While it’s often said that the C4-era Chevrolet Corvette is one of the best sports/muscle car values out there, the C3 doesn’t typically get the same sort of affection. It’s often seen as more of a Saturday night cruiser, and a cheap one at that, whereas the C4 can be set up for not only cruising, but track days as well. This 1977 Chevrolet Corvette, however, shows you that at least one muscle car shopper in the late 70s was thinking about the backroads in addition the straightaways. Find it here on craigslist for $12,950.
This ’77 Corvette was built a very specific way when ordered at the selling dealer. First of all, it has a 4-speed close ratio manual transmission, which you simply don’t see in the C3 cars. Very, very few of these seemingly got the three-pedal setup, so that’s the first clue it’s something special. But then you go a bit further, and it turns out this ‘Vette also has the rarely seen FE7 Gymkhana Suspension, which added upgraded shock absorbers, a heavy-duty front sway bar, and a rear sway bar. Nothing crazy, but if there was such a thing as a track-ready C3, this was it.
The seller notes that this Corvette is also equipped with the optional G95 rear axle, which many C3 enthusiasts consider the ideal setup. It gets you a 3:36 gear ratio, which is sometimes referred to as the “highway axle ratio.” It apparently returns respectable fuel mileage, provides strong off-the-line grunt, and can maintain comfortable highway speeds. Putting this all together, it’s apparent the original owner of the Corvette really wanted to create the best version of a C3 he could find – and having a local dealer willing to place the order for a car set up in a way not every buyer would want.
Brown leather is also a very specific request, and it appears to be in good condition overall. Again, there’s very little about this C3 that didn’t request the specific preferences of the original owner, and thankfully, many of us would want our performance car set up exactly the same way. What always blows my mind about cars like these is how affordable they still are when a car ordered with similar performance-oriented options – say, like a Porsche 911 – would cost you significantly more money. For less than $13,000, this looks like an incredibly fun summertime ride. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the tip.
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