Porsche Tag Up Front: 1972 Chevrolet Corvette
We have covered a lot of Corvettes here on Barn Finds, but the Corvette in this ad has something I have never seen on a Corvette in all my years walking the Earth. Whoever is selling this car has bolted a Porsche tag to the front of this chrome bumper Corvette. Why would someone do such a thing? Perhaps one of us should email the seller of this 1972 Corvette for sale on eBay in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, and ask why they would commit such a crime against nature. Like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa or putting ketchup on ice cream, this is just the wrong way to treat a very original, but a little bit damaged Corvette. Has the bidding reached $13,001 because it is such a good deal, or is someone buying it just to ditch the Porsche tag?
The rivalry between Porsche and Corvette is one of the greatest rivalries of all time, right up there with cavemen vs. dinosaurs and Coke vs. Pepsi. Our past disagreements with Germany notwithstanding, the competition between America’s sportscar and the vehicular manifestation of Germany’s ability to make fast but complicated machinery is one of those longstanding arguments that aren’t life or death battles. They are more important than that. You never see Corvette tags on Stuttgart’s finest rides, why would someone go out of their way to perpetrate such an affront to humanity? What is worse is that the seller brags about using the car for special occasions, work, cruises, and car shows!
Perhaps the seller is using the tag as a ruse to distract the attention of potential stoplight combatants. Imagine sitting at a stoplight only to see this Corvette pulling up in your rear-view mirror. Then your eyes catch the unimaginable. While your mind is trying to process the UFO-level event, the light turns green, and you get left in the dust. If the Corvette driver was Bigfoot himself, you would never know.
What is most interesting is that this Corvette doesn’t need anything else to draw attention to it. This car is the classic chrome bumper C3 that many can argue is the high-water mark of Corvette styling in the seventies. This original car is in mostly good shape but has accident damage in the rear. What happened is not disclosed in the ad. However, many body shops can fix this damage and patch it in Targa Blue paint to make it look as if it never happened. It is doubtful that the hit caused anything beyond cosmetic issues.
A look at the two pictures above reveals a Corvette that has been well used, but not to the point of abuse. We can see that this car has vinyl upholstery, hand crank windows, and is equipped with air conditioning. While we are told that the air conditioning system doesn’t work, parts are plentiful for these older systems. One of the biggest issues seen with them is freon leaking out if the front seal of the compressor is not turned on occasionally (ask me how I know). As for other options, we cannot see any more with the picture provided, and the seller did not list them in the ad.
Underneath, there seem to be no glaring issues or surprises. The seller tells us that they will answer any questions and provide pictures of sections that can be a problem, such as the “birdcage.” As the car is a driver-level vehicle with presumably a lot of miles on it, the new owner would probably be smart to plan for trailing arm bearing assembly rebuilds. This is a known problem for C2 and C3 Corvettes and can be avoided with a little prevention and some folding cash.
Under the hood, we see what the seller states is a “nice original 350ci with a 4-speed.” If the steel valve covers are any indication, this is one of the lower horsepower engines for 1972. Besides the air conditioner compressor with a missing belt, we can also see that the ignition shielding is still intact. Whether the car has power steering and power brakes is hard to tell. The alternator does look to be a replacement, which would make sense given that the car has been driven quite a bit. The seller tells us that it runs and drives well for its age, but it is not a brand-new car or a restored one.
That is the beauty of this car. It is presentable enough to drive and enjoy every day after you get the accident damage fixed. The color is right, and the car comes equipped with a four-speed and air conditioning. Barring any unseen issues, the new owner may get a bargain if bidding stays low. Let’s just all agree that the Porsche tag has to go.
If you won the auction for this Corvette, what would you do with it? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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Comments
Nice car. Finally a Corvette at the original factory ride height. Little work and this is going to be a really good ride.
Maybe when the Corvette caught up to the Porsche, there was a little bit of an emblem transfer before the Porsche moved over to let the Corvette pass.
…and then they got to the twisty bits…
…and the Hans Herrmann wannabe driving the Porsche dove too far into the corner, hit the brakes hard, and swapped ends in an instant.
The original 911s had “bumper strengtheners” in front -two 22lb. weights to counteract the tail heavy dynamics. By 1972 Porsche had lengthened the wheelbase by 2.7″, added a ducktail spoiler, created some front suspension adjustability, widened the rear tires, etc. in their efforts to compensate for what is an inherently unstable design. The real brilliance of Porsche’s engineers is their ability to eventually make a great handling car out of the 911.
$14,850 with 5 days to go! No reserve. This looks like a sweet 1972 Vette. The rear damage is a minor detail. I always loved this body style, prior to the government mandated ugly bumper rule. Someone will get a nice Vette. I bet it tops $25k before it’s all said and done.
Looks pretty nice, has 5 days to go, should be interesting to see what it goes for. I had a 78 for a while, and I finally got a chrome bumper 70, more repair needed as it got hit in front left corner.
Their other car is a Porsche. Simple.
Does their Porsche have a vette plate?
I look at the cost of the completed project after it’s restored is it still worth what it cost to restore it added to the purchase price! A 72 Corvette 350 had less horsepower than a 57 Chevy inline 6 cylinder, and a 68 307 made as much as a 454 in 72! People are getting crazy with the money these days and if bidding does hit $25k and the $15 to $20k needed to restore it will prove the old saying “A Fool And His Money Are Soon Parted” on this one! If I were to blow $45k+ on an older Vette I believe I’d go after a 68 to 71 427 or 454 4 speed which can be obtained for what it would cost to buy and restore this one! Again, if you’re gonna be a Bear……….Be a Grizzly!!!
Amen and spot on. I wouldn’t pay a dime over 12k. But this is the era of people who “got to have it” no matter what. So someone will waste the money.
After reading the whole Ebay ad, I found myself looking for the listing for the C10 but couldn’t find it. Bummer
Paint alone on a C 3 can be 15000+ to do it nice…add up everything else may as well look for a done pre emissions 68-71.
Nice original Corvette. Yes, will need a lot of work, but not too many left that haven’t been messed with already.
That looks to be original paint – you can see the bonding strips on the fenders and the nose rivets that have sunk into the fiberglass.
At almost 15K with 5 days to go, not too much meat left on the bone.
Undercarriage pics look suspicious to me.
Porsche tag on a Corvette is plain foolish.
$5K car.
“As the car is a driver-level vehicle with presumably a lot of miles on it, the new owner would probably be smart to plan for trailing arm bearing assembly rebuilds. This is a known problem for C2 and C3 Corvettes and can be avoided with a little prevention and some folding cash.”
There are no trailing arms on C2 Corvettes. They came in 1963,with the independent rear suspension, on the first of the C3 generation Corvettes.
I don’t understand you cheebie people. It’s ok to put a 350 LLL engine in a 1932 Ford 3 window coupe, but someone puts a ‘brand x’ license plate on the front of a precious vette and the world is coming to an end. I really don’t get it. Is it April fools day already?
Throw that Porshe tag in the trash
I was thinking maybe the Corvette got rear-ended by a Porsche and the driver ripped the emblem off the Porsche in a fit of rage, then later screwed it to the front of his Corvette as a kind of trophy, like the fighter pilots used to paint (or have painted) on their planes