinions. Mecum Kissemmee is a huge event, so I’m going to separate it into two posts—this first covers from Friday to Wednesday (with no auctions on Monday).
Friday:
1986 silver Chevrolet Corvette convertible with the 4+3 manual—$9,000 hammer price
1986 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with the 4+3 manual and 14,000 miles—”resale red” and relatively low miles pushes this sale to a slightly more respectable $10,250
1981 gold Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—at $11,500 the first car in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these cars in bold green
1984 brown Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupe with 23,000 miles—$10,500 buys another one of these once hugely popular cars (Oldsmobile built 245,000 Cutlass Supreme coupes in 1984) that have started to show up at auction in the last year or so
1983 gold Datsun/Nissan 280ZX coupe—$4,000
1986 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 86,000 miles—$5,500
1986 black Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe—$10,500
1986 red Chevrolet very custom pickup truck—$14,000
1989 camouflage AM General cargo truck—$8,750
Saturday:
1988 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with 15,000 miles—$40,000
1986 silver Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with 31,000 miles—$22,000
1981 brown Mercedes-Benz 380SLC coupe with 21,000 miles—$13,500
1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition coupe with 15,000 miles—$22,000
1980 white Alfa Romeo Spider convertible—$6,500
1988 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA coupe with 49,000 miles—$10,250
1982 white Mercedes-Benz 380SEC coupe with AMG body kit—$7,750
1988 black Porsche 944 coupe—$4,000
1986 black Rolls-Royce sedan with 44,000 miles—$7,500 for one of these cars whose values are in steady decline as the frightful cost of performing deferred maintenance for an imperfect car becomes more and more obvious
Sunday:
1980 silver Chevrolet El Camino mild custom pickup truck—$15,000
1989 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible—$15,000
1989 metallic brown Mercedes-Benz 560SEL sedan with 111,000 miles—$3,500
1986 white Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—no mercy at Mecum at $3,000
1980 silver Chevrolet Camaro custom coupe with 64,000 miles—$8,500
1988 white Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary coupe with 41,000 miles—$12,500
1980 bronze Jeep CJ-5 very custom SUV—$22,000
1987 black/burgundy two-tone Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with 41,000 miles—$26,500
1984 white Buick Riviera convertible with white top and red interior, unusual turbo V6, and 40,000 miles—$19,000
1983 silver Datsun/Nissan 280-ZX coupe with turbo/automatic—$8,500
1980 blue MGB convertible—$5,750
Tuesday:
1984 white Pontiac Fiero Indy Pace Car coupe with 2.5 liter 4-cylinder/4-speed manual, headrest mounted speakers, and 550 miles—$13,750
1988 blue Pontiac Firebird Formula custom coupe—$5,000
1982 black Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce convertible—$5,750
1986 red Jeep CJ-7 custom SUV—$9,500
1981 silver Chevrolet Camaro very custom coupe—$14,500
1987 black Buick Regal Grand National coupe with 7,800 miles—$27,000
1980 gray Jeep Cherokee SUV—$10,250
Wednesday:
1987 orange Jeep Comanche pickup truck with 2.5 liter 4-cylinder/5-speed manual and 4-wheel drive—$2,500
1985 burgundy Chevrolet El Camino SS custom pickup truck with the classic Choo Choo nose—$10,000
1987 red Jeep Comanche pickup truck with 2.5 liter 4-cylinder/4-speed manual—$6,250
As always, the January auction at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale provided much interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars (and a few trucks) that sold (a 1989 red Ferrari F40 coupe was bid up to $975,000 but did not meet reserve) and add some of my opinions.
Monday:
1984 white Cadillac Seville sedan—$4,500 hammer price.
1981 yellow tan AMC Spirit coupe—$4,500
1984 blue silver Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with 115,000 mile—$9,500
1982 gold metallic Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 77,000 miles—$10,500
1985 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 30,000 miles—$10,000
1987 dark red Callaway Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 14,000 miles—$16,000
1989 black Ford Aerostar custom van with 47,000 miles—$5,000
Tuesday:
1986 black Buick Grand National coupe—at $14,500 the first car in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars: selling for equal to or above its original list price. I’ll mark these cars in bold green
1986 white Zimmer Golden Spirit coupe—$17,000
1987 root beer Chevrolet C-10 custom pickup truck—$10,500
1980 white Toyota Land Cruiser SUV with 57,000 miles—$36,000
1984 white Cadillac DeVille custom pickup truck—$19,000
1981 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with 80 miles—$50,000
1981 white Pontiac Firebird Trans Am very custom coupe—$92,000
1988 guards red Porsche 911 Turbo coupe with 29,000 miles—$105,000
Saturday:
1986 red Porsche 930 Turbo R69 Rinnspeed coupe with 9,500 miles—$150,000
1988 red Ferrari Testarossa coupe with 280 miles—at $245,000, by far the top 1980s sale. It looks like the era of the relatively inexpensive Testarossa is over.
Sunday:
1989 black BMW 635CSi mild custom coupe—$7,500
1982 white Chevrolet C-10 pickup truck—$11,000
1986 white Chevrolet Crew Cab custom pickup truck—$11,000
1988 blue Oldsmobile Cutlass very custom coupe—$7,000
1981 tan Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler custom pickup truck—$10,000
1989 candy red Jaguar XJ-Svery custom (LS2 engine) coupe—$17,000
1980 red/black two-tone Datsun 280ZX mild custom coupe with 58,000 miles—$9,000
Looks like a lot of Mercedes-Benz SLs, turbo Buicks, Chevrolet trucks, and Jeeps. What do you think of this year’s results?
