L82, Only 29,320 Miles, EXCELLENT CONDITION, #'s Match, Auto, PRICED TO SELL!!

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Please call Matt directly at 513-708-1468 with any questions about this car.

Seven Hills Motorcars is very proud to offer this numbers matching 1978 Corvette Pace Car Edition in beautiful condition with the high performance L82 engine and only 27,320 original miles. According to the previous owner this Corvette spent the vast majority of its life in New Mexico in a moderate and dry climate. The car has nice lines and is totally solid with no rust issues. This Corvette looks great, runs well, and is an awesome driver. The Pace Car and special edition Corvettes draw a great premium over their standard Corvette counterparts.

Beside the high performance L82 engine and Pace Car package this Corvette is loaded with highly desirable options such as glass roof panels, YJ8 aluminum wheel with the correct red stripe for a Pace Car, AM-FM Stereo with 8-track, and much more. This is an excellent opportunity to own a very rare and classic Corvette that is ready to be used and enjoyed at an unbeatable value. One could easily buy this car now and sell it for more than the purchase price in years to come as the market on C3 Corvettes is very hot right now and on the rise, especially for the Pace Car Editions and well optioned examples like this car. Please peruse all of the photos, the extensive list of numbers, video, and other information in this ad to get a true sense of how nice and clean this Corvette really is.

This Corvette is verified as an original authentic Pace Car Edition by the special VIN sequence, separate from normal Corvettes of the year. The difference is in the eighth digit of the VIN. Only Pace Cars have a "9" in that position while all other Corvettes have a "4." The car is also verified as a real Pace Car by the trim tag, pictured in this ad, showing the correct 2-tone paint and Pace Car specific interior codes. The car is verified as an original and authentic L82 by the fifth digit of the VIN. Only the L82 Corvettes with have a “4” in this spot like this car does, a base motor L48 car will always have an “L” in the fifth digit of the VIN.

This Corvette is "Numbers Matching.” The last six digits of the VIN are stamped on the engine pad, which is pictured in this ad, and the engine is original to the car. The transmission is also original with the last six digits of the VIN stamped on the main case and pictured.

As a side note, this Pace Car Edition Corvette is not a dealer auction vehicle. We hand pick each car after careful inspection. Our Corvettes come from owners who expect their car to go to someone that will give the vehicle the same care and attention as they did. We invite and encourage you to examine the car in person or have the car inspected. Please take the time to scrutinize each picture. We photograph each vehicle to the greatest extent so you can feel confident about your purchase. If you have a question about the Corvette, just give us a call.

Model Description

1978 was a very special year for the third generation Corvette. It not only marked the 25th anniversary for the model, but also the first time that a Corvette made laps at the Indy 500 as an official pace car. 1978 saw the most extensive redesign of the car since the body style was introduced. The new design featured "fastback" rear end styling with a large rear window that drastically increased luggage space. The updates also included a newly designed interior with all new gauges, the addition of an actual glove box, and all new door panels.

To celebrate the Indy 500 Chevrolet built a series of pace car replicas. Chevrolet was extremely proud of the fact that as a pace car the Corvette was the first car to use a completely stock drive train, the first to be built from a one piece fiberglass body and the only pure two seater since before World War II. These pace car replicas had their own Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), separate from the standard Corvette, another first for Corvette. As well as having their own identification, the pace car replicas had their own paint scheme which consisted of a two tone paint with a red stripe and optional decals. The extremely high demand for the pace car continually increased the quantity produced and in the end Chevrolet decided to build one for every Corvette dealer, a total of 6,502.

Exterior

The two-tone black and silver exterior is in nice driver condition. As one can see in the photos, the paint has a great gloss and deep shine. Often Corvettes will have particularly chipped up front ends, this car does not and even the original low front spoiler is in good shape. The factory Pace Car Edition aluminum wheels are in fantastic condition with a brilliant finish and no curb rash. The BF Goodrich Radial TA tires have plenty of tread left and are correctly sized 255/60R15. There are no major imperfections that have been intentionally excluded from the photos. There some small blemishes around the car that were too faint to show up in the photos, but nothing that is very noticeable from five or ten feet back. The Pace Car Edition graphics and stripes look great. Both doors open and shut fine, but the car has brand new weather-stripping so the door can take a bit of effort to close until the weather-stripping compresses. As one can see in the many photos of the underside of the car, it is very clean and this Corvette has absolutely NO RUST ISSUES. The frame is totally solid with no rust around the "key hole" area in front of the rear tire and I have seen no evidence of corrosion around the windshield, which are the two most notorious spots for rust on a C3 Corvette. We have included specific photos of the areas most prone to rust to show how nice this car looks.

