L82, 4-Speed, FE7, Rare 1 of 9, STUNNING CONDITION, #'s Match, Only 24,840 Miles

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Please call Greg directly at 513-200-9226 with any questions about this car.

Seven Hills Motorcars is very proud to offer this completely numbers matching 1976 Corvette Stingray in excellent condition with the high performance L82 engine, 4-Speed manual transmission, and only 24,540 original miles. This Corvette looks spectacular with stunning paint, it runs great, and is an amazing driver. It is exceptionally rare with the engine and transmission combination. This drive train combination is the most desirable and sought-after that was available for a late C3 Corvette. This Corvette has the best and most performance-oriented options one could get for 1976 model as the car was ordered new with the L82 engine, 4-speed transmission, and Gymkhana high performance suspension.

The car is totally solid with excellent lines and no rust issues. It is finished in the beautiful color combination of Black Metallic over Black. The double black is a classic look that always looks great on the C3 Stingray shark body style.

This specific Corvette is exceptionally rare and is only one of nine 1976 Corvettes that features a paint code that reads “SPEC” on the trim tag, which is pictured in the ad. This means that this Corvette was ordered in a different color other than the ten options you had to pick from in 1976 and most likely came out of the factory in grey primer. Of the 46,558 Corvettes made in 1976 only nine have the “SPEC” paint code making this car one of nine. As black was not a color available for 1976, many of the cars that came in primer with the “SPEC” code were people who wanted black so they ordered the car in primer and the dealer painted it black.

This Corvette is completely "Numbers Matching" meaning the engine and transmission in the car are the original units that were installed in the car new at the factory in St. Louis in 1976. We have run the numbers on literally hundreds of Corvettes over the years and there are very few that are so correct and original. Even very detailed parts like the distributor, alternator, starter and almost all the windows are all date coded and correct. The last six digits of the VIN, 426887, 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 car is verified as an original L82 4-speed in a number of ways. First, on the engine pad is stamped “CHC.” This suffix code denotes an L82 with manual transmission. The car is also confirmed as an original and authentic L82 by the fifth digit of the VIN. In 1976 only the L82 Corvettes with have an “X” 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 ready to be used and enjoyed. We have this car priced to sell and are offering an excellent opportunity to own a clean 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 C3 Corvettes is very hot right now and on the rise. 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, list of numbers, and other information to get a true sense of how clean and 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.

Exterior

The Black Metallic exterior is in fantastic condition. As one can see in the photos the paint has a terrific gloss, deep shine, and smooth finish. Both doors open and shut nicely. The rally wheels and center caps have a brilliant finish and no curb rash on the beauty rings. Please note that this Stingray has the correct and original 4-clip style beauty rings, not the cheaper foreign made aftermarket replacements. The BF Goodrich Radial TA raised white letter tires have about 95% tread left and are correctly sized 225/70R15. There are no major imperfections that have been intentionally excluded from the many photos. There may be some very tiny bumps and other imperfections around the car that were too faint to show up in the photos, but nothing else that is really noticeable from about five feet away. As one can see in the many photos of the underside of the car, it is very clean underneath. The frame is totally solid with no rust around the "key hole" area in front of the rear tire. We have included specific photos of the areas most prone to rust to show how nice this car looks.

Window Date Codes

Please note that almost all of the glass on this Corvette, both side windows and the rear window, are all date coded and original as each piece predates the car's body build date of the March 17, 1976 (H17). Original glass is another great verification that this car has had no accident history and never sustained damage.

Interior

The Black interior in this Corvette is in outstanding condition. The gauge faces are clean and crisp and the lenses are clear. The carpet is also in great condition with no stains, rips, holes. This includes the rear carpet, which is often neglected. The dash and console look awesome with no cracks or sun fading. The seats look excellent and just as great in person as they do in the photos with just one tiny spot of wear that was too small to show up. The door panels are in great condition. The door pulls are solid and intact. The radio sounds great and gets good reception. Please note that this Stingray has a Corvette specific radio made just for this model so most importantly the dash has never been cut or modified for an aftermarket installation. The jack and jack handle are still with the car, stored correctly in the compartment behind the passenger seat. The spare is also still with the car and appears to have never been used. 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 very low original mileage.

Mechanical

This Corvette seems to be in great mechanical condition. The numbers matching L82 engine starts right away every time, runs well, and idles smooth. It drives amazing on the road and at highway speeds. In the video in this ad 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 shifter is tight, the transmission does not pop out of gear, and the clutch feels good. The brakes are responsive and do not pull to one side or the other. The car runs cool and does not overheat. This Corvette has plenty of power and is quite fast. Also, the engine compartment is beautifully clean and detailed as one can see in the photos.

The radio works as do all the exterior lights, interior lights, indicators, dash lights, power windows, and wipers. The reverse lockout still works, which is an item that has often been removed the manual transmission cars. Even very detailed items like the camera compartment light, door ajar light on the dash, and key buzzer all still work. The air conditioning works and blows cold. One can observe the a/c compressor clicking on and engaging properly in the video. The vacuum system for the headlights works correctly. The headlights go up quickly, evenly, and with no effort or binding in the mechanism. Also, the headlights go up correctly with either the headlight switch or vacuum override switch. The complete operation from both switches can been seen in the video. The Stingray now has a true dual exhaust system with no catalytic converter and a very healthy exhaust note as one can hear in the video. All of the gauges work with the obvious exception of the clock. The brights light on the dash is always on with the headlights, but the brights do not work. The blower for the heater and a/c works on all speeds but high. Not enough can be said as to how much of a pleasure it is to drive this car, especially with the extra power from the L82, the 4-speed manual transmission, the Gymkhana Suspension and the T-tops out on a beautiful day.

