The C3 Corvette is one of the most instantly recognizable cars in the world! Can I prove my obtuse statement? Nah, but you must admit, it’s a well-known template. Designed by Larry Shinoda, under the direction of Bill Mitchell, some would say that it’s pretty hard to improve on its original, right out of the box 1968 persona. Government regulations caused alterations over the years but Chevrolet’s designers did what they had to in order to preserve the iconic look while complying with the mandated changes. So, does anyone think that they could do better? Sure, many tried and today we have an example of some homebrew applied to a 1973 Corvette convertible. This example is located in Miami, Florida and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $3,050, with 32 bids tendered so far.

Right out of the gate the seller claims, “73 corvettes are rare one year only cars and convertibles are very rare“. They’re not. There were about 30K Corvettes assembled in St. Louis, Missouri in ’73 and almost 5K of that total were convertibles. Yes, it’s a one-year body style due to the aforementioned regulations, specifically a five MPH bumper up front, covered with a soft plastic nose, while the chrome bumpers, in use since ’68, were still hanging around out back. That would change in ’74 as the five MPH Federal bumper standard moved rearward and the ‘Vette would don a soft tailpiece to cover a studier bumper.

So what’s the custom deal with this subject car? Two items, one are the flared wheel openings, a very common enhancement applied to C3’s in the ’70s, and the other is the first-gen Pontiac Firebird taillight treatment. The fender flares appear to have been well executed. The flare, very minor (I think?) on the front openings, considerably more major on the rears, are well radiused and not showing signs of chipping, cracking or separating. The problem with wide rear flares and normal-sized tires, as is the case with this Corvette, is that it ends up looking goofy; sort of like bell-bottomed flood walkers. The red finish looks like it was slathered on – that’s some really thick paint! There are some ill-fitting body panels and one of the headlight doors appears to be giving us a wink. The fiberglass work around the Firebird taillights is lumpy and poorly applied – and it begs the question, why? It’s hard to improve on the Corvette’s signature round taillights. The body-colored Cragar wheels are a matter of preference; the body color treatment seems to work better on some wheel designs than it does on others.

The engine appears, and the VIN confirms, that power is provided by a standard 190 net HP 350 CI, V8. While it is listed as a numbers-matching powertrain, mums the word regarding its running status. The motor shows as complete though the ignition shielding is missing and the air cleaner is an inexpensive, aftermarket part. I’m not sure about the HEI distributor, my recollection is that 1975 was its introductory year. Whatever the case, it is an improvement over breaker points. A Turbo-Hydramatic, three-speed automatic transmission puts the go to the rear wheels.

While the convertible body style is always welcome, it appears that the top was down maybe a bit too much as the interior of this Chevy looks like it has seen a lot of mother nature. The seat covers are vinyl replacements and the console, carpet, and door cards are crudy. The auxiliary gauge instrument panel is rough and the Delco radio has probably moved to a new address. I particularly like the two sheet metal screws used to secure the steering wheel center horn cap. There is no sign of a folding convertible top but it may still be ensconced behind the seats.

The seller states, “What you see is what you get“. OK, so be it. This Corvette is a pretty minor custom, I suppose the new owner could try to straighten it out and make it more presentable. This Corvette doesn’t look like the appropriate example to spend the time, effort, and $$$ to convert it back to its original appearance – better subjects are available. While C3 Corvette customs were all the rage in the ’70s, I don’t recall ever encountering a design that I preferred over the original as Chevrolet intended, how about you?