1972 Chevrolet Corvette for Sale

Body styles and how many were built

• Coupe: 20,496 built, with lift-off roof panels and a rear window that can be removed.
• Convertible: 6,508 built. An auxiliary hardtop (RPO C07) was ordered on 2,646 of them.

Air conditioning (RPO C60) was fitted to 17,011 cars. The anti-theft alarm, an option before, became standard. The 1973 that followed has a body-color urethane nose, which is why buyers pay attention to this year. For the choice among 1968 to 1972 cars, see the best chrome-bumper C3 to buy.

Engines and transmissions

Ratings are SAE net, new for 1972. In 1971 the same three engines were advertised at 270, 330 and 365 gross hp.

• 350, 200 hp (ZQ3): the base engine, in the remaining 21,350 or so cars.
• 350, 255 hp (LT-1): 1,741 built, in its last year. For the first time it could be ordered with air conditioning. Chevrolet kept no count of the pairing, and 240 is the figure usually quoted.
• ZR1 package: 20 built, all with the LT-1 and the M22 heavy-duty four-speed.
• 454, 270 hp (LS5): 3,913 built. It was not sold in California in 1972.

A four-speed was standard. The close-ratio M21 went into 1,638 cars. Turbo Hydra-Matic (M40) was chosen for 14,543 cars, 54 percent of the year, and was not offered with the LT-1.

Decoding a 1972: VIN, engine pad and trim tag

The VIN is on a plate on the driver's windshield pillar, read from outside through the glass. It starts 1Z37 for a coupe and 1Z67 for a convertible. The fifth character is the engine: K for the base 350, L for the LT-1 and W for the LS5. Then come 2 for 1972, S for St. Louis and a sequence from 500001 to 527004.

A K-code car with a 454 under the hood was not built that way. The VIN does not show the ZR1 package, which needs the CKZ engine suffix and paperwork. The pad on the front passenger side of the block carries the assembly plant and date, a three-letter suffix (CKY is an LT-1 with a manual gearbox, CPH, CPJ, CSR and CSS are LS5 codes) and a partial VIN that should match the car.

The trim tag above the driver's upper door hinge gives the body build date and the paint and interior codes. It lists no options. A tank sticker is the document that does.

What to inspect before you buy

• Frame: rust starts where the rear trailing arms meet the frame kick-ups, because dirt collects there. Insist on a lift.
• Birdcage: check the steel structure under the fiberglass, above all the bottoms of the windshield posts. It is the costly repair on any C3.
• Vacuum system: the pop-up headlamps and the wiper door work off hoses, valves and actuators that leak. The wiper door is also hard to align.
• Fiberglass: stress cracks at the windshield posts and wheel lips; uneven gaps or mismatched paint where a panel was repaired.
• Brakes: corrosion in the calipers and lines.

Related listings

• 1972 Corvette Stingray for sale: cars listed under the Stingray name.
• 1971 and 1973 Corvette for sale, or every C3 Corvette, 1968 to 1982.
• Paint: 1972 Corvette factory colors.
• Big-block prices: what a big-block C3 is worth.
• Price guide: 1972 Corvette valuation.
• From the magazine: the ZR1 package explained and C3 big-block vs small-block.