Although I tend to be a Mopar guy, I still appreciate a nice Corvette. The fiberglass-bodied sports car has been around through several body styles over the last few decades and an interesting phenomenon occurs whenever they change the shape of the ‘Vette. Sophisticated car buyers thinking of buying one hold off for the new body styles. Shopping for one in 1962? Hold off for the updated 1963. Why buy the C5 in 2004 when you can get the C6 in 2005? As a result, the new models often saw a bump in sales while the older models would see a drop in numbers shipped. But flash forward a few decades and which are more collectible? As we know, rarity is one factor which often pushes price and desirability north.
Such was the case with 1967. Chevrolet sold more than 27,000 Corvettes in 1966 but the numbers slipped below 23,000 the following year. In 1968, the sales would jump back up again to more than 28,000 with the new body style. Thus, 1967 Corvettes are rarer than the ones which came immediately before and immediately after. And it was the last year of what many people consider to be the iconic shape for the Corvette.
I recently had the opportunity to inspect and go for a ride in a remarkably clean 1967 Corvette convertible. My good friend, Mark Lieberman, runs Nostalgic Motoring and just happened to have this particular car in his inventory.
This one is Lynndale Blue although the paint is so shiny it doesn’t photograph as well as it looks (at least not with an amateur photographer like me). The car has a recently rebuilt engine, clutch and a few other tweaks but looks for the most part like it rolled off the assembly line not too long ago. Certainly not fifty years ago.
This Corvette is powered by a special high performance 327 rated at 350 HP. It was available with a wide array of options and engine choices but the variety on this one seems just about right. (Hey, did you know you could order the 1967 Corvette with a “Heater/Defroster delete”? It’s amazing what you can learn when researching things on the internet.)
Cars like this are often pampered so they age well. This one has only 69,000 miles on its odometer which seems about right considering how clean it is. The owner replaced a few things along the way – like the seat covers – but held onto the old ones as well. As a result, the car is being sold with a host of extra parts – ones that were taken off and replaced with new, and new parts which could be put on if a new owner wants to replace a few things which might wear out. Same thing with the wheels.
I’m not in the market for a car like this at the moment but I talked Mark into taking me for a quick spin in it. What else are you going to do on a nice Thursday afternoon? If you’re curious, this car could be yours for $69,500. Watch the video to understand what a great deal that is. And to appreciate the “Side Mount Exhaust System” – the option cost $131.65 back in 1967 and was worth every penny.
Steve Lehto is a writer and attorney from Michigan. He specializes in Lemon Law and frequently writes about cars and the law. His most recent books include Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow, and Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird: Design, Development, Production and Competition. He also has a podcastwhere he talks about these things.