This year’s Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction included a good number of interesting vehicles. As usual, I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars (and some trucks) that sold and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.
Thursday:
1984 maroon Buick Riviera coupe with 36,000 miles—at a $30,000 hammer price the first eighties vehicle sold in this auction is also the first eighties vehicle to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green. This was also the highest eighties car or truck sale of the auction.
1981 red Porsche 911 Carrera coupe with 31,000 miles—$29,000
1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with 33,000 miles—$22,500
1986 red Ferrari Mondial 3.2 convertible with 26,000 miles—$24,000
Friday:
1986 black Buick LeSabre Grand National coupe with 17,000 miles—$25,000 for this rare car.
1981 silver DeLorean DMC-12 coupe with 4,000 miles—$35,500
1980 white Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans Am Pace Car coupe with 234 miles—at $50,000, the highest eighties car or truck sale of the auction.
Saturday:
1987 black Buick Grand National coupe—$21,000
1988 brown Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II sedan with 50,000 miles—$10,000. It is the wrong color, of course, but will these cars ever recover?
1986 tan/brown two-tone Rolls-Royce or Bentley sedan (not at all clear from the description, but the grill is a Bentley’s)—$7,000
Prices for all cars didn’t seem very strong at this auction—or for that matter at Reno Tahoe, but some eighties cars and trucks did okay. What do you think of this year’s results?
“Cross-Fire injection adds to the Corvette performance equation.”
1982 was the final year for the “shark” Corvette, but the first year for the L83 Cross-Fire 5.7 liter/350 ci V8—a throttle body fuel-injected design that put out a respectable for the day 200 bhp and 285 lb-ft of torque. The downside was that it was only available with a four-speed automatic transmission; a manual transmission would not return until the middle of the 1984 model year.
Top speed for the 1982 Corvette was 125 mph, and Road & Track managed a 0-60 time of 7.9 seconds. Estimated fuel economy was 15 city/26 highway by the day’s standards—not bad for a fairly large V8 with primitive engine controls. With a 23.7 gallon gas tank, a 1982 Corvette owner could expect a range of 355 to 390 miles with a 10% fuel reserve—notably better than one year earlier.
The heavily-hyped Cross-Fire was an intermediary step for General Motors on the way to true multi-port electronic fuel injection for Chevrolet’s small-block V8. For Corvette, it brought the best horsepower in a standard engine since 1972, though it was not the relative screamer that the L82 (optional from 1973 to 1980) had been. However, the flat intake manifold design compromised fuel injection’s potential fuel economy gains—real improvements would wait until 1985’s L98.
Other changes for 1982 included the availability of the Collector Edition, as well as many new exterior paint colors and interior color options. Lost in the Cross-Fire publicity was the move from a three-speed automatic to a four-speed automatic transmission.
Rear cover of 1982 Chevrolet Corvette brochure
Standard exterior and mechanical equipment in the $18,290 base Corvette (about $63,400 in today’s dollars) included tinted glass for all windows, removable roof panels, a Delco Freedom II battery, power steering, four-wheel power disc brakes, and P225/70R15 tires (a size still readily available) on 15-inch by 8-inch steel rally wheels. Inside, air conditioning, power windows, a Tilt-Telescopic steering wheel with a leather-wrapped rim, a quartz analog clock, and an AM/FM stereo radio with dual front speakers were all included.
The Collector Edition, Individual Options, & Production Numbers
The $22,538 Collector Edition (about $78,200 in 2025 dollars and about what a 2026 Corvette Stingray 2LT coupe goes for) added a functional hatchback (a first for Corvette), P255/60R15 Goodyear Eagle GT tires, aluminum wheels, and specific Silver Beige paint, striping, seats, and interior trim—along with a 23% addition to the base price.
Individual exterior and mechanical options included power sport mirrors ($125), power door locks ($155), cruise control ($165), electric rear window defogger ($129), gymkhana suspension (only $61 for specially tuned shock absorbers, higher-rate rear spring, and a rear stabilizer bar), two-tone paint ($428), aluminum wheels ($458), and P255/60R15 Goodyear Eagle GT tires ($543). Optional interior equipment included a six-way power driver’s seat ($197) and an AM/FM stereo radio with a cassette player ($423).
Options that date this car include the stereo radio with a cassette player and Citizens Band radio ($755), the stereo radio with an 8-track player ($755), and the radio delete (-$124). Corvette buyers piled on the options in 1982: the average buyer ordered $2,195 worth, raising the sticker to $20,485 (about $71,100 in today’s dollars).
In its final year, the shark still sold decently—but the end for a car that featured many design components from 1963 was in sight. Chevrolet moved 25,407, of which 6,759 (about 27%) were the pricey Collector Edition.
The View From 2025
There is strong club support for the 1982 Corvette, as there is for all Corvettes. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, a loaded non-Collector Edition 1982 Corvette in #1/Concours condition is $42,700, with a more typical number #3/Good condition car going for $17,200. 1982 Corvettes are regularly featured in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, eBay Motors, and Bring a Trailer. As I update this blog entry in September 2025, there’s a Silver Metallic over Dark ClaretMetallic two-tone Corvette with red cloth seats and 15,000 miles for sale on Hemmings, asking $30,000.
Make mine one of the relatively rare (and absolutely gorgeous) Silver Green Metallic cars, with the silver green leather seats.
Eighties Cars 