#'s Match, STUNNING CONDITION, Very Rare, Loaded, PRICED TO SELL!!

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Seven Hills Motorcars is very proud to offer this numbers matching 1978 Corvette Pace Car Edition in beautiful condition with the high performance L82 engine and close ratio 4-Speed manual transmission. This Corvette looks great, runs well, and is an awesome driver. It is exceptionally rare with the engine and transmission combination, it is believed that only about 220 Pace Cars were produced with the L82 engine and 4-Speed transmission. This Pace Car edition with this engine and transmission is the most desirable and sought-after late C3 available.

Beside the high performance L82 engine and close ratio 4-speed transmission this Pace Car is loaded with highly desirable options such as glass roof panels, AM-FM Stereo with factory CB radio, and much more. This Pace Car is totally solid with no rust issues and straight lines. This is an excellent opportunity to own a very rare and classic Corvette that is ready to be used and enjoyed 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, especially for the Pace Car Editions and well optioned examples like this car. Please peruse all of the photos, the extensive list of numbers, video, and other information in this ad to get a true sense of how nice and clean this Corvette really is.

We purchased this Pace Car from a hardcore Corvette enthusiast with many C3 Corvettes in his collection. We actually purchased this Pace Car as well as a 1981 Corvette with only 12,000 miles from the same owner; he only sold these two C3s to make way for a 1965 Sting Ray. During his time with this car he had it completely repainted in the correct and original Pace Car color scheme with correct decals and strips. He also complete restored the interior with all new seats, carpet, door panels, etc.

This Corvette is verified as an original authentic Pace Car Edition by the special VIN sequence, separate from normal Corvettes of the year. The difference is in the eighth digit of the VIN. Only Pace Cars have a "9" in that position while all other Corvettes have a "4." The car is also verified as a real Pace Car by the trim tag, pictured in this ad, showing the correct 2-tone paint and Pace Car specific interior codes. The car is verified as an original and authentic L82 by the fifth digit of the VIN. Only the L82 Corvettes with have a "4" 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 "Numbers Matching" and almost every part we checked on the car is correct. We have run the numbers on literally hundreds of Corvettes over the years and there are few that are so correct and original. Even very detailed parts like the distributor, carburetor, starter, and even the seat belts are correct and original. The last six digits of the VIN 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 a side note, this Pace Car Edition 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.

1978 was a very special year for the third generation Corvette. It not only marked the 25th anniversary for the model, but also the first time that a Corvette made laps at the Indy 500 as an official pace car. 1978 saw the most extensive redesign of the car since the body style was introduced. The new design featured "fastback" rear end styling with a large rear window that drastically increased luggage space. The updates also included a newly designed interior with all new gauges, the addition of an actual glove box, and all new door panels.

To celebrate the Indy 500 Chevrolet built a series of pace car replicas. Chevrolet was extremely proud of the fact that as a pace car the Corvette was the first car to use a completely stock drive train, the first to be built from a one piece fiberglass body and the only pure two seater since before World War II. These pace car replicas had their own Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), separate from the standard Corvette, another first for Corvette. As well as having their own identification, the pace car replicas had their own paint scheme which consisted of a two tone paint with a red stripe and optional decals. The extremely high demand for the pace car continually increased the quantity produced and in the end Chevrolet decided to build one for every Corvette dealer, a total of 6,502.

The two-tone black and silver exterior is in nice driver condition. As one can see in the photos, the paint has a dazzling gloss and deep shine. Often Corvettes will have particularly chipped up front ends, this car does not and even the original low front spoiler is in good shape. The factory Pace Car Edition aluminum wheels are in great shape with a brilliant finish and no curb rash. The BF Goodrich Radial TA tires have plenty of tread left and are correctly sized 255/60R15. There are no major imperfections that have been intentionally excluded from the photos. There is a small blemish on the right front fender above the headlight this is visible in the photos and some other very small blemishes around the car that were too faint to show up in the photos, but nothing that is very noticeable from five or ten feet back. As one can see in the many photos of the underside of the car, it is very clean and this Corvette has absolutely NO RUST ISSUES. The frame is totally solid with no rust around the "key hole" area in front of the rear tire and I have seen no evidence of corrosion around the windshield, 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.

The special Silver interior of the Corvette, which was an exclusive color for the Pace Car Edition, is in spectacular condition. The seats look just in person as they do in the photos with no holes, split seams, or excessive wear. The driver's seat is not worn in the typical area on the bolster where the driver gets in and out. The gauge faces are clean and crisp and the lenses are clear. The carpet is also in great condition with no stains, rips, or holes. This includes the rear carpet which is often neglected. The dash and console look awesome with no cracks. The door panels are in fantastic and look like new. The door pulls are solid and intact. The jack and jack handle are still with the car, stored correctly behind the passenger seat. The original spare is still with the.

This Corvette seems to be in very good mechanical condition. I have personally put about fifteen miles on this Pace Car and during that time the car had absolutely no issues and was a pleasure to drive. The car starts right away every time, runs well, and idles smooth. It drives great 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 strange noises or vibrations and the car performs quite well overall. The brakes are responsive and do not pull to one side or the other. The shifter is tight, the transmission does not pop out of gear, and the clutch feels good. This Corvette has plenty of power and is quite fast with the high performance L82 engine. The previous owner told us that the engine has been rebuilt; the gauge shows that the engine makes great oil pressure. Also, the engine compartment is beautifully clean, detailed, and correct as one can see in the photos with the correct and original air cleaner and L82 finned aluminum valve covers.

The radio works as do all the exterior lights, interior lights, indicators, horn, wipers, power windows, and rear window defogger. The power antenna works as one can see in the video. This is particularly important for this Corvette as this car came from the factory with a CB radio, which means that it has a special power antenna that was specific to CB radio Corvettes. It is very important that this original power antenna is working properly as these special antennas are not reproduced and almost impossible to find. One can see the small plastic pod on the antenna in the video; this is how you can tell it is a CB radio antenna. The vacuum system for the headlights works correctly. Also, the headlights go up properly with either the headlight switch or vacuum override switch. There complete operation form both switches can be viewed in the video. All of the gauges work with the obvious exception of the clock. The blower works only on the high speed setting. The a/c does not blow cold. The car now has a true dual exhaust with no catalytic converter and a very healthy exhaust note. Not enough can be said as to how much of a pleasure it is to drive this car, especially with extra power from the L82 engine, the 4-speed manual transmission, and the T-tops out on a beautiful day.

Overall, this 1978 Corvette is in fantastic driver condition and exceptionally rare being one of only a few hundred made. The Pace Car Edition is probably the most collectible Corvette out of the entire third generation and the L82 engine with the close ratio 4-speed is by far the most desirable Pace Car. Numbers matching is extremely important in Corvette pricing and as one can see, this car is very correct. There are photos below of the VIN stamp on the engine block and transmission. Special Edition model Corvettes always draw a premium over their standard counterparts and this is especially true with the Pace Car. The originality, rarity, and the great extent to which the numbers match make this car especially important and difficult to duplicate. As one can see in the photo of the title it is exceeds mechanical limits so the car has 103k miles. This Corvette always gets a ton of attention driving down the road. It is very apparent that the vehicle has been well taken care of by its previous owners. The prices of C3 Corvettes have increased drastically over the past 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.

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