Aerovette

There is nothing really special about my 75 but I am at a point where I MAY decide to put money in it and get it back on the road. I have heard that the Steel Blue was only offered for 3 months. My question is this... How many Steel blue coupes with Silver deluxe interior were made? One website I found shows only about 1200 Steel Blue cars, but does not say how many were coupes or how many had silver deluxe interiors. I am guessing that the number will be only several hundred, which might make it worth repairing. I am not an originality freak, but a VIN for a rare combo would be a cool bragging point.
:cool: :cool: :cool: :) :seeya

sweet73

The black book states paint code 27 (Steel Blue) was produced on 1,268 vettes in 1975. The interior combinnations were Black, Dark Blue and Saddle. Finaly, 33,836 of 38,465 were coupes. Now if we extrapolate the numbers assuming that 33% of the cars have one of the three interiors and 88% of that number were coupes, the math states that there are 372 coupes for each color. Now this is in theory as the combinations are not reported in the guides. My guide does not indicate silver interior so maybe you have an unusual car or someone replaced the interior.


[Modified by sweet73, 7:54 AM 3/15/2002]

Aerovette

I am the third owner and bought the car with 48k on the clock. The codes all match Steel Blue/ Silver. It was repainted but done while I owned it and with the original color. Maybe it IS something special. Does the Corvette Museum have repro window stickers for that far back? Who might?

Added: I also have seen a Steel Blue convertible in car shows here in Houston with a Silver interior. The car is a complete restoration which tells me the Black Book maybe missing some info.


[Modified by Aerovette, 2:04 AM 3/15/2002]

Paul L

The book below gives the following info:

1975 Corvette code 27-Steel Blue Metallic

Interiors available
19V-Black Vinyl
192-Black Leather
26V-Dark Blue Vinyl
262-Dark Blue Leather
14V-Silver Vinyl
142-Silver Leather

topless68

Aerovette,

The above book also does not include Saddle interior for a '68, although it is indeed offered, as other books indicate. So...my point is, just b/c a book does or does not offer the info doesn't make it law.

As to your original question...is it a rare combo...it might be. But don't expect it to raise the value, past history proves it. It might add to your total value and certainly won't detract from it.

Paul Borowski

Since I've had my '75 Silver/Silver Leather coupe(bought in '90), I tend to notice '75s at any shows such as Bloomington, Corvettes@Carlisle, MidAmerica Funfest and the like. In all the thirteen years off attending these type shows, I've probably seen maybe 10-12 of these "Steel Blue" cars. Ironically, even though three color choices are listed, seems every Steel Blue '75 I've ever seen has had either the Silver Vinyl or Silver Leather in it. I do remember one Steel Blue L-48 4spd roadster with Dark Blue Vinyl a few years ago. I've never ever have seen this color with the optional "Black" color interior, vinyl or leather. Probably one of the most rarest of all '75s that was featured in a magazine a few years ago was a '75 Steel Blue/Silver Leather L-82 roadster. Only 366 '75 L-82 roadsters were ever built making them very rare, let alone the above mentioned one!!!

The museum only has info on 1981 and newer Bowling Green built Corvettes, so any "particular info" such as how many Steel Blue coupes built or how many Steel Blue roadsters built or how many L-82 Steel Blue coupes built,etc, etc will probably never be known. That info, plus the color combos too was never broken down that far by GM.

Another odd '75 tidbit was the "Medium Saddle" exterior color. It was the 3rd most popular color on a '75, but when was the last time you seen one of those??? :seeya

fauxrs

I'm with topless on this, I doubt very much if this combination would make your car inherenly more valuable. It is axiomatic that original cars tend to be valued higher than modified, so changing it wouldnt be worth it - especially since its a cool color - theres a guy here in SD I met awhile ago with that year/color (dont remember the interior color though).

Aerovette

According to some information I read several years back, there were NO L-82 Steel Blue cars. I am curious about where you got the 366 from. The story I read said that Steel Blue was a limited release as compensation for a shortage, or problem with L-82s. GM wanted to offer something to customers to make up for inavailability of the L-82. I wish I could find that documentation. I am 99% sure it was in an old copy of the Black Book. I am not really looking to artificially increase the value. I am just thinking that in its present condition, a buyer would most likely part it out. I would rather fix it up than see that happen to a rare car.

