1978 Chevrolet Corvette 25th L82 Anniversary Indy Pace Car

Description

1978 Chevrolet Corvette 25th L82 Anniversary Indy Pace Car • Low mileage, 7,703 original miles and sold on a Kansas actual mileage title! • Unmolested true survivor Corvette with original paint and interior! • One of 6,501 Pace Car Corvettes made in 1978 • One-owner Corvette from 1979 with only 22 miles, and today only has 7,703 original miles! • Purchased along with a 50th Anniversary Corvette from the same Corvette collector! • Sold new at Midway Chevrolet, Inc. in Moundridge, Kansas • One of 6,501 Indy Pace Cars made in 1978 (VIN serial number starting with a 9) • Numbers matching 350 CID V-8 engine (code L82) • Original Turbo Hydramatic 350 three-speed transmission (code MX1) and 3.55 gearing • Gymkhana suspension (code FE7) • Original black (code 19) over silver (code 15) exterior with red trim and silver leather interior • Both sides of the Corvette still have the original bonding strips! • Air-conditioning, power steering, power four-wheel disc brakes, cruise control (code K30), power windows, power locks, rear window defroster, mirror-tint T-tops and tilt/telescopic steering column • AM/FM stereo with rare, optional CB and tri-band power antenna (code UP6) • Correct Goodyear GT radials, size 255/60R15 • 24-gallon fuel tank • Documentation includes the original window sticker, original manual, recent air-condition service receipt, original converter and the original smog pump • Included with the original pace car graphics still new in the box!Jettisoning the flying buttress B-pillars, Corvette for 1978 unveiled its new taillift; a fastback, wraparound rear window that improved aerodynamics, rearward visibility and cargo space over previous C3s. This example, however, is one of the still highly desirable 6,501 Indianapolis Pace Cars sold that year, which came with nearly all available options and helped mark the Corvette’s 25th Anniversary.(Be sure to check out our 50th Anniversary 2003 Corvette that we also purchased from this Corvette collector, check it out online or at our showroom in Fenton, Missouri!)Randy Hamilton of Kansas is the car’s second owner, he purchased it in 1979 with only 22 miles at the time.“That was the first year they were Indy pace cars,” Hamilton told his local newspaper in a 2015 article about his Corvettes. “They made one for every dealership -- special serial numbers and everything. It was truly a limited-edition Corvette.”“When they came out, they hit the market at under $15,000 and then they instantly went up to $25,000, everywhere,” he said.“We went down to Moundridge to buy this car like the 1st or 2nd of July in ‘78. I remember talking about it at the Fourth of July party at the neighbors’. The (car) had everything I wanted except it was an automatic. I like a clutch.”But when the Moundridge dealership asked for the $10,000 price upgrade, Hamilton walked away, at least temporarily.“A guy in Elyria bought it six months later,” Randy said. “He took it home, trailered it to a couple of car shows and never even put the center caps on the wheels.” The original owner also requested the Indy Pace Car decals not be installed and the optional Citizens’ Band radio was not connected. The decals, in their original box, and CB remain with the car.Hamilton heard from the mayor of Galva that the vehicle was up for sale.“He called me up one day at work and said, ‘Are you looking for a pace car?’ I said, ‘Oh yeah?’ He told me where it was. We went down there and it had 22 miles on it. The guy had it covered and he needed money real bad. It only has 7,700 miles on it now. I only take it to car shows or out on nice days.”This example, like all 1954 through mid-1981 Corvettes, was made in GM’s Saint Louis, Missouri assembly plant (VIN code S). It left the factory with the following options – two-tone paint, rear spoiler and front air deflector, aluminum wheels, sport sideview mirrors, contoured bucket seats, dual rear speakers, rear window defogger, anti-theft audio alarm system and more. It was delivered to Midway Chevrolet, Inc. in Moundridge, Kansas, north-northwest of Wichita.The original black (code 19) over silver (code 15) paint and red trim are in overall good survivor condition. Both sides of the Corvette still have the original bonding strips! That famous Coke bottle-shaped fiberglass bodywork is straight and solid, the cargo area behind the seats looks great and the body colored Endura bumpers