Corvette Values: 1972 Convertible

Neal B. sent us the following email: Hi, I am in the process of restoring a 72 convert. The car came with a m21 close ratio 4sp and no other options. It is steel Cities Gray. Is the tranny rare for a 1972 and is the steel cities gray rare. The reason I ask is, I don’t particularly like the color (blue is my color). However, I may sell it when it is finished and I want to get the most out of it. Thanks Neal Our Response: There were three transmission options available in 1972: the base wide ratio 4-speed, the Turbo Hydra-Matic Automatic and the M21 Close Ratio 4-Speed. The M21 was installed in just 1,638 Corvettes out of a total production of 27,004 making it an option in just 6% of the Corvettes produced in 1972. There were 10 exterior colors available in ’72 and the steel cities gray was selected in 2,346 Corvettes or just over 8% of total production. Because there so many colors offered in 1972, this doesn’t add any real value to your Corvette. If your ’72 is numbers matching but the exterior color is different than original, you may take a slight hit in the value of the Corvette. You can minimize that hit by going with a color from the same year. If you decide to repaint it blue, go with Bryar Blue, offered only in 1972 on 1,617 total Corvettes: http://www.corvetteimages.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=image&id=14946 Our current price guide shows an average 72 Convertible valued at $21,600 with a one year appreciation of 12%. The 68-72 models have been showing tremendous value over the last few years and that trend will probably continue.