Please note that when a Pace Car Edition Corvette left the factory they did not have the large “Official Pace Car” decals on the door, they were put in the back of the car. The customer who ordered the car new could have the dealer install the decals on the door or leave them off. That is the same situation with this Pace Car. The decals for the doors are with the car and will be sold with the car. If the future owner would like the decals installed on the doors we would be happy to have them installed before the car is delivered, otherwise we will leave the decals in the back of the car.

Window Date Codes

Please note that almost all of the glass on this Corvette is date coded and original as the windows predate the car's body build date of April 13, 1978 (H13). Original glass is a good indication that this car has had no major accident history and never sustained significant damage.

Interior

The special Silver interior of the Corvette, which was an exclusive color for the Pace Car Edition, is in wonderful condition. The seats look just in person as they do in the photos with no holes, split seams, or excessive wear. The driver's seat is not worn in the typical area on the bolster where the driver gets in and out. The carpet is also in great condition with no stains, rips, or holes. This includes the rear carpet which is often neglected. The dash and console look awesome with no cracks. The door panels are in great shape overall. The door pulls are solid and intact. The jack and jack handle are still with the car, stored correctly behind the passenger seat. The original spare is still with the car. This Pace Car has never been smoked in; there are no burns marks and no aroma of cigarettes at all.

Corvette interiors from this era are not known to wear well and the excellent condition of this interior is a huge testament to the meticulous care and attention this car has received throughout its life and another great verification of the very low original mileage.

Mechanical

This Corvette seems to be in good mechanical condition. The car starts right away every time, runs well, and idles smooth. It drives great on the road and at highway speeds. In the video below one can observe the car accelerating on the highway up to about 70mph, shifting through all the gears, braking to stoplight, and going through some curves. Please note that there are no strange noises or vibrations and the car performs quite well overall. The brakes are responsive and do not pull to one side or the other. The transmission shifts smooth throughout the power band. This Corvette has plenty of power and is quite fast with the high performance L82 engine. The gauge shows that the engine makes great oil pressure. The car does not overheat. Also, the engine compartment is beautifully clean, detailed, and correct as one can see in the photos with the correct and original air cleaner and L82 finned aluminum valve covers.

The radio works as do all the exterior lights, interior lights, indicators, horn, and power windows. The blower for the heater and a/c works on all speeds. The vacuum system for the headlights works correctly. Also, the headlights go up properly with either the headlight switch or vacuum override switch. There complete operation form both switches can be viewed in the video. All of the gauges work with the obvious exception of the clock. The a/c does not blow cold. As with many older carbureted cars it is a bit cold blooded when first started. The wiper work, but the wiper switch is a bit sticky. The power locks do not work. The car has a brand new true dual exhaust system with no catalytic converter and a very healthy exhaust note. According to the previous owner this car sat for a number a years before he purchased it so there may still be some bugs to be worked out. Not enough can be said as to how much of a pleasure it is to drive this car, especially with extra power from the L82 engine and the T-tops out on a beautiful day.

Overall Condition

Overall, this 1978 Corvette is in very driver condition. The Pace Car Edition is probably the most collectible Corvette out of the entire third generation. Numbers matching is extremely important in Corvette pricing and as one can see, this car is very correct. There are photos below of the VIN stamp on the engine block and transmission. Special edition model Corvettes always draw a premium over their standard counterparts and this is especially true with the Pace Car. The originality, rarity, very low original mileage, and the great extent to which the numbers match make this car especially important and difficult to duplicate. This Corvette always gets a ton of attention driving down the road. It is very apparent that the vehicle has been well taken care of by its previous owners. The prices of C3 Corvettes have increased drastically over the past years. They are secure and wise investments for a collector. One could easily enjoy this vehicle for several years and sell it for more than the purchase price with minimal effort.

Thank you for looking and please do not hesitate to email or call with any questions.

