1974 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
Star Wars is described as an "American epic space opera media franchise" that has grossed over ten billion, (with a B), dollars over the years. It's not only the films that bring in revenue, but toys, video games, theme park attractions, books, and Legos, lots of Legos. So ubiquitous is the presence of the franchise in our culture, that it has inspired numerous automotive interpretations. Even Elon Musk was influenced and named his series of launch vehicles Falcon after the Millennium Falcon. Star Wars wraps have even appeared on NASCAR vehicles.
For consignment, a 1974 Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a numbers matching M20 transmission and 1,000 hours of custom paint work of Star Wars themed graphics. This is not a wrap, it's hand-applied paint by an artist. The car shows 30,952 miles which is not verifiable due to its exemption status.
Exterior
The white base peeks out from graphic panels that cover each side of the car is a galactic visual adventure from the first film. The murals were painted in 1977, so they are drawn from the original movie. The rear deck has the characters depicted in a sort of who's who of Star Wars and each panel is backed in an outer space purplish hue, creating dark sides on this landspeeder. If you favor the X-wing fighter, there it is on the driver's door and Darth Vader makes at least three appearances on the car. The graphics have held up well over the years but there are imperfections that include paint chips and scratches throughout and some bubbling. There's also some surface rust on the side pipes. As we'll note later, the headlights do not rotate down so their current fixed position is part of the exterior profile.
Interior
The black door panels are clean although they are missing the pull straps and the passenger side is missing some cover plates and is detached on the inside corner. The door jamb is multi-colored and we're not sure that was intentional, while the sill plate shows some aging. The driver's tall backed leather bucket seat has some aging with creases in the leather and some wear on the ingress point and the passenger seat is the better of the two. A-pillars, rear wall, and dash cover have been covered in a textured velour type material which started as black and has faded to a brownish-yellowish color. It's found on the E-brake casing as well where it retains most of its charcoal color. Behind the 3 spoke steering wheel, the standard dash is in good condition and the aircraft-like center stack houses five gauges and an AM/FM radio. The center console has some patina but is fine and features a ball topped shifter with reverse lockout in a black plastic panel with shift diagram. Plush black carpet covers the footwells and rear cargo area, where it shows a bit of fading. We imagine this car has had a lot of show time in the sun and likely with the t-tops removed.
Drivetrain
Under Darth Vader's nose on the hood, (does he even have a nose?), sits a Blueprint crate engine in the form of a clean 383ci stroker V8 crate motor with aluminum heads rated at an astounding 433.5 dyno proven horsepower. That's lightspeed, Luke. Back to the future we go with a 4-barrel carburetor feeding this Wookie and the numbers matching Muncie M20 4-speed manual launching it into orbit. Power is sent to the rear wheels where it is met with 3.36 gears and Positraction. Power disc brakes provide reverse thrust on this starfighter.
Undercarriage
Relatively clean and dry underneath with a preponderance of surface rust around, but no dripping oil in the typical places. We do note some oil on the left header, however. The knuckles are dry and the only invasive rust we note is a spot on the bottom of a side pipe, which is part of the dual exhaust system that starts with the headers. Coil spring suspension is up front and Corvette's complex rear suspension is present and capped off with transverse leaf springs.
Drive-Ability
Fortunately, you don't need to flip a bunch of toggle switches or pound on the walls to get this car started, making it more efficient than a Millenium Falcon. Prime the carb, turn the key, and the 383 fires up with quite the roar and Tatooine residents will hear you coming lightyears away. Plenty of power under throttle and nice road handling capabilities. We note a few things that are not working in this vintage ship including the A/C, the heater blower, the radio, the wipers, the reverse lights, the trip odometer and the headlights not retracting. Beyond that, all other functions such as lights and remaining gauges work as intended. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
Here's a one of a kind paint job that pays tribute to one of the great film legacies of all time. It will never go out of style and in the rare event it does, you'll still have a powerful, dyno'd classic 4-speed Corvette with more than 400 horsepower, an original Muncie M20 and T-tops. Head on over to the mothership in Morgantown or use your communicator to send a message today.
1Z37J4S404073
1-Chevrolet
Z-Corvette
37-2 Door Coupe
J-350ci V8 4bbl L48
4-1974
S-St. Louis, MO Assy Plant
404073-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
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