The Chevy Corvette had its best sales performance in three years in 1972, yet it was little changed. Labor issues had affected production output in the prior two years, so perhaps some catching up had been done. Out of 27,004 ‘Vettes built that year, only 1,741 came with the LT1 V8 engine, and the seller’s car is one of them. Plus, only 2,763 Corvettes were finished in Classic White, so the seller’s claim this is a rare car has some merit.
Things would begin to change for the Corvette in 1973. For example, the chrome front bumpers would be gone in favor of the “plastic” snoot, the side egg-crate grills would disappear, and the back rear window would become fixed. So, if you didn’t want any of these, the 1972 model was the one to buy. The LT1 350 cubic inch V8 would also be in its last year (for a time), rated at 255 hp which sounds kind of mild. But keep in mind, the rating system had changed to SAE net and some detuning was underway for lower emissions. A 1970 LT1 was rated at 370 hp with its solid valve lifters and a high-lift camshaft, along with a stouter compression ratio. It was quite an engine in its early stages.
We’re told this ’72 ‘Vette has been in storage for years and has just 53,000 miles. The seller says it runs and stops as it should, so perhaps some tweaking was done to bring it out of hibernation. The listing stops short of saying everything is numbers matching, rather instead mentioning that the block, heads, carburetor, and intake manifold are all original. The photos provided show a very clean sports car, including the undercarriage.
Whether any further work is needed, such as new tires or fluids, is speculation. Nor do we know why it was parked for so long. It’s in Harrison, Ohio, and is available here on eBay. The opening bid of $25,000 has yet to be cast and when it is, the reserve won’t be met. If you’ve been looking for an LT1 Corvette from the 1970s and don’t mind one that has been neutered a bit, would you make room for this Chevy in your garage?
If the miles are accurate why would the motor be swapped? Hmmmm
As a Corvette owner for almost 50 years and of different models I currently own a convertible C6 6 speed. I am a Corvette person however I do not support people’s that are only buying or advertising the cars only to cause ridiculous mark up or simply “flipping cars”. The younger enthusiasts become victims and will never be able to own or appreciate these cars.. Have a good day.
I agree Alberto, Unfortunately I sold my classic cars after I was married and we had 6 children . I owned 3 C-2’s, 2 coupes 65 and 66 and a 64 roadster, a C-3 convertible and 0ver 10 Early Camaro’s, one a Z-11 Pace car convertible. I am now retired and never got back into the classic car market so can also be included among those who can not afford to have another classic. I did mange to pick up a 99 WS-6 convertible but a bit of a project. The classic motorcycle market has suffered the same fate. Early Kawasaki triples that you could buy for a dime a dozen have reached over $50,000 at the Mecum auction. I also have a couple of those as projects.
Nice looking car, love the white paint but not a big fan of the red interior. I would like to see undercarriage photos, for obvious reasons since the car is in Ohio. I’m not sure I understand the photos of the freshly machined and stamped engine block, the seller could be a little clearer in his description. If the car has good bones, this could be a great investment in time and fun, those LT1s were great cars. The only thing that would make the deal better would be a soft top.
I owned a 1969 LT-1 Corvette Stingray “rag top” ( not drop top) with 370 hp 350 ci 4-speed, 372,( maybe 374) posi traction “hog head”.Labeling this Vette as a LT-! is a disgrace to the breed. Thanks again Pres. Carter for the good times. i have owned a few Vettes in my time and enjoyed this one the most. For GM to squeeze 370 out of a 350 hp was quite a feat in those days. The brand lost it’s way for many years after 1971. Also if cars, it wasn’t a rag top it was’nt a sports car. Hunger for the good ole days.
The LT-1 came out in the Corvette in 1970. The most horsepower the 350 Corvette engine put out in 1969 was 350 horsepower. You must have been very special to get an LT-1 a year before anyone else.
BarnFinds is not the place to make up stories!!!
Sorry, but huh?
255 net was about 325 or so gross. “Disgrace to the breed” is hyperbole at best, maybe just ignorant at worst.
And then there is that they didn’t exist in 1969 thing…
Carter wasn’t president until ‘77 so he had no impact on the car in question.
The 72 LT-1 can be driven with the factory timing set the way it should be with today’s crop gasoline. Thus is because the compression ratio was dropped a full two points from 1970. Other than that, it’s the same great engine. Today, like it ot not, many Corvette folks are trashing these great small blocks for LS engines. I am a 100 percent OEM Corvette owner and if I buy this car, love the color combo, the first thing I would source would be the A.I.R. system. Very underrated car here. Love all that red inside.
