Have you ever looked at a classic Chevrolet Corvette and thought how perfect it would be if only it had four doors? That wasn’t a mainstream option for models in the 1970s—but lo and behold, there’s an actual four-door 1979 Chevrolet Corvette America that was recently listed on eBay Motors.
How rare is this four-door version of the disco ‘Vette? According to the seller, only six were ever built, including one prototype. Other sources claim as many as 10 were produced for the 1979 and 1980 model years. The work was done by California Custom Coach (CCC), which was based in Pasadena, Calif.
The Corvette America offers removable T-tops—four of them.
The first Corvette America was displayed in public in front of CCC’s showroom during Pasadena’s famous Tournament of Roses Parade. It retailed for three times the purchase price of a standard Corvette in 1979. The market wasn’t there for a Ferrari-priced Corvette sedan, so Chevrolet didn’t produce more than a handful of these concept cars.
California Custom Coach was able to preserve not just the shape of the Corvette, but also its spirit. Riding on a frame built out of two welded-together standard Corvettes, the America offers removable T-top roofs front and rear. The car keeps the 5.7-liter V8 engine under the hood, where it produces a smog-choked 185 horsepower. You might notice that the car doesn’t offer exterior door handles. To enter, the driver punches a code on a keypad mounted on the driver-side windshield and then grants access to riders by opening the doors electronically.
The most striking feature of the Corvette America is its impressive length. By combining two ‘Vettes together into one, CCC preserved the Corvette’s proportions—while dramatically stretching its wheelbase. Its dimensions (and the car’s handling) now have more in common with a Cadillac than a typical Corvette.
The seller states that this four-door Corvette America is the only surviving example, although you can find sightings of two or three other examples on the web. The appearance of any four-door ‘Vette, whenever and wherever it shows up, is a shock to onlookers and brand purists—a reaction that the next owner of this rare model will get when at a local cruise night or simply rolling down the highway.
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