The 1978 model year was one of celebrations at Chevrolet. “America’s Sports Car” was 25 years old and – to commemorate the occasion – the Bow-Tie boys built a 25th Anniversary Silver Edition. However, it was not exclusive, and about 1 out of 3 Corvettes for 1978 came that way. The seller’s anniversary model is a two-owner car that appears to have been laid up for years but recently brought back to life. Located in Phoenix, Arizona (the listing also says Las Vegas, Nevada), this revised classic is available here on eBay. Without reserve, the current bid is $6,300.
C3 Corvettes received a facelift in 1978, providing a fastback look compared to earlier renditions. All ’78 Corvettes came with 25th-anniversary identification, but Chevy went all out with the Special Anniversary Edition, using two-tone Charcoal Silver and Silver Metallic paint. No attempt was made to make them rare, as 15,283 out of 46,776 Corvettes produced in 1978 came as 25th Anniversary Silver editions. Corvettes became cruisers of sorts that year as the size of the gas tank increased from 17 to 24 gallons. Two 350-cubic-inch engines were offered, the standard L48 and the optional L82.
The timeline on this Chevy is a little unclear, but it was purchased as a retirement gift for a veteran who then became sick. The car apparently sat in a garage for 14 years and went into decline, but the decision was made to finally sell it, and the instructions to (the second owner?) were to get it going again. Which is apparently how we find it today, all refreshed and mostly ready to go.
We assume the engine is the L48 35,0, and it has 96,000 miles on it. It’s a 4-speed manual car, and the seller says it runs well after a bit of work was done. Replacements include the fuel sending unit, fuel pump, battery, alternator, and probably a few odds and ends. We’re told it drives out well with no noises or leaks, but the brakes will need to be looked at. And while the tires look like new, they were installed in 2012, so maybe it’s time for new rubber, again.
The paint on this ‘Vette is not original, but we don’t know when it was redone. The interior looks pretty good except for one spot on the driver’s seat cushion. We’re told there is no rust, but parts of the undercarriage look a bit crusty. The gauges act a little “wooky” at times due to a potential wiring issue. This seems like a decent ‘Vette that should be a good driver with a little more work.
Nice that it is a 4-speed car. The few times I have bypassed a heater core on an older Chevy I just took out the heater hoses and fittings and put in plugs in the intake and water pump for a cleaner look.
“Only” 96,000 miles! ” ?
Can the a/c still work with the heater core bypassed?
Already sold.
As the story goes. There was a little podunc Chevy/Buick/Jeep dealer in Nevada. (It was a little town that I actually lived in for awhile) They didn’t even have a showroom. Chevrolet said they had to have a showroom. So they displaced part of the parts department, installed a “picure window” and called it good. They got one of these anniversary editions and stuck it in the show room. After awhile the parts department started to reclaim its lost area. And soon the car was covered in parts boxes. So from the street you saw a,new (now several years old) Corvette sitting behind a large window with boxes all around and on it. I know! I saw it with my own eyes. I had met the brother that ran the service and parts side and he was just plain strange. And I had had dealings with the other brother who ran the sales portion. Hecwas very nice, but also different. Many people had asked about purchasing the ‘Vette. But it was going to be too much trouble to “un-bury” it. So, no, it was not for sale. The car sat there for close to 20 years until the local old time casino owner’s daughter graduated from high-school. He talked to the brothers about getting the car for her. And they drug it out, installed new tires and battery and shined it up. It was about a week and the showroom was full of boxes again. The dealership is now a, casino. And the stories about the place would take a couple of hours to write. I had a buddy that worked there in the shop for a short time. And he confirmed alot of the stories and came up with some additional ones. Hey Barn Finds people. How about a series of short “dealership stories” and/or short repair shop stories. I’m sure your current readers could fill a couple of volumes. And keep them going for quite some time.
I had one in Ohio with only 19k on the odometer my best friend now owns it in Fairborn!
Gone.
Oh those door panels and seat covers. Too much money. My neighbor bought an 18,000 mile 78 Corvette last summer for $8,000. L48 auto, factory black over mahogany leather. Zero rust. Paint not so great, but nice driver.
Mine was a silver anniversary, spotless!
$6000 is already too much. Very low mileage are the only ones worth anything.
A good friend of mine got rid of his Mercury Cougar and bought the same color vette with the 4 speed. He was 6’3 and it was funny watching him get out of the vette after driving the Cougar. He loved the vette but he also loved the Cougar(s), lol.
Sold $7099.00
I have a 78 silver anniversary, original motor took a crap, trans started leaking, replaced both with new modern units. 409 hp, th350 with a shift kit. these are not collectable so I did what was needed to make this a fun car to drive