Vehicle Description
1979 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
Typically, after a celebration, life returns to a comfortable
baseline. Not for Corvette, not this year. We saw in 1977, the
500,000th Corvette roll off production, and in 1978 we celebrated
the Silver Anniversary. This year, in 1979, Corvette sold over
50,000 Corvettes for the first time in history, and 1979 still
holds the record for most Corvettes sold in a year! In addition to
surpassing production numbers, the 1979 Corvette was the first to
sell for over $10,000. The price hike didn't deter Corvette
enthusiasts, as evidenced by the numbers.
For consignment bought right off the Dale Earnhardt Sr. Dealership
lot in 1979 (as evidenced by the badge on the back) this special
"little red Corvette", looking just like it did the day it drove
off the lot. A snappy interior with plenty of woodgrain. A red
exterior, matching mirrored T tops, scalloped valve coverings
wearing the Corvette emblem, this car is a shower, and a goer.
Exterior
Gone are any evidence of chrome edges with any bumpers or grille
surrounds. Now the black painted horizontal ribbed grille is
surrounded by red neoprene which flares outward at the fenders and
has hidden headlights just above. These then run not a long front
hood with flanking shark gill vents on either side of the quarters
and a stainless steel rocker trimming. Mirror T tops in smoked
glass are near perfect and certainly have no leaky seals. Sculpted
doors with handles that push down on top near their sills are truly
aerodynamic and look great as well. The rear greenhouse curved
glass runs into a spoiler at the top of the now rounded rear of the
car, and still maintains the deep set round taillights. Dual chrome
tips peek out from underneath and this car, aptly named "Ginger",
just holds the beautiful line it came from the factory with.
15-inch slotted deep dish wheels add a nice contrast to the red
fiberglass which presents very well in condition overall.
Interior
Definitely one of the major highlights of this car, we see smooth
shiny supple stitched black leather covering the door panels on the
uppers, and utilizing black carpeting on the bottoms. A red
highlight of wrap around of leather is on the door pull and shiny
handles and toggles are within the black field. Turning our
attention to the inside, a rush of warmth wafts over my eyes with
the very interesting wood grained and highly lacquered dash front,
and center of dash panels. Not to leave out the steering wheel
which is of rally design and uses a mix of wood rimming and leather
in black. The center console is also bathed in the wood grain with
even the shift knob utilizing this wonderful warmth. In contrast to
this wood are thin lightweight two tone buckets in black and red
leather. The red is on the inserts and is horizontal large tuck and
roll, and the black is reserved for the bolsters, and these are
holding their shape and padding very nicely. Black carpeting is
flooding the interior and even in back is not faded. Showroom
quality and show ready for this rarely seen customization which
really works well together. Black covers the dash top and
surrounding stitched surfaces which are other than the lacquered
wood.
Drivetrain
A flip of the hood and more applause is necessary as we gaze upon a
pristine orange/red painted bowtie block, scalloped cast and badged
valve coverings, and supple hoses and red wiring throughout. 350
cubes is the displacement of this L48 4 barrel version V8, and a
3-speed automatic on back (TH350). The rear axle weighs in at 3.55
and an OH stamping code is on it. A nice presentation under the
flip forward hood.
Undercarriage
Nearly as nice as the topside, we note some slight surface rust but
overall, mostly black undercoating which is very clean. Straight
steel with the only issue seen is the radiator support on the
bottom is suffering from invasive rust and will need attention.
Independent SLA suspension is on all 4 corners, as well as power
disc brakes and power steering. Headers with a Flowmaster exhaust
in good condition are also installed.
Drive-Ability
A quick starter and very smooth idle, and after a warm up it was
off to the test track. Here it has nice smooth acceleration, good
solid braking and excellent handling. The interior is super snazzy
to be within. The tachometer, wipers and power locks are all
currently not working.
A looker with a beautiful engine bay, and even more beautiful
interior with the wood grain paneling, and two tone black and red
throughout. Very clean example with just a few faults that can be
buttoned up in an afternoon of wrenching. The pop off the T top and
breathe in some success when carving through the back roads in your
1979 Corvette. Please remember Ginger IS a SPICE!
VIN DECODE
1Z8789S420336
1-Chevrolet
Z-Corvette
87-Coupe
8-350ci L48 V8 195hp
9-1979
S-St. Louis, MO Assy Plant
420336-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.