Very Low Miles, RARE L82/4-Speed, #'s Matching, Stunning Condition, Red/Black

….

Please call Tyler directly at 513-349-7163 with any questions about this car.

Seven Hills Motorcars is proud to offer this spectacular 1979 Corvette in wonderful condition with the high performance L82 option, M21 close ratio 4-Speed manual transmission, and only 32,475 original miles. This Corvette looks excellent, runs great, and is an amazing driver; it is truly an investment grade classic. This drive train combination is the most desirable and sought-after that was available for a late C3 Corvette. This is the best and most performance-oriented option one could order for 1979. The car is totally solid with excellent lines and no rust issues. It is finished in the beautiful and very iconic color combination of Corvette Red (72) over Black Leather interior (192). This is the correct and original color scheme as verified by the codes on the trim tag pictured in this ad.

In addition to the correct paint and trim codes this Corvette is "Numbers Matching" meaning the engine and transmission in the car are the correct and original units that were installed in the car new at the factory in St. Louis in November of 1978. We have run the numbers on literally hundreds of Corvettes over the years and there are very few that are so correct and original as this car. Even very detailed parts like the starter, carburetor, and all of the windows are date coded and original. The last six digits of the VIN, 413289, 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 well.

The car comes with dozens and dozens of service records and receipts that are pictured in this ad for maintenance and repairs over the years. The receipts add up to over $5,000 so this car has been very well cared for by its previous owner. The original owner's manual is also included.

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 very rare and 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 C3 Corvettes is very hot right now and on the rise. The L82, and especially with the 4-speed manual transmission, draws a huge premium over a standard L48 automatic Corvette. 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.

This car is verified as an original L82 4-speed in a number of ways. First, on the engine pad is stamped “ZBA.” 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. Only the L82 Corvettes have a “4” in this spot like this car does, a base motor L48 car will always have an “8” in the fifth digit of the VIN.

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 Corvette Red (72) exterior is in excellent driver condition. As one can see in the photos the paint has a terrific gloss, deep shine, and smooth finish. Both doors open and shut with ease. The N90 aluminum wheels are in fantastic condition with a brilliant finish no curb rash. The Firestone wide oval radial tires are in excellent condition, purchased in 2020 by the previous owner through Coker tire. They have plenty of tread left and are correctly sized GR70-15. There is a receipt for the tires in the documents that go with the car. There are no major blemishes that have been intentionally excluded from the many photos. There is a spot above the left headlight and on the right front fender visible in the photos and some touch ups and other tiny 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. This Corvette has no rust issues. 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 and we have seen no evidence of corrosion around the windshield frame or “birdcage,” 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.

Window Date Codes

Please note that all of the glass on this Corvette, the windshield, both door windows, and the rear window are all date coded and original as each piece predates the car's body build date of November 30, 1978 (D30). Original glass is a good indication that this car has had no major accident history and never sustained significant damage.

Interior

The Black Leather (192) interior in this Corvette is in stunning original condition. The gauge faces are crisp and clean and the lenses are crystal clear. The dash and console look great with no cracks, fading, or sun damage. The seats look just as great in person as they do in the photos with no holes or split seams. The seat is not overly worn in the typical area on the bolster where the driver gets in and out. Please note that these appear to be the original seats and skins, not some cheap aftermarket covers or replacements. The carpet is also in excellent condition with no holes, tears, or stains. This includes the rear carpet, which is often neglected. The original front floor mats are in outstanding condition. The door panels are in great shape overall. Unlike many other Corvettes from this era, the door panels fit well and tight to the doors. The original radio is still in the car; it works well and gets good reception. Most importantly, the dash has never been cut or modified for an aftermarket installation. The antenna goes up and down manually. Both seat belts work and retract properly. This is a common problem on C3 Corvettes and an issue many buyers do not think to check. The jack and jack handle are still with the car and stored in the compartment behind the passenger seat. The original spare is still with the car, and appears to have never been used. This Corvette has never been smoked in; there are no burn marks and no aroma of cigarettes.

Corvette interiors from this era are not known to wear well and the excellent condition of this original 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 excellent mechanical condition. As stated above, there are over $5,000 in receipts for the car so it is well sorted mechanically. The numbers matching L82 engine starts right away every time, runs well, and idles smoothly. 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, precise, and does not pop out of gear. The clutch feels good. The brakes are responsive and do not pull to one side or the other. There is no blue smoke when running or driving the car. The car runs cool and does not overheat. This Corvette has plenty of power and is quite fast with the L82 engine. Also, the engine compartment is beautifully clean and detailed as one can see in the photos. The previous owner was very meticulous about maintenance and making sure the corvette was in tip-top shape during his ownership. It truly shows when driving this corvette.

The horn works as do the exterior lights, interior lights, indicators, power windows, rear window defogger, and wipers. Even detailed items like the glove box light work. The blower works on all speeds. The radio works and sounds great. Amazingly, the factory alarm still works. We cannot emphasize how rare it is for the alarm to work. We have owned hundreds of late C3 Corvettes and there have only been a small handful that had a working alarm. The alarm is armed when the driver's door is locked from the outside. The alarm is activated whenever either door, either T-Top, or the hood is opened. The vacuum system for the headlights works correctly with no effort or binding in the mechanism. Also, the headlights go up properly with either the headlight switch or vacuum override switch under the column. Their complete operation from both switches can be viewed in the video below. The A/C is currently not installed on the car, but the parts removed are included with the sale of the car and pictured in this ad. All of the gauges work with the exception of the clock. The car now has a true dual exhaust system with no catalytic converter and a very healthy exhaust note as one can hear in the video. 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 manual transmission, and the T-tops out on a beautiful day.

