4-Speed, Low Miles, EXCELLENT CONDITION, #'s Match, Yellow Metallic/Black, PS PB

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

Seven Hills Motorcars is proud to offer this beautiful numbers matching 1973 Corvette Stingray Coupe in fantastic condition with the Muncie 4-Speed manual transmission and only 69,725 original miles. This Corvette looks great, runs well, and drives awesome. The Yellow Metallic (953) over Black Leather (404) color combination is exceptionally rare, highly desirable, truly striking, and looks great on this Corvette body style. It is also the correct and original color scheme as verified by the codes on the trim tag, which is pictured in this ad. The car also comes with the original factory build sheet, which also shows the correct color combination.

Besides the correct paint and trim codes this Corvette is "Numbers Matching" with the proper part numbers and appropriate date codes. This means that the engine and transmission that are currently in the car are the correct and original units that were installed at the factory in St. Louis in 1973. The last six digits of the VIN, 423147, 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.

This Stingray is loaded with popular options such as power steering, power brakes, tilt and telescopic steering column, leather interior, and 4-speed manual transmission. We have this car priced to sell and are offering an excellent opportunity to own a very desirable Corvette 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 early C3 Corvettes is very hot right now and on the rise, this is especially true for the 1973 model year as it was a one year only body style. The low original mileage is verified not only by the condition of the car, but also the clear Ohio title, pictured in this ad, that shows the mileage as “Actual.” Please peruse all of the photos, video, and other information below to get a true sense of how nice this Corvette really is.

As a side note, this 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

The 1973 Corvette was truly the end of an era. 1973 was the last year to feature a chrome bumper and is considered by some to be the last year of truly classic Corvettes. Model years after were more at the mercy of insurance companies, fuel prices, and emission concerns, 1973 is considered the last "good" year by many enthusiasts. The 1973 model year is also considered a special and different year for Corvette enthusiasts as it was the only model to have chrome in the back and a rubber bumper in the front. It is representative of the transition Corvette was making at the time. As in investment, the 1973 will always have an advantage and out perform other years because of its precedence as the end of a a very great period for Corvette and muscle cars as a whole.

Exterior

The Yellow Metallic (953) exterior is in decent driver condition. As one can see in the photos the finish has nice gloss, deep shine, and smooth finish. The original factory bonding strips are still present and visible on all four fenders, which is a big sign that this car has never been in any kind of accident or had any body work. Both doors open and shut nicely. The chrome and other bright look great with a brilliant finish. The wheels and center caps are in excellent condition with great finish and no major curb rash, please note that this Corvette still has the correct and original 4-clip style beauty rings, not the cheap foreign made replacements. The raised white letter tires have plenty of tread left. There are no major blemishes that have been excluded from the photos. There is a spot on the right door, which is visible in the photos. There is some light checking, a couple spots on the rear decklid, evidence the car had a luggage rack, and some other very faint imperfections and touch-ups around car that were too small to show up in pictures, but nothing else that is really noticeable from about five or ten feet away. Someone added some subtle orange tinted highlights to car as some point probably in the 70's or 80's. As one can see in the many photos of the underside this car is very clean underneath and has NO RUST ISSUES at all. The frame is totally solid with no rust around the "key hole" area in front of the rear tire and we have seen no evident of corrosion around the windshield or “birdcage” area, which is the most common 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.

Window Date Codes

Please note the almost all of the glass on this Corvette, both "Astro Ventilation" door windows and the rear window are date coded and original as each piece predates the car's body build date of June 11, 1973 (J11). Original glass is a good indication that this car has had no major accident history and never sustained significant damage.

Interior

The Black (404) interior of the Corvette is in excellent condition. The gauge faces are clean and crisp and the lenses are clear. The seats look just as good in person as they do in the photos with some minor signs of age. There is just a small amount of normal wear in the common spot on the bead on the driver's bolster. The carpet is in also in great condition with no stains or rips. This includes the rear carpet, which is often neglected. The dash and console are in great shape with no cracks, fading, or sun damage. The jack is still with the car stored correctly in the storage compartment behind the passenger seat. The spare is also still with the car. This Corvette has never been smoked in; there are no burns marks and no aroma of cigarettes.

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 low original mileage.

Mechanical

This Corvette seems to be in good mechanical condition. The number matching L48 engine starts right away every time, runs well, and idles smooth. The car drives great and feels nice 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 vibrations or strange noises and the car performs quite well overall. The brakes are responsive and do not pull to one side or the other. The transmission shift well, the shifter is tight, does not pop out of gear, and the clutch feels good. The car runs cool and does not overheat. The gauge shows that the engine makes good oil pressure. Also, the engine compartment is beautifully clean and detailed as one can see in the photos.

