From the earliest days of hot rodding through today, where 44% of all of the late-model muscle has some kind of tweak to suit the owner’s needs, car customization has been the hallmark of our hobby. We strive to make our transportation our own in some way. Some are fine with a pinstripe or a plate frame, while others aren’t happy until their machine suits their every possible need. Such is the case with the black 1979 Chevrolet Corvette that recently became the newest attraction for the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Black in color, this C3 has the distinction of being maybe the only front-wheel-drive Chevrolet Corvette on the road.
The car was built by John Jacobi, a man who wanted a front-wheel-drive vehicle to deal with the Long Island snow, but wanted a fiberglass body so that rust would not be an issue. The basis of the build would be a 1979 Cadillac Eldorado frame that would be shortened sixteen inches and modified quite a bit to fit the C3 Corvette body. Sporting an Oldsmobile 350 and the transmission from an Eldorado, the “El Vette” was exactly what Jacobi wanted, but after a run in with the law over the Corvette’s VIN number, the car was confiscated by police and Jacobi had to purchase it back at a police auction. In 1993 he finally received a title for the car and enjoyed it up until his untimely death last April. 
Jacobi had wanted the car to either go to his daughter or to the museum. His daughter made the choice to donate the car, which will be put on display for museum-goers to enjoy for years to come. You can read her story about her father and the El Vette by CLICKING HERE.
Well I can certainly understand the desire to have this built. My solution was much easier; A 1979 Olds Toronado, 350 Front wheel drive – Never got stuck in the Canadian winter, didn’t even need snow tires. Then used motorcycles in the summer for the need for speed