Exterior
The Two Tone Silver (13) and Charcoal (07) exterior is in excellent driver condition. As one can see in the photos, the paint has a terrific gloss and deep shine. Often Corvettes will have particularly chipped up front ends, this car does not. There are no major scratches, scrapes, or other imperfections that have been intentionally excluded from the photos. There may be some small blemishes that were to small to show up in the photos, but nothing that is really noticeable from five feet away. The original YJ8 aluminum wheels are in great shape with a brilliant finish and no curb rash. The BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires have great tread left and are sized 255/60/15. There are NO RUST ISSUES with this car and as one can see in the many photos of the underside it is very clean underneath. The frame is totally solid with no rust around the "key hole" area in front of the rear tire and there are no signs of corrosion around the windshield, which are the 2 most notorious areas for rust on a Corvette of this era.
Window Date Codes
Please note that ALL of the glass on this Corvette, both side windows, the rear window, and even the windshield are all date coded and original as each piece predates the car's body build date of June 13, 1978 (J13). Original glass is a good indication that this car has had no major accident history and never sustained significant damage.
The car looks just as good in person as it does in the photos.
Interior
The Oyster interior of the Corvette is in splendid condition. The seats are in excellent condition with no rips, seam splits, or excessive wear. Please note that these appear to be the original seats, not some cheap aftermarket replacements or covers. The original carpet is in good condition with no notable rips or holes. This includes the rear carpet with is often neglected. The door panels are in nice shape and both door pulls are solid and in tact. Unlike many Corvettes of this age, the door panels actually fit well and tight to the door. The dash and console are in excellent condition with no cracks, sun damage, or fading. The original stereo with CB radio is still in the car and sounds good. This car has not been smoked in and there is no cigarette aroma whatsoever. The original pedal pads are not excessively worn and, as one can see from the pictures, show normal wear for car with this mileage. Corvette interiors from this era are not known to wear well, especially with a light color like Oyster, and the amazing condition of this original interior is a testament to the meticulous care this car has received throughout it's life.
The interior looks just as good in person as it does in the photos.
Mechanical
This Corvette is in great mechanical condition and it is ready to be enjoyed. The car starts right away every time, runs well, and idles well. It drives terrifically and it is smooth on the road and at highway speeds. In the video below one can observe the car accelerating on the highway up to about 70mph, braking to stoplight, going through some curves, and shifting through all the gears. Please note that there are no strange noises or vibrations and the car performs quite well overall. There is no blue smoke when starting or driving the car. The brakes are responsive and pull slightly to the left under hard braking. This Corvette has plenty of power and is pretty fast. Also, the engine compartment is beautifully clean and detailed as one can see in the photos.
The wipers work as do all the exterior lights, interior lights, turn signals, indicators, and blower for the heater and a/c on all speeds. The a/c on this Corvette works and blows cold. One can observe the a/c compressor engaging properly and turning on in the video below. All of the gauges work with the obvious exception of the clock. The entire vacuum system for the headlights works with no binding in the mechanism. Also, the headlights are slow and go up correctly with either the headlight switch or vacuum override switch. The horn does not work and the car would benefit from a tune up to smooth out the acceleration. The car has a health exhaust note and no catalytic converter. Not enough can be said as to how much of a pleasure it is to drive this car, especially with T-tops out on a beautiful day.
The car runs and drives just as great as it looks.
Overall Condition
Overall, this 1978 Corvette is in great condition and would make an excellent driver. Special and Anniversary Edition Corvettes always draw a premium over their standard Corvette counterparts. Matching numbers is very important in Corvette pricing and as one can see this car is very correct. The prices of C3 Corvettes have increased drastically over the past years. This is especially true with the Silver Anniversary Editions in our experience. These cars have been catching up to the '78 Pace Cars in value and many people, myself included, prefer the Anniversary Edition over the Pace Car. This Corvette always gets a ton of attention driving down the road. It is very apparent that the vehicle has been well taken care of by its previous owners. The Silver Anniversary Edition Corvettes are secure and wise investments for a collector. One could easily enjoy this vehicle for several years and sell it for more than the purchase price with minimal effort.