@George- Thanks for the comment on the white over red combo. Too many folks forget that was the original combo for “America’s Sports Car” I wasn’t sure about my 1995’s Arctic White over Torch Red scheme at first, but I have lost count of the positive comments I have had on it over the years. Of course, each to his/her own. Happy Motoring, George!
Ad is a little sketchy IMO. Matching numbers is a VBD in Corvette World and makes a $ignificant difference to prospective buyers. In this case the seller doesn’t really let us know if the original block and heads are installed in the engine bay or simply available as parts which to me seems to be the case with several pictures showing parts with stampings. If the engine that is shown installed in the car is a replacement which I surmise is the case; then the statement that it is a highly original car is open to opinion. At the end of the day though a knowledgeable buyer will be able to tell when they inspect the car which is mandatory to ensure authenticity no matter what a seller says or doesn’t say. Two things that I noticed is that the hood shut line at the rear is misaligned and the side trim or “gills” are not properly painted. Stuff like this always raises my antenna. At least it retains the ignition shielding that is missing from quite a few of these C3’s.
Carbob, I think that the reason the hood looks misaligned is probably because it had maybe just got released because they were getting ready for the photo shoot.
Just wondering, which photo are you looking at that shows a clear view of the fender vents?
Later…
Russ, if you ever drove a 71 or 72 LT1, you wouldn’t make the neutered comment. They lost a few horses due to compression drop, from 1970, but you can barely tell the difference.
Nice write-up Russ Dixon. Period
I used to own one of these original vettes in Olympia, WA., circa 1979.
Mine was the same color however had blue guts.
Used to date a very nice lady in the vicinity. When I would get out on the I-5 heading north to Seattle area it never failed there was always a Datsun 280zx or a 911 Targa that wanted to check there testosterone level maybe for fun or grins.
If you have ever lived in that region of Washington you are aware of the numerous hiding places for the WSP.
Never lost and never received a award.
Can’t say the same for my wannabe opponents.
What memories.
Thanks ya’all, that was fun!
Why open with a $25,000 bid when you know it’s nowhere near the ridiculous amount you want for it. Just state the lowest price you will accept and go from there. It IS one of the nicest LT1 1972 Corvettes I’ve seen in a while built isn’t a 1970.
Yur correct, it’s a 1972.
Billy, the second picture is the one that I think shows that the “gill” trim behind the front wheels is not correctly painted. The outer surface is supposed to match the body color. This looks to be all pot metal finish with no white paint. I had to blow up the picture because of the angle and the fact that this car is white. I could be wrong. It’s really a shame when someone is trying to sell a car like this for the kind of money that they want and can’t be bothered to include a shot from the side that is directly on. I thought about what you said about the hood maybe not being fully closed. But as I remember when my hood was sitting down on the latches and not fully closed it sat up higher than what you see here. The reason I mentioned this is that in my experience, this is a red flag that the car may have been hit in the front end. I know that the one I had was and the front of the hood was slightly higher than the front nose. But all of this nitpicking aside; it is the little things that can have a big effect on the vehicle’s value. And this is especially true when you are buying and selling Corvettes. The difference between a NCRS Top Flight and a driver can be substantial dollars and with a car like this you better be sure as to what you are actually buying. Even though I have some knowledge of this era Corvette; if I was a serious buyer, I would probably have an expert appraiser inspect it before buying. In my opinion it would be money well spent.
Carbob, first off I agree with you 100% concerning the value aspect.
I tried to zero in on the photos the seller put in his listing. I concur that you would think that he/she would try to show off the major selling points.
Looking through the photos, I might lean towards a front end smack at some time in its lifetime.
You and I have seen numerous vettes that have been through nose ” run-unders “.
New, first time younger buyers out with a new toy and forget to use the brake pedal.
Thanks for your reply.
Billy
Carbob, first off I agree with you 100% concerning the value aspect.
I tried to zero in on the photos the seller put in his listing. I concur that you would think that he/she would try to show off the major selling points.
Looking through the photos, I might lean towards a front end smack at some time in its lifetime.
You and I have seen numerous vettes that have been through nose ” run-unders “.
New, first time younger buyers out with a new toy and forget to use the brake pedal.
Thanks for your reply.
Billy
10-4 Billy. Just another day here having fun noodling around on BF.