400/4-Speed: 1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
I’ve mentioned it before, but it often surprises me just how affordable some of the third-generation Chevrolet Corvettes still are. Granted, there are plenty of them out there and it’s not hard to find one for sale at any given time, but a lot of these seem like real bargains when compared to many of the same era cars we feature here on Barn Finds. If you’re interested in an entry-level car to get into the Corvette hobby or just looking for a nice driver, this 1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray would definitely be worth a look. It’s located near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and can be found here on Craigslist with an asking price of $8,900.
Over 46,000 Corvettes rolled off the assembly line for ’76, so there are a lot of them, but only a little over 2,000 of them wore the Dark Green paint like the C3 being offered here, making it somewhat of a rare color. The seller says the paint is 90% but stops there, so I don’t know if he means 90 percent original or 90 percent in good condition. Judging from the photos, the exterior presents reasonably well, and while it’s not claimed to be a show car it is said to be really cool and draw attention. Those Rally Wheels round out the package nicely, and it’s never a bad thing to have a luggage rack for a two-seater.
The car no longer has the numbers-matching engine, and in its place now rests a 400 cubic inch V8, but the seller still has the 350 block and heads. Nothing specific is mentioned about the motor, but it certainly looks neat and tidy under the hood and the car will light the tires up! There’s also a 4-Speed manual transmission, and I’m guessing this one’s a pretty competent performer.
The green leather seats are said to be in nice shape, but unfortunately, this is the only photo we get of the interior. Everything we can see in there looks OK for a driver, and although they came standard it’s always fun to have the T-Tops on a sunny day. There’s also no mention of anything underneath or any photos from down below, so I’d probably inquire about the chassis and birdcage before I got too serious. If they check out, less than $9k sure seems more than reasonable for what you’re getting here. What are your thoughts on this 1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray?
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Comments
Gee,I was in Hiawatha Sunday,for breakfast.
I didn’t see this while I was there.
That Dark Green paint is so awesome and such a change from what we’re used to seeing color wise. Now we know why, the rarity of it. As long as the birdcage and chassis are solid and based on the condition of the interior, this seems like a deal to me with the 400 motor to thrash the car around in plus the original for safe keeping. I never understood the non-practicality of the rear luggage rack. As soon as you strapped a suitcase to one, your rear view mirror was only good for making sure your suitcase was still secure.
The factory luggage rack was created to store t-tops on, which helped to save a bit of room inside the passenger compartment.
I never worried about what was behind me (but you did still have the side mirrors if you do). 😁😁😁 The only thing I put on the rack, was a shinny color matching Coleman cooler (Did you ever try to go on a road trip without cold beverages?). I had a gym bag stuffed behind the seats for clothes.
That’s true, I bought a new Corvette convertible in the spring of 1975 and then drove it to California and back from Iowa. Took a couple suitcases on the luggage rack, and couldn’t see a damn thing out of the rearview mirror but two suitcases. But it was either that or just wear the clothes I had on. It worked out fine though, other than I ended up in a chiropractors clinic with a stiff neck from turning my head too many times in an unnatural position trying to see a little bit over the top of the luggage.
Gone.
Luggage racks had been available for Corvettes since 61, long before t-tops were offered. In 77 a rack was first offered with brackets designed to carry the t-tops. Prior to that, luggage racks for Corvettes were just like those for other cars with limited luggage space, they were there to carry luggage. I don’t know anyone who carried tops on a luggage rack, prior to the rack with the brackets coming out.
While Chevrolet called the color on this car “Dark Green Metallic”, it has a lot of blue in it, making it more of a blue green. It’s a nice color, and quite different than most greens seen on cars. Interestingly, GM did call the matching interior Blue-Green.
I have a 77 Vette that I replaced the 350 with a 400. While I takes quite a bit to spin the wide profile tires, it’ll snap your neck when it shifts into 2nd. It’s a shame the price of C3’s are in the basement, because they were the transition into a touring car. Look for it on Bring a Trailer in a couple of weeks. Reserve is a lot higher than this one, considering a good frame/body and lots of new parts.
I carried my t tops behind the seats the luggage rack was just for show never used it
Must already be sold. Add deleted by author 🤦♂️🤦♂️
The price was way too cheap!
My 68 had the rack-it was a roadster no t-tops but a removable hard top.What a look to strap that hardtop to the rack. LOL
The only reason the Third generations are reasonable is because most of them were dogs with the Feds with emission regulations ruined just about any car that had horsepower. I wouldn’t buy a vette above 1974.