Vehicle Description
1974 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
A few items of trivia to start the presentation: quiet please!! In
1951 a group of Harley Earl's "Special Projects" crew began work on
a GM sports car. Bob McLean designed a general layout for the car
which was originally code named, "Opel." William Durant, the
founder of GM, said a wallpaper pattern he saw in a Paris hotel in
1908 inspired the bow tie logo. Supposedly, he ripped off a small
piece of it and brought it back to Detroit. Myron Scott, at the
time Chevrolet's Chief photographer, is credited with coming up
with the Corvette name, drawing from the small, fast warships of
the "Corvette" class. The Jaguar XK120 is believed to have been the
inspiration for the first Corvette.
And now we present, from way back in 1974, a morsel of Corvette
history in the flesh, a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray! Drum roll
please!!! A 74,527 title verified original mile car and a
mechanically sound example gracing our halls here at Classic Auto
Mall. Along with ownership by none other than Jon Bon Jovi, a huge
binder of receipts, an automatic transmission, near perfectly
painted red fiberglass and a very nice interior.
Exterior
Your writer has the hots for this C3 design with its rounded rear,
low hidden headlight front, front quarter cove and a beautiful
rocker trim, the lines on this car just undulate in a hypnotic way.
The fiberglass all bathed in lipstick red, which remains good and
shiny at the deep end of the pool and the neoprene is pristine and
the same color black (sometimes it fades). Only a few very minor
inclusions are noted in this smooth as glass paint application. Up
top, removable body colored fiberglass roof panels give you that
open air motoring feel without the menace of putting down a canvas
top. A 1 year only rear neoprene bumper, with the center split
indentation, provides the backdrop for the iconic inset round
taillights. The chrome shows very nicely as do the stainless-steel
rocker trimmings. 15-inch deep dish Chevrolet rally wheels are on
all 4 corners and are wrapped in raised white letter BF Goodrich
rubber.
Interior
Neutral leather, (think white), abounds on the inside of this car
as many surfaces are covered with it. The buckets are styled like
things were in the mid 1970's with some tuck and roll inserts and
smooth bolsters and a nifty integrated headrest that has a bit of
space between the top of the chairs and the start of the headrest.
All thin and sleek and high backed and showing just the right
amount of age wrinkling and slight soiling. These seats butt up
against the rear storage cowl, which when investigated has storage
compartments in the floor all covered by nice black carpeting. A
clean white center console swims toward the dash and has a
contrasting smooth black padded armrest topper. As we move to the
dash which houses a gaggle of gauges directly above the center, we
see a silver callout plaque indicating cubic inches, torque and
compression atop the black plastic surrounding the gearshift lever
and temp wheels. Deep set gauges are in front of a black rimmed 3
spoke rally steering wheel, which works nicely with the angled in
black colored dash top and front. Very clean black carpeting floods
the floors and don't forget the door panels in white vinyl with
chrome actuators and slight soiling present.
Drivetrain
A flip forward of the long hood and we can see a clean and correct
350ci V8. We cannot determine numbers matching as the stamping pad
was machined during a rebuild in the past. Fitted within this
orange/red blocked mill is a Comp Cams camshaft with .463i/.469e
lift and 218i/224e duration. Atop is a single 4-barrel carburetor
feeding fuel through a polished Edelbrock intake manifold, and on
back a correct TH350 3-speed automatic transmission. The rear axle
weighs in at 3.55 with Positraction. This engine and bay is not
unlike the exterior and interior of the car which is amazingly
clean and in excellent condition, however we do note that the air
conditioning has been removed.
Undercarriage
A few smatterings of surface rust are noted but are mostly
unremarkable on this underside. Road dirt and slight corrosion are
seen on the suspension. Solid frame and floor pans as well as an
independent coil spring front suspension and a frame anchored fully
independent rear suspension with transverse leaf springs and
4-wheel power disc brakes are seen. Also noted the engine exhales
through headers and a dual exhaust which ends as turned down chrome
tips at the just under the rear bumper.
Drive-Ability
I was chomping at the bit and getting chafing from my britches with
anticipation of driving this C3. However, due to a faulty starter
my dream was cut short and my thighs left redder than the paint.
Our consignor is aware of this issue and is having it repaired so I
can hot lap this 'Vette around our fabled and well-hidden test
track.
Glass-like red paint with some shiny trimmings kept to a minimum,
snazzy Corvette wheels, a bright white interior and it is mostly an
original Corvette with a beefed up correct engine and transmission.
Add in the ownership of Jon Bon Jovi and what we have here is
probably one of the cleanest examples of a C3 Vette to grace the
floor at Classic Auto Mall.
VIN DECODE
1Z37T4S406513
1-Chevrolet
Z-Corvette
37-Coupe
T-350ci V8 L82 4bbl
4-1974
S-St. Louis, MO Assy Plant
406513-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
C22-October 22nd 1973 Build
TRIM 408-Neutral Vinyl
PNT 68L-Dark Brown Metallic
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 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.
