Corvettes for Sale: L82/4-Speed 1973 Corvette in Rare One-Year-Only Color

By
Mitch Talley
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7
9732

Corvettes for Sale: L82/4-Speed 1973 Corvette in Rare One-Year-Only Color


The 1973 Corvette marked the beginning of the car’s trend toward a boulevard cruiser, but that didn’t stop the public’s insatiable desire for Chevy’s sports car during the ’70s.

Indeed, Chevy produced more than 30,000 Corvettes in ’73 on the way to hitting the all-time record of 53,807 for ’79. The ’73, of course, marked the debut of the new front bumper system with a molded urethane cover that added 35 pounds of weight and could take 5-mph hits with no damage to lights or safety equipment. The chrome bumpers were still in place on the rear, giving way to a similar two-piece urethane cover out back in ’74. Legendary Corvette designer Larry Shinoda has even called the ’73 one of his all-time favorites because he thought it came closest to the original designer’s intent for the Mako-inspired third-generation production models.

Corvettes for Sale: L82/4-Speed 1973 Corvette in Rare One-Year-Only Color


This ’73 being auctioned off on eBay this week has a lot of things going for it, not the least of which is its overall originality inside and out, including the one-year-only paint shade of Blue Green that’s said to still “show well for its age” despite being 50 years old. By the way, exterior color quantities aren’t available from Chevy, so we don’t know how rare this shade is.

With the auction slated to end Saturday morning, the high bid has hit $20,000, still short of the reserve.

Corvettes for Sale: L82/4-Speed 1973 Corvette in Rare One-Year-Only Color


Besides its survivor status, this car is no doubt drawing interest from performance-minded enthusiasts since it has the distinction of having the more powerful – and still original – L82 350 V8 engine that produced 250 horsepower, some 60 more than the base L48, all at a cost of just $299 more back in the day. Enthusiasts no doubt also favor its original four-speed manual transmission –though no word on whether this is the standard wide-ratio unit or the more rare close-ratio one.

This vintage Corvette also was optioned with other desirable features, like power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, and tilt wheel.

Corvettes for Sale: L82/4-Speed 1973 Corvette in Rare One-Year-Only Color


If the paint is still original, as claimed, we’d be surprised if it didn’t have a few inevitable nicks and scratches accumulated over the decades, but it still shows well at least in photos. But where this car really shines to us is on the inside, where the deluxe Medium Saddle interior looks to be in exceptional condition.

We remember a time not so long ago when ’73s were regarded as the red-headed stepchildren of the Corvette world, but based on the bidding for this one, those days are long gone.

Corvettes for Sale: L82/4-Speed 1973 Corvette in Rare One-Year-Only Color


Source:
eBay Motors via BarnFinds.com

Related:
Corvettes for Sale: 1965 Corvette Convertible on Bring a Trailer
Corvettes for Sale: Driver-Quality 1959 Corvette Offered for $52K on Craigslist
Corvettes for Sale: No Reserve 1957 Fuelie Corvette Offered at Hemmings

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7 COMMENTS

  1. Nice. Actually, that is a two-year color. In 1971 the color was called Brands Hatch Green, order code 983 (on trim tag). In 1973, as shown above, the color was called Blue-Green, but the order code changed to 945 (on trim tag). For both years, the GM paint code is WA4146, indicating the same formula, the same color.

  2. I don’t give a shit about anyone who thinks the 73 is the red headed stepchild. I would so have this car plus it’s an L-82! I’ve wanted a 73 ever since I first saw one as a kid. The 73 is one of my all time favorite Corvettes.

  4. Up to $35k with <20hr left, nice that mid model C3s are gaining value significantly.

    This one is nice , but it looks less original that described.

    I would question…
    Missing L82 badges on hood scoop and very glossy below beltline indicates some paint work.
    Later model thick rim steering wheel and replaced wood trim on console
    Missing oe clutch fan and shroud. Has non oe radiator and waterpump.
    Tall ride height indicates replaced rear / front springs

    Anyone else notice these things?

  5. I noticed some of those things but IMO some of that stuff is just nice looking upgrades. I think the gloss of the paint below the beltline is maybe due to reflections and the way the light hits the curvature of the panels down the sides of the car. 73 was the only year the L-82 models didn’t come with L-82 emblems from the factory. Keith- Bunky gets the shout out and accolades for the paint codes, not me.

  6. ’73 and ’74 L82’s didn’t come with hood emblems.
    ’75 was the first year but some early cars came without.
    L48 hood emblems were always aftermarket…

  7. I stand corrected on that. I’ve seen a 74 at a Corvette show with L-82 emblems on the hood bulge but now I know it had to have been owner installed at some point. That wouldn’t be very hard to do.

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