I just returned from a trip to Houston, Texas and one of the first things that caught my attention was a 1976 Chevrolet Corvette, parked in the shared parking area of an upper-scale residential community. I wondered about the car – its condition, which I would rate as fair-at-best because it appeared to have been sitting for some time and projected a generally tired image. Despite the mid-seventies Corvette’s lack of collectability, you still don’t see them publicly parked out in the open too often. Today’s discovery, thanks to BCB42, also a 1976 Corvette, looks surprisingly like my Houston find, so I thought it worthy of a review. Monroe, Louisiana, is where you’ll find this malaise-era example of Chevrolet’s plastic fantastic, and it’s available here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,500.

The mid-seventies were a tough time for cars of a sporting nature. It didn’t matter if it was a domestic or an import. They all had to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), the Clean Air Act of 1970, and the realization that cheap gasoline would now be a thing of the past. In ’76, Chevrolet’s iconic Corvette, while similar in design to the fire-breathing C3s that took up space on Chevy showroom floors between ’68 and ’70, had to incorporate all of the aforementioned regulatory impediments, and our subject car was the result. Still, sales are where the rubber meets the road, and this single-body style two-seater did exceptionally well, with 46K copies going to first-time buyers way back in that bicentennial year – a pretty good model year’s work!

Finished in what appears to be code 33 Dark Green, there is evidence of red underlying the very dusty exterior, so I’d suggest that this one’s a repaint (the trim tag lists the exterior as code 37 “Mahogany,” so I’m not sure what this ‘Vette wore when it left the St. Louis assembly line). It’s difficult to honestly assess the exterior’s condition due to the accumulated crud covering the horizontal surfaces. That said, no obvious damage or seam separation was noted, though this one is a “padiddle,” with one open and one closed headlight pod.

Inside, we find code 642 Buckskin leather upholstery that has seen better days – as has the cut-pile carpet that looks to be cut to shreds in the driver’s footwell. The passenger side door is missing its grab handle but the most egregious issue for many, isn’t the interior environment’s worn condition, it’s the employment of a Vega GT steering wheel – an obvious economy move and one that I understand, was not appreciated by Corvette aficionados. As to the rim’s plastic-coated condition, it’s hard to say due to its wrap.

Under the reverse-opening hood is a 180 net HP, 350 CI V8 engine tethered to an automatic transmission. The seller claims, “Runs drives and stops…transmission pan leak and alternator are the two biggest issues with the car.” The air cleaner and valve covers appear to be non-stock, and I don’t see evidence of the chrome-plated ignition signal suppression shielding – then again, maybe that was discontinued with the advent of the HEI ignition system.

The seller suggests, “Obviously, a project car needs cosmetic work and some TLC.” While these mid-point C3s are often offered as a reasonable entry point to Corvette ownership. What’s your thought, is this example a good place to start?