The horn works as do all the exterior lights, interior lights, dash lights, indicators, wipers, and radio. The blower for the heater works on all speeds. Both fresh air vents for the passenger compartment work, which is a very common problem on C3 Corvettes without a/c. The “Door Ajar” light works and even the “Head Lamps” light on the dash works. The “Head Lamps” light goes on properly when the headlights are first turned on and goes off as it should when the headlight rise up. Even the key buzzer still works. The vacuum system for the headlights works well. Also, the headlights go up correctly with either the headlight switch or vacuum override switch. They go up quickly and with no binding in the mechanism. The entire operation from both switches can be viewed in the video. All of the gauges work with the obvious exception of the clock. Not enough can be said as to how much of a pleasure it is to drive this car, especially with the 4-speed transmission and the T-Tops out on a beautiful day.

Overall Condition

Overall, this 1973 Corvette is in terrific driver condition. The value of third generation Corvettes has increased dramatically in recent times; this is especially true for the 1973 model year. They are solid and wise investments for a collector. 1973 was a very special and one year only body style for Corvette that is always recognizable with the newer and smoother front end treatment with the classic chrome bumpers on the back. The beautiful and very rare original color combination, the great options, the very low mileage, and the great extent to which the numbers match make this Stingray especially important and very hard to duplicate. Numbers matching is extremely important in Corvette pricing and as one can see, this car is quite correct. There are photos in this ad of the VIN stamp on the engine block, suffix code, engine assembly date, transmission VIN stamp, and transmission date. This Stingray is a solid investment for a collector. One could easily enjoy this vehicle for several years and sell it for more than the purchase price with minimal effort.

Other sellers are not taking the time to show the car is in such great detail to give you all of the numbers, options, photos, and video. As stated above, numbers matching is extremely important in Corvette pricing, especially for an exceptional example like this car, and will become even more important as time passes and this car becomes older and even more rare. This information is very valuable and important for pricing. Any perspective buyer, for any of our vehicles or from other sellers, should ask for all the numbers and information before he or she makes a purchase.

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

item
number
description*

VIN
1Z37J3S423147
The first digit, "1," indicated the Chevrolet division of GM.  The "Z" is the series, Corvette.  The "37" is the body style, sport coupe.  The fifth digit is the engine, J, correct for an L48 car.  The sixth digit, "3," indicates the model year, 1973.  The "S" is the plant where the car was produced, St. Louis.  The last five digits are a sequence number so this is the 23,147th Corvette made for 1973.

Body Build Date
J11
"J" corresponds to June and "11" is the eleventh day of the month meaning this Corvette's body build date is June 11th, 1973.

Engine Code
V0427
"V" means the engine was build in the Flint, MI plant.  The "04" is the fourth month of year and the "27" is the twenty seventh day of the month meaning the engine was assembled on April 27th, 1973.  This is correct as it precedes the build date of the car.

Suffix Code
CKZ
This means the motor was intended for a 1973 Corvette with a manual transmission, which is correct for this car.

Engine VIN Stamp
423147
The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 423147, 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 1973 Corvette.

Engine Block Casting Date
D 18 3
"D" is April, "18" is the eighteenth day of the month, and "3" is the last digit of the calendar year so the engine block was cast on April 18th, 1973. 

Intake Manifold Casting Number
3997771
The intake manifold has the correct 3997771 casting number for a 1973 Corvette

Intake Manifold Casting Date
D 27 3
"D" is April, "27" is the twenty seventh day of the month, and "3" is the last digit of the calendar year so the intake manifold was cast on April 27th, 1973.

Distributor
1112098
This distributor is correct and original for a 1973 corvette with a 1112098 stamping

Distributor Date Code
3 D 5
"3" is the last digit of the calendar year, "D" denotes April, and "5" is the fifth day of the month so the distributor was made on April 5th, 1973

Left Exhaust Manifold Casting Number
3932461
The exhaust manifold is original and correct for a 73 corvette with a 3932461 stamping.

Right Exhaust Manifold Casting Number
3932461
The exhaust manifold is original and correct for a 73 corvette with a 3932461 stamping.

Transmission VIN stamping
423147
The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 403222, are stamped on the transmission and pictured below, meaning this transmission is original to this car.

Driver's Window
GU
"G" denotes the month April, and "U" denotes the year 1973, meaning this window was made in April of 1973.

Passenger Window
GU
"G" denotes the month April, and "U" denotes the year 1973, meaning this window was made in April of 1973.

Rear Window
XU
"X" denotes the month February, and "U" denotes the year 1973, meaning this window was made in February of 1973.

exterior color code

953
Yellow Metallic

interior color code

404
Black Leather

 

 

 

 

 

 

rpo code
description

1YZ37
Corvette Sport Coupe

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Factory Custom Interior (Leather) Trim

A31
Power Windows

J50
Power Brakes

L48
350ci V8 Engine

M20
Muncie 4-Speed Manual Transmission

N37
Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column

N40
Power Steering

QRZ
White Letter Tires

U69
AM-FM Radio