What is more desirable to a Corvette collector? A NCRS Top Flight 1970 LT-1 convertible or a NCRS Top Flight 1972 LT-1 convertible with AC of which only 57 were produced? I am interested in the general thought of the Corvette community. Thanks

 

Typically, the most "desirable" Corvettes are the Special High Performance (SHP) models, like the LT1, L71, L72, L88, etc. The better performers of those listed above were the "strippers" that weren't burdened with extra weight of misc. options and related power-robbing pulleys to spin. The '72 LT1 was a shadow of the original form that debuted in '70 as it featured lower compression and lower redline to keep the AC belt on the pulleys. It could still rev (if you didn't care about throwing the AC belt), but the comp. ratio and HP were down by about 20% as compared to the '70.

Both the '70 and '72 are "desirable" cars, just depends on what you want to do with them. The '70 will be a better performer. The '72 a better cruiser. Arguments can be made both ways.

I'd prefer the '70 over the '72 just for the sheer, seat of the pants driving experience of an 11:1 compression ratio, 370hp solid lifter mill under the hood. The '72 wouldn't have the raw performance of the '70, but you'd keep cool rolling down the road with the windows up and AC cranked. Flip a coin...

 

Absolutely! The free market sets the rules and values and in equal condition and provenance, the '70 will be more valuable. The '72 wouldn't be any slouch in the value department, just not as high as the '70.

As already said, the '72 might be a better cruiser, but the '70 will be ***** to the wall fun.

When you get down to it, most people outside of Corvette folks won't know the difference anyway.

 

In my opinion, an original documented '70 LT-1 is collectible. A '71 LS6 is also collectible. Nothing else in the '70-'74 range fits the bill fully. The '72 LT-1 with AC is more of an anomoly than a collectible. The folks who are really looking for the rare AND performance will probably not get their skirts blown up by the fact that a car has AC.

 

AC is for wooses. Back in the day, none of us had AC in our muscle cars and none of us had convertibles. Then again, I was living in Minnesota.

 

If '63 air cars are any indicator, you can't lose with a '72 air LT-1 (coupe or convertible). FWIW, I always thought the A/C system on an LT-1 was controled with the right foot. /:\

 

I guess that would depend largely on whether you wanted to drive your investment or simply look at it. It was a cool 88 degrees here today with a heat index of only 96 degrees... down considerably from yesterday's 107 index. I'll take mine with air please.

 

Those of us who own '72 LT-1's with Air are going to be some wealthy "wooses". They are already valued at $50k and are predicted by the experts (big name collectors) to be the next $100k Corvette. There were only 240 produced (approx. 200 coupes and 40 convertibles) and they are being compared to the '71 LS6 (188 produced) in collectability Compare this to the nearly 1,287 '70 LT-1's produced.

It's not all about horsepower. The LT-1 was the same bullet proof "special high performance" engine all 3 years produced. And as far as performance goes, the '72 LT-1 was faster than the '72 LS-5 from 0-30, and within .10 of a second from 0-60 and in the 1/4 mile. But the value comes down to production numbers, especially for highly optioned models.

The '63 A/C models are a prime example mentioned above. Then there are other muscle cars like the Challenger T/A, DZ motor Camaros, and the '70 Mach 1 with a 351 Cleveland with the track pack, shaker hood, 4 spd, and fully optioned up, including A/C (which I owned 35 yrs ago, before I knew how extremely rare it was!).

 

The 70 LT-1 will bring the money with the 72 right behind it and the 71 LT-1 a little behind them.PK,clean,documented original engine 70 454 LS5's are selling in the 55-65k range which is very strong money.

 

No AC offered on the first generation, DZ powered, Z28's.

 

No doubt '70 LS5s are desirable. Heck, I wanted one. I just don't think they will ever make the "collectible" status, too many produced, nearly 5,000. And for the avoidance of doubt, I'm not knocking any LT-1s, they are all great cars IMO. But with the reduction in compression in '71, I think that sets the '70s apart a little bit.

 

Check the rags back in the day. The 70 vs 71 and 72 Lt-1 were as close as a gnat's *** in performance. High compression or not.
I think you can't go wrong with either one.

 

I believe the '70 to '72 LT-1 Corvettes will be the next strong collectible optioned model to get. 2nd gen Camaro Z28's ['70 to '72] models are climbing in price and these models do not have the better flowing exhaust manifolds or use the open element air housings or have the magnetic pulse transistorized ignition systems and they are fetching as much or more money than some LT-1 optioned Corvettes.

I think any real LT-1 Corvette that can be bought at 30K or less is a pretty decent buy at this time and the owner will be able to sit on it whether he/she does any work on it or not and be able to sell it in the near future for more then it was purchased for with little effort.

Remember there are approximately 14K plus of the '70 to '72 Z-28's built with a similar engine and there is a strong following of these cars now. The LT-1 Corvettes have even stronger engines with less restrictive exhaust manifolds, free-er breathing air cleaner housings and a better ignition system at least in the first two years.

I believe the '72 model will be sought after more readily simply because it can be identified by the VIN as being built originally as an LT-1 optioned Corvette. Paperwork for '70 & '71's will certainly add a lot of value to these models.

I say get 'em while you can, we will all look back and say wow, I remember when I could have bought those LT-1 'vettes for $25K or so.

 

Corvettes are about performance.

High performance correlates highly with value. In most cases, special high performance Corvettes correlate with low production which makes SHP Corvettes highly desireable and quite valuable.

To me, air conditioning is not part of the high performance equation. Not available on fuelies. L78s, L72s, L71s, L88s, LS6s or 1970 and 1971 LT-1s.

In the end, we all like what we like. If a quality LT-1 with AC was availalbe and that is your thing, so to speak, it would be a great car to own. No doubt. For me though, I would be taking that money and finding a 1970 LT-1. Original engine and GM paperwork. Then you have one of the best classic Corvettes of all time (I admit I am biased.......PS - See my article and 1970 LT-1 in this months Corvette Enthusiast Magazine)


http://editions.amospublishing.com/K...spx?d=20101001

 

Aren't we all

 

One good thing about the 72 LT-1 is that there is never a question if what you have is the real thing. With the 70 and 71s you better have good documentation.

 

Ah yes, the rare-collectable-valuable debate. Kinda hard to get away from the collector car rule that says "popular then, popular now" but I suppose all rules are made to be broken. If only 57 out of 27,004 buyers in 1972 thought an LT-1 convertible with AC was the way to go, I would hardly consider that popular. They either didn't have the extra money to spend, or felt they weren't getting the bang for the bucks with that combination. Times have undoubtedly changed.

 

I think you have two different factors here, rarity and desire, I can put it that way : a '70 LT-1 roadster is highly desirable but not that rare, and the '72 LT-1 A/C is very rare, but not as desirable as the first. Of course I may be wrong (most likely) but thats my humble opinion.

 

But, one still needs the doc's if you have an "AIR" LT-1,... C-60 is a wonderful font, if you can still see it on your build sheet... Muddy

 

Okay, I couldn't resist........ I just bought my original, matching numbers 72 LT-1 WITH AIR coupe (fully loaded, except for rear defogger) for $25K in March. KA-CHING!