The 1973 Chevrolet Corvette could be ordered in three different shades of blue. There was Code 922 Medium Blue, Code 927 Dark Blue and Code 945 which was a blue green mix. The original owner of this 1973 Corvette chose Code 922 and it looks stunning. Thanks to Pat L. for finding this gem. The Corvette is listed for sale here on Craigslist for $19,000. The car is located in Long Island, New York and appears to be a well sorted driver. The car was listed 3 days ago and is equipped with the base L48 engine and a 4 speed transmission.
The 1973 Corvette could be ordered in a coupe or roadster (convertible) configuration. When ordering the Code 922 Medium Blue exterior, the buyer had the option of a white, tan, blue or black interior. The black leather interior looks pretty good on this Corvette and there are just some minor signs of wear. The odometer reading is just over 91,000 miles. The Corvette is equipped with power steering, power brakes, power windows and is said to run and drive well.
The seller states that the car is equipped with its original numbers matching L48 350 cubic inch V8 engine and 4 speed transmission. A few modifications have been added including an aftermarket air cleaner, valve covers, intake manifold and carburetor. The base engine for 1973 was the L48 350 cubic inch V8 engine which was rated at 190 horsepower. The optional L82 350 cubic inch V8 engine was rated at 250 horsepower. The other optional engine was the LS4 454 cubic inch engine which was rated at 275 horsepower. It is interesting that the L82 engine was a $299 option and the LS4 engine was cheaper at $250.
The 1973 Corvette is my favorite body style of all years of the Corvette. The soft front bumper and the chrome rear bumper look really cool to me. Total production for the year was 30,464 Corvettes and 84% of them were coupes and the remaining 16% were convertibles. The base price for the Corvette in 1973 was $5,398.
Man, it seems that 1973 Stingray’s are falling from the sky anymore. I like the 73 MY also Bruce, and this is a good looking girl here. Nice to see the shields up on this one, myself I would have used finned LT-1 covers. Not sure on the price. With any luck, good or bad I am going to be posting my 1972 here this summer. Take care, Mike.
I’d rather have the L82 option than the LS-4. Not so much weight up front for the minimal horsepower loss.
Back in the 80’s one of our club members had a ’73 big block. He joked about only getting 10mpg but man that thing sounded narly.
I own and enjoy a silver 73 L48 4 speed coupe. This blue beauty is very fairly priced. I owned a 71 454 coupe from 1976 to 1978. Horrible on gas and numerous problems. My 73 is fully sorted and drives better, has no rattles like the 71 and overall is the best C3 I have ever driven.
Not sure about the price either. I am sure that all bets are off on Corvette pricing today. I was shocked to see a Corvette I bought less than three years ago for $12,000 is valued at $18,000 by Hagerty. I could not care less as I don’t plan on selling and I am of the opinion that an insurance company setting values for cars might be a little “iify”
Nice Corvette. Probably a bargain at today’s prices.
I will leave it up to George to talk about the virtues of owning a ’73.
NO air! Ugh!
I agree. There used to be a time when I didn’t care, but now that I’m older and fatter, AC is nice.
Chuck, my first car was a 1956 Plymouth that had FOUR air conditioners! Drivers side front, drivers side back, ….
like the previous said no air but power windows and leather int. odd ball cobination.
@TMK
This 1973 Corvette was quite possibly sold new in an area with frigid winters and mild summers.
I compiled a 1963 Corvette Registry years ago and I recorded a ’63 convertible sold new in Hawaii which had the C48 Heater and Defroster Deletion which gave the buyer a credit of $100. Only 124 such cars were ordered for the ’63 model year. But appropriate for Hawaii.
I researched the air conditioning statistics for 1973 just now. Out of 30,464 total cars made, 21,578 did have air conditioning. That is a 70.8% ratio of cars WITH A/C. So, there were still almost 9000 with no air.
You know what all this proves? Nothing! LOL
And, if you go back just a 2 – 3years, I’ll bet the take rate on A/C was half that. The Corvette didn’t really start to gain popularity with creature comforts until about this time (’73).
That might be true for most cars, actually, except for luxury cars where A/C was expected.
@PRA4SNW
That is very true. The percentage of A/C Corvettes in 1970 was only 38.4%. So, almost half of what it became in ’73.
