Corvettes for Sale: 1978 Silver Anniversary Barn Find

The first Corvette I ever drove, back in the early ’80s, was a Corvette Light Blue 1978 model, much like this barn find that has resurfaced after being hidden away for the past 35 years.

The years have not been particularly kind to the car, though obviously there are much worse examples than this one, currently attracting a $1,500 bid on Barn Finds with six days left in the auction.

Luckily, it was hidden in a dry, though unheated, garage when the seller located it, no doubt helping protect the plastic interior panels from sun damage and the frame and birdcage from the ravages of rust.

1978, of course, marked the 25th anniversary of the Corvette, with two of the most well-known examples from the entire C3 generation being the Silver Anniversary and Indy Pace Car variants from that year.

This one doesn’t have either of those exclusive pedigrees, though its Silver paint is reminiscent of them in appearance and like all the ’78s, it also has the “25th Anniversary” badges commemorating the special occasion.

Unfortunately, its L48 engine doesn’t run these days, and it’s too bad that it doesn’t have the more powerful L82 engine that provided 35 more horsepower than this one’s 185 horsepower. Some argue that you can’t really tell much difference in the performance on the road between the two engines, though the L82 is definitely more popular with collectors.

On the other hand, having the L48 does provide an incentive for a new owner to add some pizazz by installing a much more powerful crate engine. Coupled with the C3’s inherently good looks, including the introduction of the bubble rear end styling in 1978, the potential is there to create a very eye-catching vintage Corvette.

This one also happens to be one of just 972 outfitted with the optional glass roof panels, which we always thought added a sharp touch to the appearance of these cars. It also includes air conditioning, power windows, leather-wrapped tilt-tele wheel, and AM/FM radio – though we aren’t told if those features are still functional.

Good luck to the new owner, and seeing this car makes us wonder what ever happened to that baby blue Corvette that provided this writer’s first thrills behind the wheel of America’s Sports Car more than 40 years ago.

Source:
Barn Finds

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