Will the soft bumper versions of a C3 Chevrolet Corvette ever reach the values earned by their steel bumpered brethren? Hard to say with certainty, they have their draw and attractiveness to certain buyers but yet, in generic form, don’t seem to achieve outsized financial results. Let’s look at a 1974 Corvette convertible and make our own assessment. This example is located in Marion, Ohio and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of  $7,501 with sixteen bids tendered.

The 1974 Corvette was the first year offered with a soft tailpiece, actually, two halves joined together, to complement its plastic nose piece introduced the previous model year. It was also the last year for the 454 CI “Mark IV” V8 engine, and the second to the last year for a convertible body style. The presentation on this Corvette is fair, it appears to have been repainted at some point and the paint job is presentable but not top quality. The tailpiece has been swapped with one from probably an ’80 Corvette, which incorporates a spoiler. The condition of the fiberglass panels, and their seams, look OK – though that rear tailpiece could fit a bit better. One nice feature about this car is its removable hardtop, always a nice addition on a convertible and the seller claims that the soft top is in good nick too. The alloy wheels are an aftermarket addition, they work OK with the overall visual image but are a matter of personal taste.

It is stated that this Corvette has been sitting for twenty years and its 195 net HP, “L48”, 350 CI V8 engine is a non-runner. It does, however, turnover so that’s a good sign. Nice to see is the four-speed manual transmission. Of the 37K Corvettes produced in ’74, 25K, according to Corvsport, were fitted with an automatic gearbox – that was a growing trend, so finding a manual transmission-equipped model is a fortunate discovery.

The interior images are just snippets and it’s difficult to make a value judgment around its overall condition. The door panels, console, carpet, and instrument panel, what can be seen, all present well. The steering wheel, like the tailpiece, has been boosted from a later model Corvette but is still in keeping with the overall Corvette character. It would be nice to see a comprehensive interior image – the steering wheel is moldy and it would be good to know about the rest of what’s inside suffers from the same malady.

The bidding on this no reserve two-seater is currently in reasonable territory and there’s not much more time to go with the bidding. And perhaps that’s the strength of the ’73 to ’82 Corvette, it’s the real thing, available at a manageable price. What do you think, what’s a 1974 Corvette convertible really worth and do you think the values will pick up the pace or stay flat?