This 1972 Chevrolet Corvette is a good one. A very good one. The collection of NCRS Top Flight and other trophies that it has under its belt are a testament to its condition and overall originality. An odometer reading of 17,871 miles would seem to be the icing on the cake with this fantastic survivor. All good things must come to an end, so the owner has decided that the time is right for the Corvette to find its way to a new home. Therefore, he has listed it for sale here on eBay. The vehicle is located in Templeton, Massachusetts, and while the bidding has reached $50.100, that figure remains short of the reserve.
Given little more than a passing glance, it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that this is a tidy 1972 Corvette that may have received some restoration work. It seems that nothing could be further from the truth because the owner claims that the Mille Miglia Red paint that graces its panels is 100% original. If the claim is accurate, that makes its condition pretty amazing. It also makes it easy to see how the car has picked up an NCRS Star Award for Best Original Paint & Interior, along with an NCRS Top Flight Award score of 97%. The paint shines beautifully, with no flaws or defects. The fiberglass it covers is in a similar state, and the underside shots reveal no evidence of rust or corrosion. I would rate it as the cleanest original undercarriage I have ever seen on a Corvette of this vintage. The chrome is spotless, while the same is true of the glass.
The 1972 model year marked the final where buyers could order the LT1 version of the 350ci V8, which we find occupying this engine bay. The rest of the drivetrain should provide an enjoyable and rewarding motoring experience because it includes a four-speed manual transmission, a Posi rear end, power steering, and power brakes. With 255hp being churned out by that 350, this Corvette should be capable of storming the ¼ mile in 14.8 seconds. Given what you know about this car’s award and trophy status, it should be no surprise that it is numbers-matching. Its originality extends to the exhaust, which is the one this classic wore when it rolled off the production line. The owner indicates that the ‘Vette has a genuine 17,800 miles on the clock, and given the enormous collection of documentation he holds, I see no reason to doubt him. The car runs and drives as well as it did in 1972, and if you watch the short video clip at the bottom of this article, you will hear how tough that LT1 sounds.
When you examine this Corvette’s interior, it’s easy to see how it won its NCRS Star Award. There may be some slight fading on the carpet on the side of the transmission tunnel and some slight wrinkling on the black vinyl on the seats. Otherwise, this interior appears to be perfect. The door trims and dash are spotless, and this is one of the rare Corvettes of this vintage that I’ve seen that doesn’t have marks on the console around the shifter area. It seems that the original owner had their focus firmly on the purity of the driving experience because the only creature comfort you’ll find inside this ‘Vette is an AM/FM radio.
This 1972 Corvette would suit a purist who is not afraid to spend the money to buy one of the best unrestored C3 Corvettes on the market today. Its desirability is beyond question, and the bidding reflects that. Determining where the reserve could be in a case like this is always tricky, but given all that we know about this car, I doubt it will be far below $60,000. This auction could be worth watching closely unless you intend to make a play to park this remarkable survivor in your garage. If you do, I could hardly blame you.
Wow! Time left:Time left:1 day 20 hours | Tuesday, 7:07AM
Current bid:
US $82,200.00
Reserve not met
Impressive, definitely expensive but impressive none the less.
Never seen one of these go for this much. Question is do you just store it? Any driving is gonna take the value down with each mile.
The problem with investing in a nice show car is its a show car. If you do anything to this vehicle that is detrimental it loses value. Short of running it around the block and taken it to shows. What do you do with it? Purchase one at a reasonable price and use the dam thing. The only real winner is the guy that purchased new and is now selling it.
A 1972 ‘Vette cost about $7,000 new with an LT-1 and a good option load. That’s about $46,000 in today’s money. So since he’s over $80,000, definitely seems like a good investment!
But then again, when you add in all of the insurance, storage, and maintenance over 50 years, an original owner would be in the red. And if that original owner had put the $7,000 into a mutual fund that averaged 7.5% per year, which would be pretty weak given the stock market over that time span, that person would have $250,000.
So I’m glad it’s here but I’m not so sure it was a good of an investment in terms of money metrics. Better just to drive a car really. They usually don’t make any financial sense, as any true car person knows!
A landmark car. Last solid lifter car from GM. Great colors. Best GM small block ever. Drive it. It isn’t like the 65 fuekie coming up for sale at Mecum with just 1,600 actual miles. Last time it was at Mecum the owner refused $490,000.
Simple……Like has been said a million times on this page…..It’s only original once, it only has low miles once. A car like this goes from one collection to another while a perfectly restored car like this should be driven as soon as it shows any sign of age. Show and drive sparingly for a couple years and restore it again. Leave the above Vette in climate control untill it’s time to exercise it in the parking lot. This Vette isn’t for the reader that doesn’t have dedicated space for it.
Stunning car, but its in the museum piece category now. How do you own something like this and only drive it 346 miles a year? Obviously it was parked for a great amount of time, but basically running one tank of gas through this beast a year since it rolled of the assembly line. But then again, I have only put 2K miles on my 68 Vette since I restored it.
I drive my C5 about 2K each year. I enjoy each mile! I love this C3, but it’s out of my price range.
Somebody has too much money. Nice car but not $110,000.00 Canadian nice.
It’s that nice to the people have raised the bid to this amount. Just because your number is under $6 bucks doesn’t mean that’s what it’s worth.
I believe he puts a ridiculous reserve on this car…and has friends bidding it up hoping some fool…. will bid on it…. there is no way on earth this car will bring that kind of money…
Lose the pin strip in the hood!
I’m surprised Chevy did not massage/use a quadrajet, like pontiac did for the sd-455 so that they could have ditched the air pump.
Would like to see fresh clean grease oozing a little in the area of each grease fitting, like the factory would have delivered the car.
Were carpeted floormats avail in ’72? I would think only rubber ones were – are they included?
I would think the underside was steam cleaned.
What am i seeing in this pic? Is the hood up? Or are the hood scoops that big?
https://imgsrv.sellersourcebook.com/users/123803/1972_chevrolet_corvette_red_52.jpg
If the latter, how could you drive it in the rain & not stall out? & therefore, how could so many of these gen vettes have rusty birdcages?
The hood is up and your looking forward at the headlight door actuators which are run by engine vacuum. I converted mine over to electric years ago as they all leak after a while. No hole for the hood scoops as its just a bulge to fit the intake and carb under there. Big block has the same hood. Only the L88 style hood has a breather from the back of the hood. Think cowl induction type hood for lack of a better term. Also, under there is a splash guard you cant see to keep the headlights protected from mud and dirt build up. You need the holes down there for air flow to the radiator.
Ended:Nov 09, 2021 , 9:52AM
[ 15 bids ]
Current bid:
US $69,100.00
Reserve not met