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Chrome Bumper Finale: 1972 Chevrolet Corvette

Until recently, this Chevy Corvette had been a one-owner car for the better part of 40 years. But the last 10 of those were spent in storage, so it’s going to need some TLC to get it going again. But the car seems original, including the paint and interior. Once you get it running, you could put off working on cosmetic issues while you drive it on weekends. From Eastpointe, Michigan, this C3 Corvette is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $14,000 (maybe less for serious buyers). Thanks for the 70s tip, JimA!

The Corvette was little changed physically going into 1972, yet sales were up by nearly a quarter so buyers must have liked what they saw. It would be the last model year that featured chrome bumpers on both ends, to be replaced in 1973-74 by urethane materials that should have helped the car meet the new Federal safety standards for low-speed impact damage. Also, this was the first year where SAE net measurements were used across the board to publish horsepower ratings.

This sports car has one of the two 350 cubic inch V8 motors offered in ’72 (either 200 or 255 hp; we don’t know which one is here and no engine compartment photos are provided). You could still upgrade to the 454 “big block”, but the power increase there was negligible. The detuning process for lower emissions was starting to take hold by that point. The seller’s Corvette has a 4-speed manual transmission and – at just 55,000 miles – could be original along with the V8, but we don’t know for sure.

The Sunflower Yellow (paint code 912) finish is likely factory and not in bad shape, all things considered. If you are concerned about show quality, then this machine will have to spend time in the paint booth. The interior doesn’t seem to be marred in any significant way, but a closer inspection is needed to validate. Since all the photos are taken from the back of a trailer, we assume the seller bought it out of storage to resell it to a Corvette enthusiast. This has the makings of a good restoration project that may have a solid foundation to work with.

Comments

  1. Avatar L.E. G.

    I may be wrong, but I think the color of this car is actually warbonnet yellow. Sunflower yellow is actually a yellow. Warbonnet is somewhat of a gold. I know this because I painted my 69 Camaro that color.

    Like 5
  2. Avatar Richard van

    Yep. He is right on the color

    Like 1
    • Avatar L.E. G.

      Pictures don’t show an LT1 Hood so it must be the lower horsepower engine. The ad talks about the paint being patina ready. This just means there’s not a whole lot of hope of getting anything out of that paint job other than redoing it all. I do like this generation of vets though. It wouldn’t take a lot of work to get some horsepower out of that block.

      Like 2
      • Avatar Greg K Member

        Same engine as 71 just rated lower.

        Looks like the seats were swapped out from another year, they’re way too dark and may not have the upper shoulder belt bezels.

        Like 2
  3. Avatar PRA4SNW

    The asking price doesn’t seem too bad for a ’72, but this is a car that you are going to have to get up close and personal with in order to make an offer.

    Like 0
    • Avatar George

      The car has the deluxe interior package. You can see the wood trim on the shift plate, the carpet on the door panels and the saddle leather seats.

      Like 0
  4. Avatar Mr C.

    I owned a 72 base 350 Coupe in the late 70s. It was pretty slow. A year or two later I bought a 71 LT1 and it was much quicker and fun to drive. It also was a roadster. I wish I had kept the LT1.

    Like 0

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