Weekly Motor Fix: a rare Corvette Collector Edition

13 July, 2016

Being a bit of a Corvette fan — and owner of several over the years — I was pleasantly surprised when a reader recently sent me through photographs of his rather rare 1982 Corvette Collector Edition. Only 6759 of this particular model were built and, as I understand, very few have made it down to this part of the world.

Chevrolet has traditionally finished off each Corvette generation by introducing a collector or commemorative model. In order to commemorate the final C3 model (1968–1982), Corvette introduced the 1982 Collector Edition, which also honoured the end of the 1968–1982 Stingray model, and was the first in a series of special collector editions for Corvette.

The 1982 Corvette Collector Edition received a full complement of bells and whistles unique to the model. These special features included a stylish Silver Beige exterior paint job complemented by a striking Silver Beige leather interior and special decorative emblems, as well as an electrically operated six-way driver’s seat, power door locks, power sport mirrors, power windows, power steering, cruise control, air conditioning, and AM/FM radio with cassette. The glass roof panels received a bronze tint and the rear glass ‘hatch’ had a lifting feature for easy access to the space behind the front seats. Also included were special cast-finned wheels that resembled the optional 1967 bolt-on wheels.

The 1982 Corvette Collector Edition was also the first to receive Chevrolet’s Crossfire fuel-injected 5.7-litre V8 engine. Unfortunately, these motors received their fair share of ridicule and were commonly referred to as ‘Ceasefire’ due to unreliability issues. The motors were also extremely difficult to modify to achieve increased power and torque — many owners opted to replace the injection system with a four-barrel carburettor. The Crossfire fuel-injected engine also made its way into the first of the C4 Corvettes in 1984, and was replaced with a much more reliable, and powerful, Tuned Port Injection (TPI) system in 1985.

After years of flying under the radar, collector-edition Corvettes are beginning to attract a large following, representing true investment potential that inspires and excites.

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.

Weekly Motor Fix: a rare Corvette Collector Edition

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