1977 CORVETTE L-82 LISTING ID CC-1744856
ORIGINAL OWNER
The auto for sale is a (Matching Numbers) late production (# 43,450 of 49,213) L-82 Corvette delivered to a GM dealer in Detroit who immediately assigned it to the body shop where the entire car was blocked, sanded, and covered with 6 coats of black lacquer paint. When finished, it was gifted to his nephew, a newly minted Medical Doctor. In the interim the Doctor had accepted a position in France, so he took possession, drove to Minneapolis then sold it to me in early November 1977. Since then it has been meticulously maintained for a very demanding Mechanical Engineer. Effectively I am the original owner although technically the car has been mine for 46 years less the few weeks it was in transit.
In Minneapolis the car was stored in a heated garage from October to May every year until 1986 when it was relocated to California and then to Arizona, where it has been garaged ever since.
The 1977 Corvette is a beautiful automobile, but this model year also had some significant disappointments. The 1977 Corvette is a 3500-pound sport car designed to operate with 350+ horsepower. By 1977 the L-82 engine output had been reduced by almost 150 HP due to “emission controls”. in my opinion, this model with 210 HP is underpowered and, even with the California Emission Certification option installed, it still failed to meet California or Canadian emission standards.
The shortcoming was addressed by Twin City Racing in Minneapolis who Installed an Edelbrok performance intake manifold and in 1984 after a 2-year year search installed a factory set of 2.17 Chevy heads. Estimated improvement 100-115 HP, several years later a custom exhaust system was fabricated and installed. The factory double “y”– single cat converter system was replaced with larger diameter straight pipes utilizing exhaust routing layouts designed into the Corvette frame. Another catalytic converter and twin high bypass mufflers completed the design. The results were amazing! Emissions for hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide, idle and loaded, were roughly 90% lower than Arizona mandates. A copy of the last emission test is attached.
As this Corvette sits today, it has roughly 350 horsepower, was licensed in California for 14 years and had no problem passing California emission protocols. If the buyer prefers a “Survivor” car most original factory parts are like new, including AM/FM stereo radio, clock, radiator tanks, set of 2.02 heads, intake manifold and other spare parts. It was last repainted in 1997.
In 2004 Mike Scott, a Corvette judge and owner of Corvette Corrections in Anaheim California appraised the car for “not less than $20,000” ($32,200) in 2023 dollars. In the appraisal he also said “this is one of the nicest 1977 Corvettes I have inspected. It is also one of the rarest by color combination. Black exterior and smoke gray leather interior. This car has been kept in very good condition inside and out. This vehicle is also highly optioned.”
A copy of the appraisal is attached. Maintenance log is available.
