Valuable Valentine: 1972 Chevrolet Corvette 454/4-Speed – Sold?

February 26, 2022 Update – We just confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found we’re assuming this ride “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

It’s funny how car interior color choices can change in the span of just a few years.  A prime example are the number of C2 Corvettes (1963 to 1967) we find equipped with a white interior and yet if memory serves us right, this 1972 red over white C3 coupe originally listed in January 2022 on Craigslist in Scottsdale, Arizona (Phoenix) is the first one we’ve come across with this color combination.

Featuring a 454 cubic inch Big Block and four-speed manual, the seller currently has their Corvette listed for $32,000.  Comparing that price against the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms the private seller has their C3 Coupe priced between this guide’s #3 “Good” estimate of $29,800 and its #2 “Excellent” appraisal of $50,900.  Similarly, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls between this guide’s #2 “very Good” estimate of $28,450 and its #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $39,075 before factoring in a forty percent premium for the LS5, manual transmission, and power steering, brakes, and windows.

1972 was the last model year for chrome bumpers at both front and rear, the vacuum actuated pop-up windshield wiper door, as well as the removable rear window common to all 1968-72 coupes.  The front-fender-mounted, key-activated anti-theft alarm system became standard. The increasingly popular choice of an automatic transmission was installed in most Corvettes for the first time, with nearly 54 percent so equipped.

General Motors adopted the Society of Automotive Engineers (“ASE”) new net horsepower standard for 1972.  Consequently, while power was already down from the prior year due to GM’s decision for all cars to low on low- and no-lead fuels, the new standard made the power figures appear to decrease even further.  1972 was the final year for the small block LT-1 engine, now rated at 255 SAE Net horsepower.  The LT-1 could now be ordered with air conditioning, a combination not permitted in the two previous years. The LS5 454 cubic inch big block was again available and came in at 270 SAE Net horsepower. Noteworthy is in ’72 the LS5 was not available to California buyers, a trend that would only increase throughout the 1970s as California emissions regulations only tightened even further.

The Emulsion Alchemist YouTube Channel features this 1972 Camaro and Corvette dealer training video. If you’re interested in only watching the Corvette section, you can fast forward to 5:50 in the video:

The red over white color combination grows on us each time we look at this car’s pictures. We also like how vintage five-spoke American racing wheels and blacked-out side pipes give this Corvette a sinister look. This appears to be a nice driver-quality Corvette you can actually drive and enjoy rather than admire it from your garage door.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“Selling my 1972 Corvette 454 big block factory four-speed runs and drives excellent very very fast just a really nice car all the way around needs nothing everything works! I do have the luggage rack for it also in my garage, Rebuilt 454, new roller cam kit, fresh heads, new performance clutch, new aluminum radiator, new high output alternator, new tires, new rims, new cross drill/slotted rotors, new power steering and hoses, new dual electric fan, rebuilt pro-form 750 holly carb.“

Show or go: what would you do with this 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe?  Comment below and let us know!