Beschreibung:

1978 Chevrolet Corvette 25th Anniversary Targa Coupé
Registration no. YEL 302S
Chassis no. 1Z87L8S413859
Engine no. 413859• Finished in two-tone silver Anniversary colours
• L48 V-8 engine
• Manual 4-speed gearbox
• 21,000 recorded miles
Back in 1953, Chevrolet's launch of a two-seater sports car was a radical departure for a marque hitherto associated almost exclusively with sensible family transport. Based on the 1952 EX-122 show car, the Corvette made use of existing GM running gear and a shortened chassis frame, around which was wrapped striking Harley Earl-styled glassfibre coachwork. Motive power came from Chevrolet's 235.5ci (3.8-litre) overhead-valve straight six and, unusually for a sports car, there was automatic transmission, a feature that attracted much adverse criticism at the time.
Intended as competition for the T-Series MG, the Corvette cost way above the target figure, ending up in Jaguar XK120 territory but with an inferior performance. Sales were sluggish initially and the model came close to being axed, surviving thanks to Chevrolet's need to compete with Ford's Thunderbird. A V8 engine for 1955 and a radical re-style for '56 had consolidated the Vette's position in the market before arrival of the heavily revised 'Sting Ray' version.
Introduced for 1963, the Sting Ray sported a totally new ladder-type chassis and for the first time there was a Gran Turismo coupé in the range. As had been the case with the previous (1956-62) generation of Corvettes, development proceeded slowly, being characterised by annual facelifts and few engineering changes of note. On the latter front, the long-overdue arrival of four-wheel disc brakes was the most significant development for 1965, while Chevrolet's 327ci (5.4-litre) 250bhp standard V8 was joined by an optional 396ci (6.5-litre) Big Block for '65 only, then a '427' until the end of Sting Ray production in 1967. The 'Stingray', of course, continued and the Corvette would go on to become the world's best-selling and longest-lived sports car.
The immortal Chevrolet Corvette, 'America's only true production sports car', celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1978, a year that marked the first major re-style since the commencement of the 'Stingray' era ten years previously. By then, catalytic converters had arrived, the 'Big Block' engines had gone, a steel under-tray had been added and a revised dashboard introduced, while the Corvette roadster had been deleted in the expectation that Federal auto legislation would effectively outlaw convertibles. Gone too was the 'Stingray' name, dropped at the end of the 1976 season. For '78 the fastback roofline of the 1963-67 Sting Ray was reinstated and complemented by a wrap-around rear window. The 'Silver Anniversary' was one of two limited edition models offered that year, featuring silver metallic paint above the waistline and charcoal grey below as part of a package that included aluminium alloy wheels.
According to our vendor, this 25th Anniversary Corvette is in very solid original condition having covered only 21,000 miles. It has the L48 350ci (5.3-litre) V8 engine coupled to manual four-speed gearbox. It is believed that the car had one owner from 1978 (Mr Homer Bryant of Dade City, Florida) until it was imported into the UK in 2017.
Serviced in 2022, it comes with plentiful history, including the original sales invoice, recent maintenance bills, and some memorabilia.