Overall Condition

Overall, this 1976 Corvette Stingray is in superb condition. This Stingray is obviously exceptionally rare being only 1 of 9 1976 Corvettes made with the “SPEC” paint code. The very low mileage, the beautiful color combination, the rarity, and the excellent overall condition make this Corvette particularly desirable and very hard to duplicate. Numbers matching is very important in the Corvette market and in Corvette pricing and as one can see this car is very correct. There are photos in this ad of the VIN stamp on the engine block, suffix code, engine assembly date, transmission casting date, transmission assembly date, and transmission VIN stamp. This Corvette always gets a ton of attention driving down the road. It is apparent that the vehicle has been well taken care of by its previous owners. The prices of C3 Corvettes have increased considerably over the past several 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.

Other sellers are not taking the time to show the car 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
1Z37X6S426887
The first digit, "1," indicated the Chevrolet division of GM.  The "Z" is the series, Corvette.  The "37" is the body style, 2-door sport coupe.  The fifth digit is the engine, X, correct for an L82 car.  The sixth digit, "6," indicates the model year, 1976.  The "S" is the plant where the car was produced, St. Louis.  The last five digits are a sequence number so this is the 26,887th Corvette made for 1976.

Body Build Date
H17
"H" corresponds to March and "17" is the seventeenth day of the month meaning this Corvette's body build date is March 17th, 1976.

Engine Code
V0303
"V" means the engine was build in the Flint, MI plant.  The "03" is the third month of year and the "03" is the third day of the month meaning the engine was assembled on March 3rd, 1976.  This is correct as it precedes the build date of the car.

Suffix Code
CHC
This means the motor was intended for a L82 1976 Corvette with a manual transmission, which is correct for this car.

Engine VIN Stamp
425887
The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 425887 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 1976 Corvette.

Engine Block Casting Date
C 2 6
"C" is March, "2" is the second day of the month, and "6" is the last digit of the calendar year so the engine block was cast on March 21st, 1976. 

Distributor
1103200
The distributor is original and correct for a 76 Corvette with a manual transmission with a 1103200 stamping.

Distributor Date Code
6 A 20
The "6" is the last digit of the calendar year, the "A" denotes January, and "20" is the twentyth day of the month meaning the distributor was made on January 20th, 1976. This is correct as it predates the assembly date of the engine.

Alternator
1102474
The alternator is original and correct for a 76 Corvette with A/C with a 1102474 stamping.

Alternator Date Code
6 C 4
"6" is the last digit of the calendar year, "C" is the month March, "4" is the fourth day of the month, meaning this alternator was made on March 4th, 1976.

Starter
1108775
The starter is correct and original for a 76 corvette with a manual transmission with a 1108775 stamping.

Starter Date Code
6 A 30
"6" is the last digit of the calendar year, "A" is the month January, "30" is the thirtyth day of the month, meaning this starter was made on January 30th, 1976.

Right exhaust manifold
3932461
This exhaust manifold is correct and original with a 3932461 stamping

Left exhaust manifold
3932461
This exhaust manifold is correct and original with a 3932461 stamping

Driver Window
NC
"N" is January and "C" is 1976 so this window is original, made in January of 1976.  This is correct as it predates the build date of the car.

Passnger Window
XC
"X" is February and "C" is 1976 so this window is original, made in February of 1976.  This is correct as it predates the build date of the car.

Rear Window
VI
"V" is December and "I" is 1975 so this window is original, made in December of 1975.  This is correct as it predates the build date of the car.

Transmission Casting Number
13-04-065-903
The main case of the transmission has a correct 1304065903 casting number.

Transmission Tail Housing Casting Number
13-04-066-901
The tail housing of the transmission has a correct 1304066903 casting number.

Transmission Side Cover Casting Number
13-04-097-901
The side cover of the transmission has a correct 1304097901 casting number.

Transmission Casting Date
2-9-76
The "2" is the second month of the year, the "9" is the ninth day of the month, and the "76" is the year so this transmission main case was cast on February 9th, 1976, this is correct as it predates he assembly of the transmission.

Transmission Date Code
WC562
"W" denotes the plant, Warner. "C" is the month March, "5" is the fifth day of the month, "6" is the last digit of the calendar year, and lastly "2" denotes the shift the transmission was made in. Meaning this transmission is correct and original, made in the second shift of March 5th, 1976.

Transmission VIN Stamping
426887
The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 426887, are stamped on the main case of the transmission and pictured below meaning this transmission is original to this car.

Clutch Housing
3899621
The clutch housing has the correct number 3899621 stamping on the casing.

exterior color code

SPEC
 

interior color code

19
Black

 

 

 

 

 

rpo code
description

1YZ87
Corvette Sport Coupe

A31
Power Windows

C60
Air Conditioning

FE7
Gymkhana High Performance Suspension

J50
Power Brakes

L82
350ci, 210hp V8 Engine

M21
4 Speed Manual Transmission

N37
Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column

N41
Power Steering

U58
AM-FM Radio, Stereo