Vehicle Description
1978 Chevrolet Corvette Low, 39,000 Actual Miles Eckler
turbo-designed body package Red exterior with yellow, orange and
red striping and a red interior Naturally-aspirated L82 350 CID V-8
engine breathing through dual side-exit exhausts Turbo Hydramatic
350 three-speed automatic transmission and 3.55 gearing IMSA-style
body flares with NACA ducts in front and louvered bubble in rear
Silver, reflective glass T-tops Royce Ltd. Seats covered in red
leather Tru-Spoke wire wheels Recessed headlights with clear
plexiglass covers Featured in 1983 issue of Custom Rodder While it
is not right-hand drive and you probably won't meet Mark Hamill or
Annie Potts while driving it, MotoeXotica Classic Cars is pleased
to offer the closest thing to the car seen in "Corvette Summer,"
this 1978 Chevrolet Corvette. The Vette was every school boys dream
in the day being the ultimate "Macho Man" car, complete with the
L82 power plant! This particular example, like all '54 through '81
Vettes, was made in GM's St. Louis, Missouri assembly plant. It has
since been enhanced with an Eckler turbo-designed body package with
International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) body flares and NACA
ducts in front and a louvered backlight. The paint and trim are in
overall excellent condition, as are the glass panels, including the
rear window with electric defroster. There are some spider cracks
in the paint upon very close inspection but overall very hard to
detect. The car's lights are very good order with the factory,
round pop-up headlights replaced by recessed quad rectangular units
covered by transparent plexiglass. This �Vette rolls on BFGoodrich
Radial T/A tires, size P255/60R15 in front and P275/60R15 in back
and each radial surrounds a Tru-Spoke wire wheel with center
spinners. The tires and wheels are in very good condition. The
car's bodywork is straight and solid; including the silver
reflective glass T-tops. Ralph Eckler began as a one-man body shop
in Rock Island, Illinois in 1961. Eleven years later, he published
his first catalog, offering fiberglass and other Corvette body
parts. The engine bay is very tidy, the battery appears new, the
cargo area behind the bucket seats is in good order and the car's
bumpers fit well to the rest of the body. Under the hood is a
naturally aspirated 350 CID V-8 with electronic ignition that
breathes through dual side-exit exhausts and is hooked to a Turbo
Hydramatic 350 three-speed automatic transmission and back by a
3.55:1 rear end. Driver convenience features include
air-conditioning, cruise control, power steering, power four-wheel
disc brakes, and power windows. Inside, the car's red interior is
eye-popping. Pair of red Royce Limited red bucket seats replaced
the factory seats and are in overall very good order. The matching
red carpeting is in very good shape, too, while the red instrument
panel, with its full instrumentation, three-spoke steering wheel,
red inner door panels, mirror glass, center console and shift lever
with wood handle are all in good order. Completing the interior is
a factory AM/FM stereo with cassette deck. This vehicle was
featured in a 1983 issue of Custom Rodder magazine. Nineteen
seventy-eight was the Corvette's 25th Anniversary and all 78s
featured silver anniversary nose and fuel door emblems. A
new�fastback�rear window was the most dramatic and noticeable
styling change, giving the 10-year-old C3 Corvette�body style�a
fresh lease on life. The fixed-glass fastback benefited both
aerodynamics and increased the usable luggage space behind the
seats while improving rearward visibility in the bargain. The
tachometer and speedometer were redesigned to match the new
"aircraft styled" center console and gauge cluster first seen the
previous year. Redesigned interior door panels were also new as
well as an actual glove box was added in front of the passenger
seat, replacing the map pockets of previous years. Available
options now included power door locks, a power antenna, dual rear
speakers and a CB radio. The optional convenience group, introduced
the previous year, now included intermittent (delay) wipers, floor
mats, and the passenger side vanity mirror was an upgraded
illuminated unit.� The more desirable L82 engines were also now
fitted with an aluminum intake manifold, which saved 24�pounds
compared to the cast iron unit of previous years. The Corvette
converted to metric tires with the P225/70R15 as standard. Wider
P255/60R15 tires were available as an option and required fender
trimming from the factory for clearance. The fuel tank capacity
increased from 17 to 24 gallons on all cars. To make room for the
larger tank, a smaller (P195/80D15) space saver�spare tire�was
utilized. Competition to this Corvette in 1978 included the Avanti
II, Datsun's 280Z, Jaguar's XJ-S, Mazda's RX-7, Mercedes-Benz's
450SL and Porsche's 911. This car is currently located at our
facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer
shows 39,215 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and
clear, actual mileage title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!! Click here for
our Corvette YouTube video! VIN: 1Z87L8S401032 Note: Please see
full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to the purchase
of any said vehicle, thank you.