Vehicle Description
Everyone loves mid-year Corvettes, and for a lot of enthusiasts,
1967 was the pinnacle of the breed. If your tastes run more towards
a car that you can actually drive and enjoy, one that likes to go
around corners as much as blasting away from red lights in a haze
of tire smoke, and one that will stand out in a sea of red, this
matching-numbers 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L79 Convertible is for
you. A former NCRS winner, it was built to that hallowed
organization's rigid standards, which unlike popular belief
actually sway more toward the imperfect than the trailer queen. The
result is 327/4-speed car with killer good looks and lots of
performance, making it one of the best 'bang-for-your-buck' C2's
we've featured in a while.
Sales were down in 1967 because everyone was waiting for the
all-new 1968 Corvette to debut and as a result, the '67s are highly
sought, particularly the numbers matching cars like this. As of
this post, the mid-year Corvette market has never been hotter, and
even with that upward value trajectory this is still a great time
to get into a small block '67. Big blocks are pretty much out of
reach, deep in six-figure territory, and super-clean examples like
this droptop L79 are the next best thing for any serious Corvette
fan. First, it's Code 984 Sunfire Yellow, a very popular color in
1967 and for obvious reasons. It's sophisticated yet fun, the
perfect color for cruising down the coast and listening to a groovy
Beach Boys tune. To kick things up a notch on the aggressive scale,
factory-spec side pipes were added along with factory heat shields,
although they left out the usual trappings of adding a silly hood
or any obnoxious decals, allowing that original Sting Ray styling
to do all the talking. As is common with restored Corvettes,
especially the valuable ones, the workmanship is very solid, with a
strong driver-quality paint atop a straight and stress-free
fiberglass body. Even after all these years (the restoration was
completed in early 1990s) and 50K miles on the build, the finished
product looks good, with crisp lines, nice gaps, and just the right
amount of shine in the finish to make it glow. It's far from
perfect, of course, but as a dialed-in driver it's a wonderful
example. All the chrome was restored years back when the paint was
redone, with things like the bumpers, door hardware, and window
surrounds still shining up nicely and providing an added zing to
this roadster's curb appeal. A factory tinted windshield is still
in place, just like the reproduction window sticker calls for, as
are the Corvette's limited badges and the iconic flip-up headlights
that work exactly like they should.
The 'STD' on the trim tag calls for an original black vinyl
interior, and although that exact color was kept during the car's
refreshening back decades ago, the upholstery still looks awesome
inside the 2-seater. Black is a perfect complement to the Sunfire
Yellow exterior finish, and the matching door panels, factory
center console, dash, and plush carpets are all in great condition
and look hardly touched when you consider all the miles registered
on the car since it was restored. A factory woodgrained steering
wheel warms things up and feels amazing in the hands of the driver,
there's a full complement of OEM gauges keeping any eye on the
motor under the hood, and the center of the dash houses a unique
vertical AM/FM radio that Corvette made famous. And if you like to
drive, you'll be pleased that this is a numbers matching Muncie
4-speed car and few things are as joyous as the sound of a burly
small block ripping through the gears in side-pipe stereo. A black
convertible soft top and removeable hardtop both come with the sale
and seal up neatly should the weather turn, although by the looks
of things it's been a while since either was called into
service.
There's an undeniable appeal to a drivetrain left in stock
configuration, but it almost always comes at the expense of
performance. When that original engine happens to be a
much-heralded L79 327 V8, churning out a full 350 horsepower, no
such sacrifice must be made. Topped with a 4-barrel carburetor atop
a stock-style intake it's running extremely well, and with finned
Chevrolet valve covers, and a chrome open-element air cleaner,
along with Chevy Orange enamel on the block itself, the engine bay
looks just like it did in 1967. It's paired up with the original
Muncie wide-ratio 4-speed manual that acts as the small block's
perfect dance partner, and it sends power to the 3.36 posi-traction
rear end out back. It's a truly noteworthy and classic drivetrain
combination, with enough power and torque to eat up asphalt with
ease. As testimony to just how serious Chevrolet was in making sure
their true American sports car stayed well ahead of the
competition, they had already gone to a fully independent rear
suspension and four wheel disc brakes when this 'Vette came out, so
in its stock configuration it's a nimble performer that's also
capable of stopping in very short order. Simple Rallye wheels
always look great on Corvette's, and they're wrapped in 205/75/15
BFGoodrich redline rubbers that fill the fenders perfectly.
Offered with a binder full of NCRS judging and title history, a
reproduction window sticker, owner's manuals, and a other
miscellaneous provenance, this is a truly dialed-in droptop classic
that's turnkey and ready to rock. A former NCRS show car now set-up
for rallies and local shows, this Sting Ray is ready to awaken the
driver in all of us. Call today!
