Throwback (Jan. 2020): 1973 Yellow Coupe
This nice ‘73 coupe with air conditioning was auctioned by a California dealer on the BringaTrailer.com website. This was technically a one-year model due to the combination of a 5 mph front bumper and traditional chrome rear bumpers. (The 5 mph standards for rear bumpers were not implemented until the following year.)
It looked completely original, with the proper Rallye wheels / trim rings, exhaust system, factory paint, cowl-induction hood, and interior. I suspect that the yellow factory color (code 952) was a relatively low-volume color in this model year, and it showed a nice contrast with the black vinyl interior. The removable T-top panels hopefully were optimized after six years of the third-generation production and should have provided a leak-resistant cabin. I had a fairly new first-year ‘68 coupe back in the day and it was prone to leaks and drips.
The interior looked very original and clean with little sign of wear. The only possible complaint you could have made about the whole car would have been the Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission (even though the 3.08 rear axle ratio would admittedly have made this a nice cruising vehicle). But a four-speed manual would have certainly added a little oomph to the 190 hp L48 engine.
This was basically a one-owner California car because it stayed with its original owner until it was acquired by the selling dealer. The car was nicely equipped with positraction, power steering and brakes, and air conditioning. The 41,000 miles indicated on the five-digit odometer seemed realistic considering the condition of the car.
The engine compartment looked tidy and clean as you would expect for a climate like southern California. Even the original ignition shields were in place.
The factory build sheet was included, and provided credibility to the configuration of the car. It indicated that the car was originally delivered to a California Chevrolet dealer. The car may have spent its entire life in sunny California.
This C3 was bid up to $16,101.00 on 1/6/20 and didn’t meet the reserve price set by the dealer, who was probably looking to get another thousand or two for the car. What do you think? For 17 to 18 thousand dollars a little over two years ago, could this have been a good buy for essentially a one-owner car?
About The Author
CF Admin
The Corvette Finder Administrator has owned a total of nine C2, C3, C4, C5, and C6 Corvettes and currently owns a Crystal Red Metallic 2008 coupe. The intention of this blog is to find and publish Corvette-related content that informs and entertains readers.