Of all the custom car builds in all the world, this one rates as one of the absolute coolest.

Up for grabs now on popular gearhead destination Bring a Trailer, this 1999 Chevrolet Corvette C5 isn't much of a 'Vette at all. Rather, it's been completely transformed into a properly outrageous RWD V8-powered buggy, with a cage, massive mud-terrain tires, and the front bumper from a rugged Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. The factory dash, shift knob, and steering wheel have all been retained, so it's not completely Spartan inside, but forget about such conveniences as TPMS, ABS, and DSC; they've all been disabled in light of the drastic change in tires.

In a mid-engined 2020 C8 Corvette world, this C5 sure knows how to stand out.

The C5-generation Corvette was the first to feature a rear-mounted transaxle design, putting the gearbox within a shared housing with the differential, so we imagine the front-to-rear weight distribution on this buggy is just about spot-on.

As though it weren't totally obvious, the build required plenty of custom fabrication work. The builders shortened the front and rear frame rails; pounded out custom cowl splash shields, rear panels, and an engine cover from 6061-T6 sheet aluminum; and formed the cage from 0.120"-wall DOM tubing, 1.75" in diameter. They also installed tow hooks in case you get stuck, DOT-certified Hella headlamps, LED tail lights, and a front-mounted light bar. There's even a fire extinguisher mounted conveniently just behind the driver - not that the Chevrolet Corvette is especially fire-prone.

What about power? This 1999 Chevrolet Corvette retains its original 5.7L LS1 V8 and six-speed manual transmission. That engine was factory-rated at 345 horsepower in its day, although with that top-mounted 2019 Camaro exhaust and high-flow cats, who knows? It could be making a bit extra.

As of this writing, this gem of a custom Corvette buggy has a high bid of $15,000, although with several days still left to bid, it will almost certainly fetch a higher price.