This 4-speed 1975 Corvette is listed for sale here on eBay with a Buy It Now Price of $5,900. It is described as a running project barn find with a matching numbers 350 cubic inch V8 engine. The Corvette is located in Clinton Township, Michigan and the odometer shows just 58,000 miles since new. The car is said to start up and run but the prior owner passed away and the seller doesn’t know a whole lot about its history. Painted in blue with a black interior, the 1975 Corvette is going to need some cosmetic and interior work before it can be classified as a driver.
The interior shows a lot of wear for a 58k mile car. The seat stitching on the driver’s seat is worn and the carpet looks worn and faded. The console is damaged but the 4-speed shifter looks good sticking out between the bucket seats. The seller purchased the car from an estate and says that the engine still retains its original hose clamps. As with all Corvettes of this era, the car is equipped with t-tops and a tilt/telescopic steering column. The front windshield is cracked and the car has manual window cranks.
The Corvette retains its numbers-matching L48 designated 350 cubic inch V8 engine. The seller makes a big deal about this but I don’t think a numbers matching base engine is much of a plus for this car. The L48 was rated at only 165 horsepower from the factory in 1975. It was the low point in horsepower for Corvettes and the engine only produced 255 lb-ft of torque. The optional engine for 1975 was the L82 350 cubic inch V8 engine that produced 205 horsepower from the factory but had the same torque output as the L48.
This car is considered a project because it has body damage. The front bumper and rear bumper are missing along with some damage to the fiberglass on the passenger fender. While not too bad, a competent person with some fiberglass experience could fix the damage and install new bumper covers. This could still be a fun car and it would be easy to bump the power up in this small block Chevy engine.
Be glad to sell my ’75, also blue. Never repainted, typical nose/tail and some fiberglass issues, shoddy interior. But never wrecked, a barnstormer of an engine, aluminum heads, etc. 100% dry/rust-free frame.
Considering a BF auction, if anyone would be interested.
Bring it on! It HAS to be better than this sorry mess!
This is not about you,it is about this vetted mother yours how sell it elsewhere…
This doesn’t look like to bad a car for the asking price. The L-48 didn’t run as bad as people seem to think, and for it’s time, it was just about as quick as anything else you could buy.
The missing bumper covers are typical for all GM cars built between 73 & 75, that came with urethane bumper covers. Something in the urethane GM used for bumper covers in that time frame caused the urethane to actually crumble and fall apart over time. Around 76, the formula GM used was changed, and their newer urethane parts seem to last indefinitely.
This car appears to be fairly well equipped, with power steering, power brakes, power windows, factory Custom leather interior, and tilt/tele column. About the only option missing is AC, which is not surprising for a Michigan car. If the frame and body structure are solid (always a question mark with MI cars), this could become a nice weekend cruiser for someone.
The cool thing about this era C3 is the fact that the only Corvette actually owned by Zora Duntov was a 1974. If it was good enough of the Father of the Corvette…
good enough “for” . What happened to the “edit” function? or does that also cost $50 now?
Nope, doesn’t seem to work for me these days either.
I am glad the owner states that it starts “wright” up when you turn the key. He mentions nothing about how it runs. Can’t tell for sure by the pictures but it appears the back breaks have had some work. On these cars they had rivets and it appears the rivets are gone on the back. Not a problem. Just saying. I can tell by looking at the car and by the interior there is no way on Gods green earth that this car has only 58,000 miles on it. No doubt it is 158,000. If the man would take offers around 4 thousand, it could be made into a decent driver. At 5,900 and the work needed, it is a little too rich for my blood. Yes, 2 grand makes a difference. Even though the engine runs, you can tell by the pictures, some work is needed. That would be the time to do some things to beef up the HP.
Ha. The back “breaks”. That’s great.
My back breaks…every morning until my caffine brake. 😎
Another Michigan rust bucket. I wonder if there is anything left of the frame ?
Looks like a good project for someone price is right
All the typical C3 problems. Bumpers that fall apart before your eyes. Cheap leather stitching that ripped in a few years. At least nobody ripped off the smog pump. Not having AC is a blessing and makes it much easier to work on. In a world of overpriced Corvettes, this is a fun car to drive. I drive my 73 coupe as much as possible. Cheap fun and still worth more than any other 1975 car.
“At least” nobody ripped off the smog pump?
It’s so interesting to me that the impressions of these seem particularly divided between people in California and otherwise. Given what it costs to work on/restore a C3 it’s strange to me what people value in any given example.
IMO, a bad birdcage means it’s worthless. But beyond that paint > glass > frame > drivetrain when considering valuation. ’cause that’s the order those things cost in.
As GBvette pointed out, most important items not described are frame and birdcage. Heck check it out and make the guy an offer. Not worth putting a new frame under and remember Mich winters are tough. Good luck and stay safe.
Cheers
GPC