Open Diff: What’s your automotive obsession?

Posted on Mar 3, 2019 in Featured | 2 comments

1982 Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition brochure.

There are cars that are easy to love, at least under the right circumstances. On a sunny day, with the top down, few automobiles are as enjoyable as a light and nimble convertible; in knee-deep snow, a capable SUV can deliver peace of mind (and occasionally, too much confidence); and when one just has to punctuate a mood with parallel strips of melted rubber on asphalt, only a muscle car will do. Sometimes, however, attraction isn’t easily explained – or easily dissuaded.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve always had a thing for late third-generation Corvettes, yet I suspect any stock example will leave me disappointed, wanting more power and better handling. As sports cars go, they’re too heavy to be nimble, perhaps a forgivable sin if ample power was on tap. Thanks to the emission regulations of the day, it wasn’t, and in 1980, the last year the third-gen Corvette was available with a manual transmission and the L82 V-8, output was 230 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. Sure, the aftermarket provides plenty of parts to make this era of Corvette faster and better-handling, but later model Corvettes can provide a better starting point for less money and effort.

Yet I find myself not caring, because if my project car bank balance and the right 1980 Corvette ever crossed paths, I’d buy it anyway. Blame it on the car’s lines, which still look as good to my eye as they did in my impressionable years. I’d even consider a 1982 Collector’s Edition, which came only with a 200-horsepower 350 V-8 mated to an automatic transmission, and delivered 0-60 times in the high seven second range. Today, that would be disappointing for a family sedan, but the heart wants what the heart wants, to quote a tired cliche.

I’d love a Mercedes-Benz Unimog, too, though for those of us living in civilization (or on the fringes, anyway) it’s hardly a practical choice for a commuter vehicle. With a top speed somewhere south of 60 MPH, surplus ‘Mogs aren’t exactly highway-friendly, and even in snowy Vermont, the days when one could make a legitimate case for ownership are few and far between. Still, if the right deal ever came along, I’d buy one. I was a Boy Scout, and there isn’t a vehicle on the planet that better exemplifies the motto of “Be prepared.”