still fit tightly.This ‘Vette has the optional Gymkhana suspension package (code FE7), which provided a heavy-duty, 1 3/32” front sway bar with heavy-duty mounting hardware, special front springs and shock absorbers, seven-leaf leaf springs in the rear, special rear shocks and a 7/16” rear sway bar with heavy-duty mounting hardware.This car rolls on Goodyear GT radials, size 255/60R15 at every corner, and each tire is mounted to an original, factory aluminum wheel. The wheels and tires are all in good, original order. That year, the Corvette converted to metric tires with the P225/70R15 as standard. Wider P255/60R15 tires were available as an option and required fender trimming from the factory for clearance.Under the hood is Chevy’s renowned 350 CID V-8 engine in L82 trim and is still original and numbers matching. A dual-snorkel cold-air intake combined with larger diameter and less restrictive exhausts yielded more power. For 1978, gone was the chrome-plated ignition shielding over the distributor, replaced with a metal-lined black plastic unit. L-82 engines were also fitted with an aluminum intake manifold that saved 24 pounds compared to the cast iron unit of previous years. Backing that motor is a Turbo Hydramatic 350 three-speed automatic transmission with a low inertia, high stall torque convertor (code MX1) and a 3.55:1 rear end. Driver convenience features included air-conditioning, power steering, power four-wheel disc brakes, Cruisemaster cruise control, power windows, power locks, rear window defroster, mirror tint T-tops and tilt/telescopic steering column.Inside, the original silver interior greets the driver. The special, lightweight, highback contoured leather sport bucket seats are in good shape, as is the matching silver carpet and slim headliner not covered by the T-tops. The factory three-spoke steering wheel original inner door panels, center console and shift lever all echo the condition of the rest of the interior. Fitted within the padded dashboard are redesigned tachometer and speedometer to match the new “aircraft-styled” center console and gauge cluster first seen in 1977.Redesigned interior door panels were also new as well as an actual glove box was added in front of the passenger seat, replacing the map pockets of previous years. A shade was installed that could be pulled forward to cover the rear compartment to protect cargo and carpet against sunlight. Available options now included power door locks, a tri-band power antenna, dual rear speakers and a CB radio. The optional convenience group included intermittent (delay) wipers, floor mats and the passenger side vanity mirror were an upgraded illuminated unit. Completing the interior is a factory Delco AM/FM stereo with dual rear speakers and the aforementioned, optional CB radio.Nineteen seventy-eight was the Corvette's 25th anniversary, and all ‘78s featured silver anniversary nose and fuel door emblems. A new fastback rear window was the most dramatic and noticeable styling change, giving the ten-year-old C3 Corvette body style a fresh lease on life. The fuel tank capacity increased from 17 gal to 24 gal on all cars. To make room for the larger tank, a smaller (P195/80D15) space saver spare tire was utilized.Six thousand, five hundred and one Indy-500 Pace car replica editions were produced featuring Black/silver two-tone paint, front and rear spoilers, mirror-tint roof panels and contoured sport seats. Reviewers praised the car's classic strengths including its impressive straight-line numbers, a 7.8 second 0-60 time and top speed of 123 mph and noted its more refined ride.Road & Track took a 1978 L82 to 60 mph in just 6.6 seconds, 127 mph flat out and covered the quarter mile in 15.3 seconds @ 95 mph.Competition to this Corvette in 1978 included Datsun’s 280Z, Jaguar’s XJ-S, Lotus’ Esprit, Maserati’s Merak, Mazda’s new-for-1978 RX-7, Mercedes-Benz’s 450 SLC and Porsche’s 928.Fans of third-generation Corvettes, Chevy collectors, Indy Car buffs or anyone wanting a solid late ‘70s boulevard two-seat cruiser with above average power and handling potentials, should stop by MotoeXotica Classic Cars and check out this piece of Plastic Fantastic from the Disco Era.VIN: 1Z8748S902114This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current actual mileage on the odometer shows 7,703 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, actual mileage Kansas title. 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