Let’s face it. When you’re a successful comedian making millions of dollars per year, you can have pretty much whatever you want in the auto industry. However, it seems Kevin Hart wanted something more than just a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette C8. Instead, the comedian opted to purchase a 1959 Corvette that has been extensively restored and modified.

The car in question recently came for sale at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. According to Hemmings, a completely original 1959 model shouldn’t break the six-figure mark. However, as you might imagine, the restomod Hart just purchased is far from original.

How can a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette cost $825,000?

The Chevrolet Corvette we’re covering today is a bespoke restomod. In short, this just means that a car builder took a standard 1959 car and threw away most of its aging components. In this particular case, there is very little 1950s tech underneath the skin.

That’s because this Chevrolet Corvette features an Art Morrison C7 independent front suspension. This includes height-adjustable coilovers. The C7 goodies continue with 6-piston brake calipers up front and 14-inch rotors. Gone are the Vette’s original 15-inch wheels. Instead, this vehicle now has a much larger set finished in a similar style.

While these upgrades are quite notable, most of the money spent on this build went into the aesthetics department. This Chevrolet Corvette is finished in Franny Green with a Linen interior. Additionally, the interior gets modern goodies such as a new stereo and digital gauges. Since the devil is in the details, the original builders modified the radio to look like something out of the 1950s.

This Corvette has a V8 out of a brand-new C8

Given how extensive this Chevrolet Corvette build is, it won’t surprise you to learn that there is more power under the hood from a larger engine. More specifically, the engine in question comes out of the brand-new C8. The 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated LT1 V8 delivers 460 hp and 465 lb-ft.

While a standard C8 uses a dual-clutch automatic, this 1959 model has a four-speed automatic transmission. It also goes without saying that this engine that now lives in the middle of the Chevrolet Corvette has been brought back around to the front.

In contrast, the original version of this Chevrolet Corvette developed just 270 hp from its naturally-aspirated V8 engine.

Is $825,000 too much for this Vette?

When you’re buying a custom-built car, the sky is the limit with pricing. Given the level of detail and finishing for this Chevrolet Corvette project, it’s not surprising to see that it fetched a six-figure sum. However, $825,000 is an incredible amount of money for a restomod.

Even a Singer 911 which has a completely bespoke powertrain, starts at around $500,000. However, the key with this car is its “one-off” status, meaning there isn’t a massive run of these floating around. So if you’re an uber-rich comedian, why not?