And I can relate to that. I bought my first Corvette in May of 1971. It was a ’66 coupe with the L79 350 HP 327 and of course, NO AIR.
But I really longed for a C3 which was the car to have at that time. So my next Corvette, which I purchased in late ’71 was a ’69 convertible. And as long as I was going to buy a C3, I wanted a blood and guts car. So I went for an L71 435 HP 427. And with that engine, NO AIR was available. I drove that car for 2 1/2 years. Between the payments, the gas bills (even at cheap prices back then) with a car that got 8-10 MPG and the repairs and maintenance to keep that big block running properly and the insurance premiums for a 19-21 y/o boy, I stayed broke most of the time. Plus girls weren’t crazy about riding around in the summer time with no A/C and the top down causing their hair to go flying everywhere.
So in early 1974, our local Chevrolet dealer had a ’73 Corvette coupe on their showroom floor which was traded back in by its original owner. I drove by their showroom several nights gazing and longing at that car. It was a 350 with automatic trans, power steering, brakes and windows. And it had AIR CONDITIONING.
I had started a new job not long before that and I was working a lot of overtime. So, I pulled the trigger and traded the old tri-power 427, 4-speed car with no power options and no air in for my first luxury Corvette.
And suddenly, I felt different. I guess a bit more mature. Some of my friends made fun of me for getting rid of the old car for this one. I told every one of them where my old car was and that they were welcome to go buy it! And you know what? Not a single one of them did.
Money talks and bull$#it walks.
Larry D, great story! So true that the early C3’s were more balls to the wall and they only got softer as the years went on. But, that necessarily isn’t a bad thing in every case.
I owned my ’70 Convertible (NO AIR) for almost 30 years (’85 – ’14) and it was usually an okay ride, but taking it to the beach on a hot day with the top down and sitting in traffic was not picnic. Not only was the heat a factor, but my left leg was numb after holding in that clutch for so long, and the engine (base 350) throwing even more heat into the cockpit. But, when you drove that car, it felt like you were DRIVING, if you know what I mean. You got out with that tingly feeling, smelling of exhaust and tingly great feeling that you just worked for all of the excitement.
Contrast that to a C5 that I drove and it felt like I was driving a ’99 Camaro I once owned – no exhilaration.
I thought I was done with C3’s, but I find that I would be very happy with a later one – more creature comforts and the looks. I just watched The Junkman (and the first Gone In 60 Seconds, thanks to tips here on Barn Finds) and I thought the scenes with Hoyt Axton’s wife’s yellow Corvette were really cool.
@PRA4SNW
Yes sir, I know how that is with the heat. That 427 was like sitting behind a fireplace! And with that heavy lump up front and no power steering, I built my arms up during my tenure with that car.
But I do believe once you have the high performance fire in your blood, it is nearly impossible to be rid of it. So I went through several luxury Corvettes over the years. But that fire was still burning.
In 2004, I was finally in a position to buy my first new Corvette. Of course it was a C5 like you mentioned. For a change, I could get it exactly the way I wanted it. So it was a convertible. Arctic White outside with Torch Red leather and a black convertible top. And here is where the fire kicked in. I ordered a 6-speed manual. And the Magnetic Selective Ride Control. And shortly after delivery, I had a cat-back Borla Quad Stinger exhaust system installed. Ooooh that sounded so good! I was 52 at the time. I kept that car for 16 1/2 years and never regretted my choices EXCEPT for two times. One time, my wife and I had driven it to Myrtle Beach, SC on vacation. We decided to cruise the whole Ocean Boulevard strip one Saturday night with all the kids. That little trek lasted for 2 hours. Of in and out and in and out with that clutch for that 6-speed. Oh my leg and foot were numb at the end. And the other time was when we agreed to take a little girl beauty queen through a Christmas parade. By then I was 65 y/o and that trip lasted over an hour of in and out with that clutch! My knees were really in bad shape by then and that parade really proved it.
So, unfortunately, in 2020 at the age of 68, 16 1/2 years after purchasing that Corvette new, I decided it best to let her go to someone who could drive and enjoy her more than I could anymore.
I hated to admit it but I was an old man driving a young man’s car. It was time to let go.
Larry D
I own a 1972 Corvette and I am 68 years young. They can take her once they pry my cold dead hand from the Muncie shifter….