By the numbers, the decade of the 1970s was the most successful one for Corvette, because even though its performance was reaching its historic low-point, buyers who had grown up longing for Chevy’s sports cars were then able to afford one of their own. For 1973, the long-lived C2 Corvette got a new front bumper, but much of the 1968-72 styling remained, and as we all know, a Corvette always looks good in red. This is a one-owner example brought to us by Barn Finder Tony Primo, who spotted it here on craigslist in Yakima, Washington, where it has spent its entire 53,000-mile life garaged under the care of its original owner. It’s now for sale with an asking price of $29,500.
Here’s a neat little badge that tells the owner some of the specifications of the engine in their new Corvette: This convertible has the base L48 350, which produced 190 net horsepower. While net horsepower ratings became the industry standards in 1972, it probably took a little time to grow accustomed to engine outputs that seemed pretty emasculated compared to their immediate forebears, so it’s no wonder that Chevy decided to list the torque rating rather than horsepower.
The seller says that the 350 is an original matching-numbers engine, and it’s bolted to an automatic and, in the case of air-conditioned cars such as this one, a 3.08 Positraction rear end. All Corvettes came standard with limited-slip, because nobody wants to see a Corvette in a “one-wheel-peel” situation, although the L48 wasn’t going to create any truly impressive smoke shows without a little help from water or an abusive brake stand.
According to the seller, everything works, including all lights, gauges, and the original radio.
While it would be nice if the Corvette had a four-speed, most of us would be lying if we said we didn’t want to sink down into this Corvette and take a spin. Since it’s not a fire-breathing 427 of years past, why not enjoy the cruise with an automatic and air?
Since it’s being sold by the original owner, the Corvette will come with a load of documentation, which is always nice to have when you buy a new collector car. I’ll spend hours poring over old receipts and literature to get to know a new-to-me old car. That’s part of the fun.
According to the seller, this Corvette is “beautiful inside and out” and “runs and drives like new.” If you’ve always wanted a red Corvette but balk at the asking price of a new C8, maybe this one’s for you. Chevrolet sold over 30,000 of them in 1973, the second most popular model year up to that point. That many Corvette buyers couldn’t be wrong.
Absolutely beautiful!
My favorite C3 year. Nice find and fairly priced given mileage and history. The only things that would make it better are some white letter tires and perhaps a saddle interior.
Beautiful original Vette! Affordable and would be fun to take to cruise ins and shows. Yeah, a 4 speed would be nice but I’d love it! I never saw an engine spec plate, that’s pretty cool. This car has a really low gear ratio. I always thought these were up around 3.70s or higher. Probably ordered that way for a reason. I have a GM promo model of this exact same car, still in a little GM box given to me by a service manager friend of my Dad when he bought a 73 pickup. I still remember him handing it to me and saying “don’t drop it kid”