Disclosure: This site may receive compensation from some link clicks and purchases.
Seventy seven may may have been on of the worst years for the Corvette. The good looks were there, but the power was seriously down. Still, how would you like to have a virtually brand new one today? Well, here’s your chance! This Corvette is only showing 4,549 miles on the odometer and is claimed to still in the hands of the original owner. It is being offered by a dealer here on eBay though so I’m not sure if the car should be considered a one-owner car or not. Either way, this is a great example of a not so great Corvette!
Great looking car, my dad had a red 76, if price was right I’d buy it and drop a crate motor in it and enjoy!
Why on Earth would you buy a Corvette this old with only 4k miles and “drop a crate motor in it”? Go do that to a higher mile car. The value in this car is the 4k miles. Change anything on this car and it becomes just another mid 70s 5000 to 8000 Corvette driver.
I’m with ya Dave. It’s nice enough that I would want to do the same thing! Save the original engine and drop in a 350-400 HP crate engine and enjoy! Everything’s perfect with this car except the smog control choked anemic small block.
I’d keep the original motor stored, I’d do it because I love these cars but they don’t have the power they deserve, and these are not those most desirable vettes around. This car would definitely well cared for if it was mine just with more power.
This is a great presentation. The seller has done an excellent job in preparing the car and taking pictures. The car is striking. The original tires are a plus. The rims were an option. The rear end of the car arched up a bit as it left the factory. That stance is hard to find. After a few years that rear would sag. 77 was the last year for the 90 lb. rear spring. In 78 went to fiberglass. Much better ride. Still a beautiful car. These were really a pig when new but were decent drivers. Used to be driving one meant something. Drivers of plastic would wave in passing. They were heavy and the 350’s under the hood were smog choked. With the mileage and condition to modify it in any way would be a sin. I agree 100% buy something else for a crate motor. You only have a half a million to choose from.
1981 was the first year for the composite rear leaf spring.
I’d be a sinner then lol, I truly love the look of these and I’d make it mine and enjoy it!
*gasp*
This is only for the crowd who wants to COLLECT cars, whether to stare at/show (museum style, whether private or public) or for monetary investment. (those two concepts are not mutually exclusive)
For me, or anyone else who views cars as art-forms best experienced “in motion”, owning this car would make little sense, because I (we) would have to DRIVE it.
It looks great, and one of my sons likes this body style a lot.
Sure, power/performance could be upgraded by spending some $, but again, that goes against the grain of what this car has become via its history and situation.
What a beautiful car! I would love to have it.
those rims are aftermarket
Nope, those were optional from factory.
I beg to differ, look at the factory optional rims, they are alunimnum, not chromed aluminum…did the guy pull the tank sheet?
The ad says wheels were added.
Nope.
OE Option.
No Alan, those are chromed aftermarket copies, I’ll bet this thing was delivered with Rallys and somebody added these, the stock ones never looked like this from the factory…….
Hmmm. ron e bee,
Yea, I admit I just glanced at the style. A friend had one of these vintage Vettes when they were new, and I just recalled the design of the wheel. If not OE, with GM markings, then that should be stated by the seller.
OTOH, it is possible that an OE set was sourced, but put through a refinishing job so that they would again look new. A factory finish might be hard to duplicate, but chrome or high polish should be easier?
Something that gives me pause is the “original” tires being Goodyear, but the spare shown is Firestone? Uhhhh….
I bought a NEW 77 Vette in midnight Blue. Mine was an early 77,that had the usual rally wheels with beauty rings. Mine also came with chrome mirrors. Mid 77 they had options of the wheels pictured, power antenna,molded mirrors, and some other options I have forgot.
I paid just shy of 10,000 for mine. IT WAS BY FAR WORSE RIDING CAR I EVER OWNED. A year or 2 later wish I had invested in an older vette. That 10k investment in a 58 vette would have been a better purchase.
Oh hind sight……This is still a very good car that will now increase in value.
Seller should take the money and run. I personally wouldn’t and haven’t owned a car I couldn’t drive.
BEAUTIFUL car! Would love to own for weekend drives and cruise-ins. This Vette deserves a special place in someones collection for what it is.
that sweet Corvette body
Like a young Farah Fawcett!
great mid seventies car, even with weak engine
They didn’t come much slower than these @180hp and the last pretty C3 was produced in 1972 and had “some” juice.
I’m not sure what it will go for, but it is almost the least desirable Corvette made. If you could find one of the cars built for California emissions with the 305 engine, it would be even less desirable, I think.
They’ve pulled the ad on ebay. Guess someone liked it. Doesn’t sound like you guys do. I drove a 77 daily back in the day for 3 years. I didn’t have any problem with the car being under powered. Of course I wasn’t out racing, I was driving back and forth to work. It got 19mpg on the highway. Very good mileage for a Vette back in the day.
I even drove it through the Michigan winters.
The ad is still up. 3 hours left.
Three little words: Reserve not met.
High bid of $23.3K.
Testing the waters, perhaps…. Next stop Mecum?
Yep, ads still up, ending soon. I pretty much agree with much of the above comments. I think this ebay ad is the top level standard for HOW a good for sale ad should look. Tons of information, well presented, pictures from every angle. This is worth a look for that reason alone. How refreshing! I dont like Fluff & Buff dealers, but i would feel relatively comfortable buying from one like this based on the ad. A LOT of sellers could learn a thing or 3.
As to the car, clearly its been very well detailed, but it IS in stunning condition. I would much rather have a 68-72 Stingray with small block and 4 speed, but this is a nice car. I too would be tempted to carefully remove the OEM parts and install another motor and drive it. Be able to return back to stock. But if you just wanted a show piece heres your car. VERY NICE.
Nice car, but what exactly could you do with it? It’s too nice to be a driver, too expensive to be a toy, but not really unique or rare. As an investment, it’s never going to match a strong performing mutual fund. Makes you wonder what the original owner was thinking by putting it up in storage instead of enjoying it…
I had a new Vette in 1976 with the optional aluminum rims, which look remarkedly similar to these, but were brushed not chromed. Mine was the “big” L82, which would go from 0-60 in about 10 seconds. Sure wouldn’t want to try that up against a current day Civic. It seemed kinda quick until timed it.
Barry Thomas’ “Wheel to Wheel” blog
Who are the writers for these barn finds? It seems that almost everything comment is a negative one towards the owners of the cars, or the how nothing has been verified. Um news flash, that’s why it’s a “BARNFIND”!!!
I wrote this one up, but I didn’t think I was being negative.
Neither did I, Jesse…..
Neither did I.
A “barn find” is the last thing this car is. It may have been driven by a barn at some point, but this car has been in a climate controlled environment since it was purchased. My opinion is it doesn’t even classify as a survivor since it was never driven & enjoyed as it was made to be…
Well put.
If the style of this high $ car is interesting for you, consider this Repocast listed ’75, with a claimed 77K miles:
http://auction.repocast.com/details.cfm?ID=2522719
Certainly not as new/nice as this car is, but at a fraction of the price?
I thought those rims were 78-79. I only remember Chevy rallies on a 77. My first ride in a Corvette was a 1977.
I had a 77 L82 it’s nothing like it t-tips.
I currently own an original 77 L-82, 4sp. Uncle bought it new. It has these wheels factory. It was an option. Brushed aluminum, the polished ones were later.