Production-wise, 1977 was a great year for the Corvette, as its sales reached a new record, with the coupe selling like hotcakes despite a hefty price tag.
Chevrolet shipped over 49K cars, and one notable achievement is that the GM brand built the 500,0000th Corvette this year.
Buyers could order two engines. The standard L48 was a 350ci unit with 180 horsepower, while the L82 upgraded the maximum power to 210 horsepower. However, the L82 was a costly upgrade, as it could be had for $495. Only 5k customers ordered this option.
The 1977 Corvette in these photos left the factory with the L48 under the hood, but the people at West Coast Classics claim the rare feature is actually the transmission. The car is fitted with the M21 four-speed manual gearbox, which was installed on only 2,060 Corvettes. This means you can find this transmission on only 4.2% of all Corvettes manufactured in 1977, and it’s impossible to tell how many are still around today.
The car looks good despite recently being found in a garage. The car has been sitting for a long time, and you can tell this is true by checking out the paint. However, this isn’t the original finish on the Vette, as a previous owner had already resprayed it.
While the car’s condition is obvious, and anyone can inspect it by clicking through the photos in the gallery, I can’t help but wonder what’s with the number on the clock. The garage in charge of finding a new owner for this Corvette claims the odometer indicates 1,879 miles – a photo in the gallery confirms the advertised mileage.
However, it’s unclear if this is the original mileage (which could be, considering it’s a Corvette that spent some time locked in a garage), so you should contact the sellers and ask for more information if you want the car. If the mileage is true and original, it could be the 1977 Corvette with the lowest miles, as I don’t remember seeing another example manufactured this year with less than 2K miles on the clock (correct me if I’m wrong, and you can use the comment box below for this).
Otherwise, fingers crossed that this Corvette finds a new home fast. The car requires some minor TLC, including paint fixes, but it’s otherwise running and doesn’t seem to need a complete restoration;
The bidding starts at $10,875, but nobody has entered the race to take it home so far, making me wonder if the mileage is accurate. Anyone who wants the car without a fight can trigger the Buy It Now option and pay $14,500 to get it. Today. The Corvette is parked in Torrance, California.