The second generation of America’s Sports Car, the Chevy Corvette, was in its fourth year in 1966. And the biggest development that year was the debut of the 427 cubic inch big-block V8, available with a horsepower rating of 425. And Corvette sales were up by another 17%. The seller has a numbers-matching L72 convertible with the optional fiberglass hardtop. It’s an unfinished project waiting to be completed. Located in Canoga Park, California, this firebreather is available through a dealer here on eBay, where the current bid is $25,000 (reserve unmet).
Corvettes continued to be built at Chevy’s St. Louis assembly plant. From an overall population of 27,720 units, 17,762 were convertibles ($4,084). And, of them, 8,463 had the removable hardtop that cost a whopping $232 extra. Somewhere in the mix, 5,258 Corvettes were ordered with the L72 427/425 hp (originally targeted at 450). That monster would set you back another $313. So, this car may have stickered for nearly $5,000.
The 1966 Corvette was supposed to be the last for the C2, but the “Mako Shark” C3 ‘Vettes weren’t ready and wouldn’t debut until 1968. This Corvette has started a body-off restoration on a rust-free undercarriage. Besides the 427, it also has a 4-speed manual transmission (rebuilt?). It comes with new mounting hardware to marry the body with the chassis, so we guess they’re just posing together.
This Chevy was once burgundy in color with a black bucket seat interior. It sports 4-wheel disc brakes and comes with both the soft and hard tops. The car’s rear bumpers are not pictured, but the seller has them for tendering to the buyer. Surely the rest of the car is not complete, so you will have to be sourcing some Corvette pieces to finish the project. Once restored, this will be one desirable hot rod.
This could be the baddest car on the block.