Numbers-Matching 454: 1974 Chevrolet Corvette
It’s always fun to run across a well-preserved red seventies Corvette, and this is the second ’74 Stingray in this color we’ve featured on the site within the last week, with the other one having ties to a famous rock star. This 1974 Chevrolet Corvette here on eBay is said to have been senior-citizen-owned and hasn’t been in the hands of any celebrities that we know of, it’s just a nice driver with the best powerplant you could get under the hood, for this year’s model anyway. The C3 is located in Groveland, Florida, with bidding currently at the $16,200 mark, and there’s no reserve so the high bidder will be the car’s proud new owner.
The body on this one is said to be in excellent shape with no damage ever, plus it got a respray around a decade ago. This must be one really honest seller, as he indicates that the closer you get the worse the paint looks, and suggests a repaint to make it perfect. I’m looking, and looking, and looking, and personally can’t imagine considering another respray at any time in the near future, but I’m more of a driver than a showman and maybe the next owner will feel differently. I get that I’m not standing 5 feet away, as this is where the seller says the exterior flaws start to stand out, but going down the road this one’s bound to turn a lot of heads just like it sits.
1974 wasn’t exactly the pinnacle year for the C3 when it came to performance, with the L48 version of the 350 being the entry-level small block followed by the L82. However, buyers could still equip their Corvette with a big block, which came in the form of an LS4, a 454 cubic-inch motor producing an advertised 270 horsepower, not too shabby considering many other offerings from this time period made considerably less. The owner here has a good sense of humor, as he’s placed a 425HP decal on the air cleaner, but I added 396 emblems to my 350 Nova outside back in the eighties so there’s really no room for me to criticize here. A total of only 63k miles have been traveled, with the engine stated as having no issues and starting right up. No problems are reported with the automatic transmission either.
If you look closely, things inside are showing just a little wear here and there, but to be nearly 50 years old the interior still looks quite decent for a driver. The seller reports no rips, tears, or cracks, and the undercarriage and birdcage also both get a clean bill of health. While 1974 might not be the most coveted C3, this one seems to tick a lot of the right boxes, and with the obvious care this car’s been given, I’m thinking somebody is going to be thrilled for the opportunity to call this Corvette their own. What do you think?
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Comments
Yes there are a bundle of snakes draining power from this Clark Kent of big block power but once Superman is unleashed the ease it will rocket you to forgotten heights of speed will undoubtedly leave you breathless & a true believer this big block son of a 427 with the desire to conquer all before it will have you saying Long live the Rat! After all Mickey Mouse rules Walt Disney world , mice are nice & friendly but make no mistake this is Mickey Rat the conquer!
Cars like this get me to pondering. Maybe ~20K to win the auction. Similar money for the resto-mod. ABS brakes, modern transmission, updated steering, EFI and similar. The car is no longer “original” but there’s no shortage of mid70s C3 Vettes.
What you do have is something that stands out while being fully up to date for the price of a well optioned Camry.
My wife agrees with the theory, working on the practice part.
I’m not sure if I’m doing this right but me and my service dog are from new jersey I’m willing to give you $17000,00dollars cash and if you accept me and him will jump on a plane and we’ll be there whenever you decide that you will take my offer
You’re not doing this right. Go back and read the post.
Beautiful red big block 454 Corvette. Seems like a bit of a letdown with the automatic, but still car beautiful car.
Mike H.: by having the Turbo 400 automatic modified, you can drive the car manually when not left in Drive. First you add a shift kit for quicker/crisper shifting to get rid of the “slush-box” effect. Then the transmission shop will modify things so that the transmission HOLDS in every gear and no more automatic shifting takes place, unless the car is left in Drive. Thus modified, the transmission will shift much like a classic manual gearbox, except you won’t be pressing a heavy clutch with your left foot. Modifying a Turbo 400 or 350 like this isn’t very well-known, but it can give a driver the best of both worlds: auto shifting when in heavy city traffic…and spirited 3 speed manual shifting when on an open road with the top down (or roof panels off).
With a little work you could make that 425hp a reality,with some head and cam upgrades.Th400 trans are a little soft shifting and need a shift kit or reverse manual valvebody to give it that tire chirpin’ firm shift.Nice daily driver condition,very clean.
She’s beautiful. If I had 20K lying around I’d bid on her in a heartbeat!!!
Sold for 17,100. Someone did good.
SOLD for $17,100.
I would be proud to rock this red B.B.
I oncevhad a “gentleman’s” ranch outside San Marcos, Texas. Amoung the 12 cars I maintained was a 1974 Chevrolet Corvette. We had a back road that went from San Marcos up to Fredicksburg, Texas. This is the hill country and this road had a great deal of curves and hills. It was called the “devils backbone”. On Sunday mornings I would take the Corvette and run up to road and enjoy an outdoor coffee and then make the drive back to the “ranch”‘ I did have 13 acres so I am not telling falsehoods. This was a most enjoyable car eventhough I had the base model
$17,100 is an absolute steal. Somebody did well on this one. More power to them. Figuratively and literally.