Overall Condition

Overall, this 1979 Corvette is in outstanding condition and exceptionally rare with the L82 and close ratio 4-speed manual transmission combination. The very low mileage, the beautiful and desirable color combination, and the excellent overall condition make this Corvette particularly desirable and very hard to duplicate. Only 4,062 out of 53,807 1979 corvettes came with a 4-Speed manual transmission, and most of those were not an L82 model. As stated above the L82 and manual transmission Corvettes draw a premium over the standard models. 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 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.

As a licensed and registered dealer in The State of Ohio we are required to collect sales tax for residents of Ohio with a rate based on the buyer's county. Additionally, Ohio has a special sales tax relationship with buyers who are going to register their car in Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, or South Carolina so we are also required to collect sales tax. Please keep in mind the you will not be paying additional tax and you will not be taxed twice. Buyers from those states will simply pay of portion of their sales tax to Ohio and they will then be credited with that amount when they transfer the title in their home state. Buyers from all other states will not owe any sales tax to The State of Ohio.

item
number
description

VIN
1Z8749S413289
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, "9," indicates the model year, 1979.  The "S" is the plant where the car was produced, St. Louis.  The last five digits are a sequence number so this is the 13,289th Corvette made for 1979.

Body Build Date
D30
"D" corresponds to November and "30" is the thirtyth day of the month meaning this Corvette's body build date is November 30th, 1978.

Engine Code
V1120
"V" means the engine was build in the Flint, MI plant.  The "11" is the eleventh month of year and the "20" is the twentyth day of the month meaning the engine was assembled on November 20th, 1978.  This is correct as it precedes the build date of the car.

Suffix Code
ZBA
This means the motor was intended for a 1979 L82 Corvette with a manual transmission, which is correct for this car.

Engine VIN Stamp
413289
The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 413289, 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 1979 Corvette.

Engine Block Casting Date
K 10 8
"K" is November, "10" is the tenth day of the month, and "8" is the last digit of the calendar year so the engine block was cast on November 10th, 1978. 

Intake Manifold Casting Number
14007378
This intake manifold is original and correct for a L82 corvette with a 14007378 stamping.

Starter
1109067
The Starter is correct and original for a 1979 Corvette with a manual transmission with 1109067 stamped on the housing.

Starter Date Code
8 K 18
The "8" is the last digit of the calendar year, the "K" denotes November, and "18" is the eighteenth day of the month meaning the alternator was made on November 18th, 1978. This is correct as it predates the assembly date of the engine.

Carburetor
17059211
This carburetor is correct and original for a 1979 L82 corvette with a manual transmission and A/C

Carburetor Date Code
3148
"314" is the 314th day from January 1st 1978, and "8" is the last digit of the calendar year meaning this carburetor was made on November 10th, 1978.

Right Exhaust Manifold Casting Number
3932461
This exhaust manifold is correct and original for a 79 L82 Corvette with a 3932461 stamping.

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

Transmission Tail Housing Casting Number
13-04-066-905
The tail housing of the transmission has a correct 1304066905 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
10-18-78
The "10" is the tenth month of the year, the "18" is the eighteenth day of the month, and the "78" is the year so this transmission main case was cast on October 18th, 1978, this is correct as it predates he assembly of the transmission.

Transmission Date Code
WI1682
"W" denotes the plant, Warner. "I" is the month September, "16" is the sixteenth day of the month, "8" 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 September 16th, 1978.

Transmission VIN Stamping
413289
The last 6 digits of the car's VIN, 413289, are stamped on the main case of the transmission and pictured below meaning this transmission is original to this car.

Clutch Housing
464697
The clutch housing has the correct number 464697 stamping on the casing.

Windshield
CJ
"C" is November and "J" is 1978 so this window is original, made in November of 1978.  This is correct as it predates the build date of the car.

Drivers Window
YJ
"Y" is October and "J" is 1978 so this window is original, made in October of 1978.  This is correct as it predates the build date of the car.

Passenger Window
YJ
"Y" is October and "J" is 1978 so this window is original, made in October of 1978.  This is correct as it predates the build date of the car.

Rear Window
CJ
"C" is November and "J" is 1978 so this window is original, made in November of 1978.  This is correct as it predates the build date of the car.

exterior color code

72
Corvette Red

interior color code

192
Black Leather

 

 

 

 

 

 

rpo code
description

1YZ87
Corvette Sport Coupe

A31
Power Windows

C49
Rear Window Defogger

C60
Air Conditioning

L82
350ci 225hp V8 Engine

M21
4-Speed Manual Transmission

N37
Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column

N90
Aluminum Wheels

QGR
225/70R15 White Letter Tires

U58
AM-FM Radio, Stereo

U75
Power Antenna

U81
Dual Rear Speaker

UX2
Convenience group