Paul Borowski

Aerovette, I have been doing a 1975 L-82 Corvette Survey since Jan of '98. I have 56 L-82s in it. 2372 L-82s were built, so my "56" cars catalogged is just a small fraction of the total, but I've come across some interesting notes in doing it. One thing, I DO NOT have a Steel Blue L-82 '75 in my survey. The earliest car I have in my survey is March of '75. Supposedly, Steel Blue was only painted for three months of production, but which three? The "366 1975 L-82 roadsters produced" came from a copy of an original letter from GM from an owner participating in my survey. That owner also has probably one of the more rare and unique '75s being that it is a Millie Miglia Red roadster, L-82 4spd, with the "one of 144" Z07 Off Road Suspension and Brake packages built. It virtually has no other options including "no radio". Hopefully, I still have that magazine somewhere with the two "Steel Blue L-82 '75s" One I know was a coupe, the other a roadster. I'll check. Supposedly, the late L-82 problem in '75 had to do with either emissions passing testing or the catalytic converter for the L-82.

HawkIVette

Please note below the picture of my 75 "Medium Saddle" Vette. Not what you thought meddium saddle looked like, is it? :D :D :D And it's a L-82, too!
(just couldn't resist) :D :D
It was very tempting to repaint it correctly last spring, but since someone else had already painted it red, and I liked red better, I just had to paint it red again.
I don't think it deminishes the value to be a different color than original. It all comes down to what you like the car to be and what makes you happy. :D

Paul Borowski

Rich, this is exactly why you don't see Medium Saddle '75s :yesnod: Ken here on the forum still has his '75 L-82 coupe in the original color-unless he too has painted his Red also :lol:

KenSny

Hey Paul, it's still in the original color, although the paint is starting to look it's age. When I do get around to repainting it will still be the Medium Saddle Metallic - I love it. My sig pic came out terrible, so don't go by that.

bamavettes

To answer your question. I can not see the color adding any price value to this car.

joeveto

I had a guy at a show tell me my car was rare because it has the smoke gray interior that looks more like early oyster than the actual smoke gray (which is dark gray). Apparently, there was a late year change to the oyster color for 1978, but the factory continued to call it smoke gray.

Is any of this true? I don't know. My car is a September car (in keeping with the theory). Does it add value to the car? I can't say. But if I were to hazard a guess, I'd say "no way." But it's still a fun story, and it's fun to speculate. And it appears as though you've discovered likewise.

Danny Hudson

Paul, In '75 at the ripe old age of 23, I was parts manager of a Chevy Dealer in Ennis Tx. I ordered a new '75 Vette. Took 9 months to get. We would go to the warehouse every day in Dallas to pick up parts. One day, about 9 months after I order my Vette, I was the one picking up parts. Chevy Southwest region was headquartered in the same building. So after I got our parts order, I pulled around and went inside the Chevy Div. A really tall guy , I'm 6'1", ask if he could help me. Told him I wanted to see why my Vette hadn't come in. We had 3 or 5 Vettes that came in that were order AFTER mine. He check and said I wouldn't get a 75 maybe not get a 76, because it was not ordered as a sold order, but as a inventory stock order. I got pissed. Told him I had paid nearly $3,000.00 against it already. The dealer was taking 1/2 my check each week to apply toward the car. This pissed him off. He called the plant and said he was the regional manager for the Southwestern Division. He told them plant to change the order code to a level 2 order. Hung the phone up and said I would have my Vette in about 10 days. Dealer was pissed, but I got my Vette. But here is the rest of the story. Next day the plant calls me and says there was a hold on my car because the aluminum wheels were on backorder, So I changed them to hub caps. Then, the head of the plant calls the next day and says they will not build the color combo I ordered because they didn't think it would look good . It was silver with saddle leather. L82, 4 speed coupe. I told the I didn't care what they thought, it was a option and that is what I wanted. They built it the way I wanted, got the car in 8 days. Plant manager called me back and said he was wrong, thought the car looked great, but they did remove that acsc a option. So it may have been a one off combo. Keep the car about a year and a half, sold it and bought a slightly wrecked '69 427 Vette. Put a Greenwood style kit on it. Kept it about 10 years.

Greg

Aerovette, can you post a couple pics of the car?

derekderek

I have a 75 vert. Med saddle paint, neutral interior. Not fond of the color and somebody didnt like neutral int so it has med saddle seats and door panels. Dunno what color I am doing it, but NOT medium saddle. Maybe inter, but not ext.

jackson

OP Danny:
Welcome "new guy."
This site needs another infusion of real, practical & seasoned experience.

fake

I had two 75 cars a Steel Blue L-48 four speed and a white roadster loaded. built the same month! They were the opposite each of performance being the convertible was an automatic. Miss both cars for they were good drivers.

Kacyc3

Zombie thread from 02... can we get a zombie smiley?