This ’79 Corvette With a Pontiac Vibe Front End is The Mullet of Cars
I’m a “live-and-let-live” sort of automotive enthusiast, happy to leave others to whatever makes them happy. When all else fails, I try to just appreciate the craftsmanship of a zany custom. But this poor 1979 Corvette forced to wear the face of a Pontiac Vibe [Pics below] has me wondering, “What the Decepticon were they thinking!?”
First of all, here’s what I know: This bizarre custom popped up on Craigslist in 2013. It was in the Albuquerque area. The Corvette bits are from the C3 generation and are base spec. So it has a 350-cubic inch “L48” V8 rated at 190 horsepower. It also has an automatic transmission. In 2013, there were 77,000 miles on the clock.
The front end comes from a 2003-2008 Pontiac Vibe. I don’t see any Pontiac badges on this thing. And it’s retained its Corvette badges in front of the front doors. I don’t see any Pontiac sheet metal or other details on the rear end, that looks stock. So it seems like “America’s sports car” ran into something and its owner grabbed a front clip off the first vehicle he saw. Literally, the very first vehicle.
In 2013, it was listed at $22,350. Yes, that is very aggressive. That was about peak depreciation for the C3 Corvette. I can’t imagine these modifications would boost it’s value. You’d need a real diehard Pontiac Vibe fan, itching for a RWD V8 version, to cough up more cash for this than a stock C3.
When a Redditor shared pics of this Franken-car in 2022, the post got 676 upvotes. Popular comments included, “Looka really good [sic],” “I don’t hate it,” and “It looks well done even if it is a terrible idea.”
That final comment is especially…fair. The body work, blending panels from completely different vehicles, is fantastic. Even in the grainy pictures, the repaint looks pretty good.
But to me, this build would make more sense if it was multiple colors and riveted together. The shocker is that someone spent countless hours perfecting and repainting this car. And they never once wondered, Is this the way to fix my Corvette for maximum resale value?
I’m not morally against some updated modifications to an old C3. But a final Redditor put it really well when they said, “Good execution but i would have changed up the rear-end too. Just something to keep with the theme imo. Conflicted.” I think that comment hits the nail on the head. This car ended up with a very retro round taillight rear end and a rebadged 00-something Toyota front end. Again, truly the mullet of automobiles.
You can see all the angles of the VibeVette in the Twitter post below. Let me know if you love it or hate it. And for goodness sake, if you know the current whereabouts of this car, drop me a line!
