In America, our culture has often been driven by media.  In 1984, a television show called “Miami Vice” debuted on NBC.  Over the five-year run of the series the show set trends that still resonate with us.  One of those trends was flashy automobiles with European styling cues thanks to the white Ferrari Testarossa featured on the show.  If you cannot afford a Testarossa, you can get the next best thing.  This 1975 Chevrolet Corvette for sale on eBay in Miami, Florida was restyled with custom Corvette components mixed with a very European flair likely inspired by the stylistic leanings of this groundbreaking program.  This no-reserve auction is currently sitting at $2,113.  While the car is advertised as needing restoration, it does roll and has driver-quality paint.  Is it worth taking a risk on a uniquely styled 1975 Corvette to have a taste of those heady times once again?

In 1984, faithful watchers of NBC were treated to the debut of Miami Vice.  Set in mostly the then run-down South Beach area of Miami, this one-hour police drama was a visual and aural onslaught of fancy cars, tropical scenery, beautiful people, and crime in South Florida.  The show was a smash hit that changed the way Americans looked and dressed and what the more affluent drove.  Amazing cars hardly ever seen in most cities were showcased on our televisions every Friday night.  Of particular note was the main character’s season three ride: an alpine white Ferrari Testarossa.  This car, and many others on the show set off a wave of custom cars built to mimic the bright white paint, body kits, and louvered parts that characterized the European style in the eighties.  Suddenly everyone from AMG and their hot rod Mercedes Benzes to Dodge with their Shelby Lancer bathed their cars in bright white paint and bolted on ground effects.  It was a glorious time to be alive.

The 1975 Corvette you see here looks to be one of the custom cars of the era that was influenced by this styling trend.  According to the Miami based seller, whose Corvettes are often found on eBay and occasionally featured on these pages, this car has been sitting and will need a full restoration.  It was purchased from someone who owned it since 2004.  Unfortunately, we do not know how long it has been sitting and we assume by the lack of the word “runs” that it does not run.

While its status mechanically is a mystery, there are several positive attributes to this car.  The first is that it is advertised as a numbers-matching car.  That means something to Corvette owners, but for a 1975 model that may not be as influential as it would be for a 1965 model.  Also, this automatic-equipped car has traveled just 51,886 miles according to the title.  The interior is described as nice, and the bright white paint is labeled as driver quality.  The T-tops, described as a rare moon roof, are a unique addition to the styling of the car.

The aforementioned nice interior shown above looks to be complete with black leather seats.  However, it is hard to tell for sure.  We also see a leather-wrapped steering wheel, hand crank windows, a stereo of some sort, and aftermarket sill plates.  For its age and presumably long period of inactivity, this seems to be an interior that would be presentable enough to leave alone.

Under the hood, we see the numbers-matching engine with some corrosion on the parts and accessories.  We can also see that the car is equipped with air conditioning, power brakes, and, most likely, power steering.  There were only two choices to be made as far as engines were concerned in 1975.  You could have a 350 cubic inch small block V-8 with either 165 or 205 horsepower.  It was also the first year that catalytic converters were installed on Corvettes.

While 1975 Corvettes are usually the least valuable year of the long C3 production run, this one is very interesting.  The additional body panels are likely aftermarket pieces from Eckler’s Corvette of Titusville, Florida.  In addition to restoration parts, the company was made famous by offering all manner of add-ons for Corvette bodies.  From simple spoilers to full body kits that would stand out at a World of Wheels show, the company’s products were popular for those who wanted to customize their Corvettes and update them.  They look particularly nice on this Corvette.

Obviously, this Corvette would have been a bit long in the tooth by the time the Testarossa debuted in 1986.  However, you cannot deny that whoever built it managed to produce a rather good-looking semi-custom that breathed life back into what was then a used car.  It would be nice to see it cleaned up, fixed up, and back on the road as it is.  Even if the European styling trend is no longer with us, cars like this are still linked to a special time in America.  Sometimes it is nice to see a reminder roll down the road.