1973 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

- 350ci V8
- 4 Speed Manual Transmission
- 64k Miles
- Elkhart Green Over Tan Interior

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1973 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 165 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“Is the new (1973) 'Vette the best one ever?” – Car and Driver, December 1972

Hagerty Media gave a rundown on the '73 'Vettes: “As the door slammed on the muscle car era, new regulations for 5-mph front bumpers led to a color-keyed urethane front end treatment for the 1973 Chevrolet Corvette, replacing the chrome bumper. It added only 35 pounds, and the tail stayed the same as 1972 for another year.

“Corvette production increased to 30,464, but only 4,943 were convertibles, and 1,328 buyers chose the auxiliary hardtop for $267. … Chevrolet concentrated on sound deadening material to cut interior noise a claimed 40 percent. Rubber pads were fitted between the body and chassis. Steel beams were installed in the doors as crash protection. A cold-air induction hood was introduced and radial tires were now standard.

“Not surprisingly perhaps, 17,927 buyers opted for the 3-speed HydraMatic transmission and only 3,704 chose the close-ratio 4-speed M21 manual gearbox. A further 21,578 buyers selected air-conditioning, with 24,168 choosing power disc brakes and 27,872 choosing power steering.

“10 colors were offered again: Orange, Yellow, Metallic Yellow, Mille Miglia Red, Elkhart Green, Blue-green, Medium Blue, Dark Blue, Classic White and Silver. A further 30 cars were painted black at the St. Louis plant.”

Offered here in Elkhart Green (under a removable black-vinyl hardtop) over Dark Saddle is a 1973 Corvette Stingray Convertible, one of the 3,704 (just 12% of the year's production) built. The car's odometer shows 64,683 miles, or fewer than 1,350 miles per-year on average since new. The outstanding condition of the car reflects responsible-owner care, respectful use, careful upgrades, and low mileage-accumulation through the years.

The (code 947) Elkhart Green metallic exterior color is original; the paint retains an even finish with excellent gloss across the car's fiberglass body, including the front-and-rear fender flares and cowl-induction hood. (The color's “Elkhart” naming was a reference to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, home to Road America, the racing circuit where Corvettes were a common sight through the model's early years.) The black-vinyl-covered removable hardtop is free of damage. Rear chrome bumpers (their final model year) and the Endura-clad, painted front bumper are both in excellent condition, as are the chrome windshield trim and side-view mirror. Door handles show expected light wear from use. (To best assess the quality of the paint and chrome finishes, be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) The twin front black lower front grilles are complete but show signs of light toad rash as does the front chin spoiler. Original-tint cabin glass and lighting lenses—including on the pop-up headlights—are clear and undamaged. Factory badging—including circular crossed-flags-on-red front emblem, simple crossed-flags badge on the fuel-filler panel, “Stingray” script on the front fenders, and C-o-r-v-e-t-t-e lettering on the rear—is all properly located and mounted. Factory rally-style, 15-inch steel wheels with turbine-look “Chevrolet Motor Division” hubcaps and chrome trim rings, are mounted with Uniroyal® 225/70 Steel Belted Radial raised-white-letter tires.

The car's interior has been beautifully maintained. The Dark Saddle vinyl (with perforated center inserts) on the bucket seats appears nearly new with virtually no wear indications and absolutely no damage. Matching door panels include woodgrain upper trim and carpeted lower inserts; console-mounted buttons operate the power windows, and chrome door-release handles include the crossed-flags emblem. The factory, leather-rim, brushed-metal-trimmed, 3-spoke sport steering wheel with crossed-flags emblem frames the large 160-mph speedometer and 5,300-rpm-redline tachometer. Four engine-monitoring gauges and an analog clock occupy the center stack above the original push-button AM-FM radio. Instrument lenses are clear and the padded dashboard surface is very well-maintained. The center console hosts the shift lever for the 4-speed manual transmission, an engine data plate, and the handbrake lever. Tan cabin carpets show very well with no excessive wear. Leather storage pockets on the dash face the passenger. Overall, cabin surfaces are in well-maintained condition with only light normal wear; graphic markings on instruments and control surfaces are crisp and undamaged.

Under the front-hinged, cold-air-induction hood (the underside of which is pristine), the 350-cubic-inch V8 (with correct Chevrolet-orange engine-block paint) is the center of a clean but not detailed engine bay. A chrome, open-sided-air-cleaner cover and M/T®-branded, finned aluminum valve covers add flair. Viewed from below, the car's chassis is straight, complete, and undamaged. In particular, there is no compression damage to any component (as would be the case if the car had been subjected to overly aggressive driving styles or track use). The full-length dual exhaust and lower sides of the engine are visual focal points. Rust-inhibiting coating has been applied so surface rust is limited to some untreated metal.

The car's factory-mounted build and identification tags remain mounted.

While the more than 165 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '73 Corvette Convertible in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

Corvette enthusiasts all have their favorite years and models. And for the fans of the C3 (1968-82) models, the '73 Corvettes have the special appeal of a one-year-only body design without the Endura cladding in the rear. That, together with its Elkhart Green color, the rarity of convertibles that year, the even-more-rare removable hardtop, the 4-speed manual, and maybe most of all, its beautifully maintained condition make this example particularly appealing.