Once, customers could walk into a showroom and order a car in a paint shade that wasn’t on that year’s color palette. That experience is now largely confined to prestige brands, but the first owner did just that with this 1972 Chevrolet Corvette. They didn’t limit their cash splash to the paint; they equipped the car with desirable factory options. It recently emerged from a private collection and is ready for a new home. The seller has listed the Corvette here on eBay in Hialeah, Florida. The high bid is just $5,300 in a No Reserve auction.
Chevrolet prepared for some major changes to the C3 Corvette for the 1973 model year. As such, 1972 was the final year for the chrome front bumper, the removable window on the Coupe variant, and the vacuum-operated wiper door. As standard practice, buyers could choose from ten paint shades when ordering their new purchase. However, Black disappeared at the end of 1969 and didn’t reappear until 1977. Chevrolet was flexible and would fulfill Special Orders for a price. The first owner followed that path, as this car’s Trim Tag confirms. It is unknown how many ’72 Corvettes rolled off the line in Black, but this one might be unique. It presents acceptably for a survivor, with no major cosmetic shortcomings. The paint shines nicely, and there are no significant fiberglass issues. The seller says the frame is rust-free, admitting to minor repairs on a couple of corners. The trim is in good condition, and the glass is clear.
Decoding the VIN shows the first owner didn’t limit their spend to special paint, ordering this Corvette with the 454ci LS5 V8. The big-block delivered 270hp and 390 ft/lbs of torque, fed to the road via a four-speed manual transmission. The C3 may not have been as potent in 1972 as it was a few years earlier, but it was still pretty impressive. Unfortunately, this classic is no longer numbers-matching, and the big-block has been replaced with a 350ci small-block. It is unclear when or why the change happened, but the seller says the car is mechanically strong, with no identified issues or shortcomings. Leaving the ‘Vette as-is would be viable, although some readers will assess its relative rarity and decide that sourcing a correct big-block to bolt under the hood would be their preferred course of action.
Trimmed in Saddle, the Corvette’s interior is tidy and serviceable, but not outstanding. The carpet is slightly faded, the wheel shows wear, and some plastic pieces are scratched. However, the big-ticket items, like the seatcovers, door trims, and dash, look pretty good. So, improving its appearance may mean replacing a few small parts rather than doing a full retrim. The first owner kept spending money inside this classic, selecting power windows, a tilt/telescopic wheel, and an AM/FM radio. The seller says that the wipers are inoperative and the radio produces static. However, the power windows and most of the gauges work as they should.
Finding C3 Corvettes finished in Black isn’t unusual, but this 1972 example left the line in that color in a year it wasn’t available, making this beauty both rare and distinctive. The listing statistics confirm that it has struck a chord, because the 14 submitted bids are the tip of the iceberg. The Listing View and Watch List tallies of 551 and 130, respectively, confirm that people like what they see, and I won’t be surprised if the action intensifies in the final hours. Are you tempted to join the bidding war, or will you join me as an interested spectator?
Beautiful car. Definitely do yank the SBC and put in the 454. Thats the one thing it needs.
I like the color and special order too.
The engine missing is sad but livable.
Picture 33 of frame has me a lil concerned but maybe its lighting ( looks like rust issues).
Fyi: i would try to find a date correct big block and sell the current non match small block.
I have a 402 BB non correct date to this car that could make hood match more to power underneath. I think finding a close to factory is main approach first.
Good luck with sale.
Nicely optioned, other than the lack of power steering.
I think this seller used to be featured on this site quite often selling Corvettes, often with issues.
Steve R
Wow that’s scabby rusty frame repair on this car as shown in the pictures.
I see no rust on that frame in the provided photos. The “scabby rusty frame repair” is a factory frame, not a repair. That is how the welds were done on C3s, believe it or not.
Static in the radio could be due to the ignition shield missing. Small blocks had it around the distributor and the plug wires. Big blocks had shielding around the distributor and then each individual plug wires had it.
real mess under the hood. that alone is a turn off and the missing 454.
I’ll say it again, every time BF decides to feature this EBay seller: BUYER BEWARE!
The guy has sold the crappiest pieced together cars ever seen.
I’m sure he’ll get a hold of a gem every once in awhile, but no one should ever have any faith in him, based on some of the crap he has pulled in the past.
It seems like the seller has a fan club of people with a similar opinion. Within the last couple of hours the bidding has gone from approximately $11,000 to over $30,000, every bidder has had 0 feedback.
Steve R
The radio has static because the polished stainless steel distributor cover is missing in action…
Removing the ignition shielding will only cause static on the AM band, it has no effect on how FM sounds or plays.
This car is not a survivor. The all-important original PAINT aspect, to be able to claim “survivor” status, is just not there. The two giveaways are that the holes that were originally drilled for the 454 badges are filled in and painted over, as well as the criss-cross side air vents behind the front wheels. Even if originally black to special order, it has been repainted.
I agree, and without any documentation it’s easy to claim it was originally black, but it could have been painted any car or truck color offered by GM. This car could even have been delivered in primer, as Chevrolet did build Corvettes in primer on request. In the early 70’s there was a paint shop in the DC that ordered a number of primered Corvettes to custom paint for members of a DC area Corvette club.
Looking at the trim tag this car appears to have had at least a couple different paint jobs. 72 trim tags left St Louis unpainted, but this car’s tag has obviously been painted over at some point. The tag has remnants of paint on it as well as abrasive marks from trying to strip it. There’s also obvious signs that the tag has been taped off during what may have been the most recent repaint and there appears to be white or some other light color visible to the right of the tag. It was also originally an AC car, but the compressor, condenser, etc are missing, and it’s also missing the fan shroud which means it quite likely runs hot.
That trim tag looks fishy to me. If this pile of crap is SPECIAL, why did the idiot who owns it not take better care of it. There are NO official records of how many black cars were built. Black was removed from the color choices for 1970 model year. Black returned for 1977. Just another boring money pit.
Very nice looking driver, and there’s nothing wrong with a healthy 350. Who cares if it’s numbers matching? Sold for $30,700.