 
 
 

item
number
description

VIN
1Z8748S903544
The first digit, "1," indicated the Chevrolet division of GM. The "Z" is the series, Corvette. The "87" is the body style, 2-door sport coupe. The fifth digit is the engine, 4, correct for an L82 car. The sixth digit, "8," indicates the model year, 1978. The "S" is the plant where the car was produced, St. Louis. The eighth digit, "9," is exclusive to the Pace Car Edition. The last five digits are a sequence number for the Pace Car Editions so this is the 3,544th Corvette Pace Car Edition made for 1978.

Body Build Date
H13
"H" corresponds to April and "13" is the thirteenth day of the month meaning this Corvette's body build date is April 13, 1978.

Engine Code
V0405
"V" means the engine was build in the Flint, MI plant.  The "04" is the fourth month of year and the "05" is the fifth day of the month meaning the engine was assembled on April 5th, 1978.  This is correct as it precedes the build date of the car.

Suffix Code
CMS
This means the motor was intended for a 1978 L82 Corvette with an automatic transmission, which is correct for this car.

Engine VIN Stamp
903544
The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 903544, are stamped on the engine pad and pictured below, meaning this engine is original to this car.

Engine Block Casting Number
3970010
The engine block has the correct 3970010 casting number for a 1978 Corvette.

Engine Block Casting Date
G 20 8
"G" is July, "20" is the twentyth day of the month, and "8" is the last digit of the calendar year so the engine block was cast on July 20th, 1978. 

Intake Manifold Casting Number
458520
The aluminum intake manifold has a correct 458520 casting number for a 1978 L82 Corvette.

Alternator
1102908
The part number stamped on the alternator 1102908 is the correct part number for a 1978 Corvette.

Alternator Date Code
78 D 03
"78" is the calendar year 1978, "D" denotes the month April, and "03" is the third day of the month. Meaning this Alternator was made on April 3rd 1978.

Left Exhaust Manifold Casting Number
3932461
This is the correct casting number 3932461 for a 1978 Corvette.

Right Exhaust Manifold Casting Number
3932461
This is the correct casting number 3932461 for a 1978 Corvette.

Transmission Casting Number
8640300 
The main case of the transmission has a 8640300 casting number. This is correct for a TH350, which is correct for a 1978 Corvette.

Transmission Casting Date
3-78 13
 The "3" is the third month of the year, the "78" is 1978, and the "13" is the thirteenth day of the month meaning the transmission case was cast on January 23, 1978.

Transmission Date Code
B8D06D
The "B" means the transmission as build in the Parma plant. The "8" is the last digit of the calendar year. The first"D" is the fourth month of the year and the "06" is the sixth day of the month. The second "D" is the shift in which the transmission was made. This would mean the transmission was made during the day shift in Parma on April 6, 1978.

Transmission VIN Stamping
903544
 The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 903544, are stamped on the main case of the transmission and pictured in this ad meaning this engine is original to this car.

Driver's Window
LJ
"L" denotes the month March, and "J" denotes the year 1978, meaning this window was made during March of 1978.

Passenger Window
XJ
"X" denotes the month February, and "J" denotes the year 1978, meaning this window was made during February of 1978.

Rear Window
NJ
"N" denotes the month January, and "J" denotes the year 1978, meaning this window was made during January of 1978.

exterior color codes

19
Black (Upper)

47
Silver (Lower)

interior color code

152
Silver Leather

 

 

 

 

 

 

rpo code
description

1YZ87/78
Limited Edition Corvette Pace Car

A31
Power Windows

A51
Bucket Seat

AU3
Power Locks

CC1
Removeable Glass Roof Panels

C49
Rear Window Defogger

C60
Air Conditioning

DL6
Pace Car Decals

D35
Sport Mirrors

D75
Air Deflextor

D80
Spoilers Front and Rear

D84
Two-Tone Paint

D88
Sport Stripe

K30
Cruise Control

L82
High Performance 350ci V8 Engine

MX1
Automatic Transmission

NA5
Standard Emissions

N37
Tilt-Telescopic Steering Column

QBS
255/60R15 White Letter Tires

U26
Engine Compartment Lamp

UM2
AM-FM Stereo, with 8-track

UA1
Heavy Duty Battery

U81
Dual Rear Speaker

VK3
License Plate Mount

YJ8
Aluminum Wheels

Z78
Limited Edition Corvette