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1982 Corvette Caballista Is The End Of An Era

[1]By the time 1982 rolled around, the C3 Corvette had been in production for almost a decade and a half. It was at the end of its run, though 1983 would see the next-gen Corvette delayed, while the old model went unbuilt (there are no 1983 Corvettes). So in a very real sense, the 1982 Corvette was the end of an era, the last Corvette designed for the muscle car era.

It was also the last year that the Dunham Motor Coach Company would build its famous Caballista Corvettes. Taking high class to the next level, Dunham built just 50 of these wild Corvettes, and the one for sale up on Hemmings [2] has just 16,700 miles on the odometer. In other words, it was hardly broken in.

For the uninitiated, the Caballista Corvette is a completely custom ride that remakes the Corvette from front to back, transforming it from sports car to luxury touring vehicle. Of course there is still a 350 V8 engine under the hood, and those fender-mounted headers certainly look fearsome. But there is definitely the feeling of 1970’s faux-luxury at work here, both inside and out.

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Sure, it may not sport rich Corinthian leather, but this ‘80s custom Corvette has a nicer interior than many more modern vehicles. It looks absolutely inviting, save for the automatic transmission. But then again, the point of a touring car is touring, not shifting, and the overall rarity of these custom Caballista Corvettes certainly adds some value to them.

But is the asking price of $24,900 too steep for this custom touring Corvette?