Jerry Palmer played a key role in the design of the all-new 1984 Corvette, but before the C4 ever made its debut, he had worked on the one-off 1975 Corvette Design Study that aimed to showcase future Corvette styling.
The ’75 Design Study had been commissioned by Frank Milne of “The World’s Largest Corvette Dealer” at the time, Harry Mann Chevrolet in LA.
Now, this intriguing piece of “unofficial/official” Corvette history is up for sale on Bring a Trailer – at no reserve. With five days left in the bidding, the highest offer has hit a very reasonable $15,000 – not bad for such a one-of-a-kind vehicle. It really deserves to be displayed at the National Corvette Museum.
Anyway, you can see the influences this car eventually had when, years later, Palmer was designing the 1984 Corvette, especially in the nose and front fenders, though the headlights are exposed, not like the eventual rotating units of the C4. We’re sure die-hards will be upset with the rectangular taillights unlike the round or somewhat round ones on the C4 through C6 generations.
Palmer started out with a stock 1975 Corvette convertible and then completely redesigned the front and rear ends, then modified the sides to bring it all together. At first glance, we were a little put off by the overall look, but the more we looked at the photos of the Design Study, the more we came to appreciate it and perhaps even like it.
Following Palmer’s efforts, the Design Study was built in fiberglass by coachbuilder Eric Ruffo, and when completed, it was featured in car magazines of the era and displayed at Milne’s dealership, then spent time in Europe before finally returning to the States early this year.
Since then, it’s undergone some mechanical work, things like a brake job, carburetor overhaul, and fluid changes. A new fuel pump had also already been installed in late 2023.
The bright red exterior – which includes a custom body-color removable hardtop and beige soft top – does have some chips and a dent in the left corner of the front bumper but overall seems to be in decent condition after all these years. The car also has basketweave wheels and a front-hinged hood.
The black interior looks more upscale now with its black Recaro bolstered seats in black cloth and vinyl trim and woodgrain trim on the console and door panels. A wood steering wheel, padded center armrest, map pockets, and color-coordinated carpet also add to the look.
The car has 45,500 miles showing on the odometer, which should mean the 350 V8 with a four-barrel Rochester carburetor should still have plenty of life left.
How do you think this Corvette should be treated when it comes to the history of America’s Sports Car?
Source:
Bring a Trailer via Silodrome.com
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Interesting….
For some strange reason I actually like this car but I’m ashamed to admit I like it!
Strange but historically important. Kudos to the current owner for keeping her tip top!
Get her in the museum!!
Looks like a mustang
I love it. Reminds me a lot of a Ferrari 308 and that era of styling. Incidentally, that also debuted in 1975….
The square front end certainly doesn’t blend with the swoopy back end,Corvettes have always been about smooth flowing body lines. It looks stuck on. It does evoke a Ferrari square front end style,not my taste either in beautiful bodies. Kudos for it being attempted in 1974,GM and Chevrolet needed all the help they could get back then. The Trans Am mesh wheels fit the era.
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