1974 Corvette Convertible 4 speed 454

[Jmcdonald]

The last year for the GM convertible was 1975... probably because they just couldn't sell them anymore. Ralph Nader had demonized them so bad for being unsafe in a rollover accident that everyone was afraid of them. That's probably why the coupe (t-top) came along late in 1968. I bought a 69 coupe and hated the t-top... so I then ordered a 70 LT-1 convertible... and had a hell of a time getting rid of it, just because it was a convertible... so when I ordered my 73, it was an L48 350 4 speed coupe (still fun to drive and 20+MPG). By 1973, the horsepower era was winding down... partly because leaded gas was about to be outlawed... so in 71 they lowered the compression ratios, so they could run on unleaded gas, and thus the horsepower ratings were less. The insurance companies had decided to gouge everyone that bought anything that even resembled a performance vehicle, so if you bought a 4 speed, your insurance rates went up significantly. I'm convinced the auto manufacturers changed the horsepower ratings from gross to net in 1972, just to make it look like they had less performance... for insurance rating purposes. Like I said above, I was selling Chevrolets during this period, and I ordered many of the fun cars for the dealership I worked for. I remember purposely ordering a bunch of 74 Camaros with a 350 2 barrel and 3 speed transmission (floor mounted)... which avoided the performance rating by the insurance companies... and which most anyone could then modify into whatever they wanted :-)

At the beginning of the 73 model year, the gas crisis hadn't hit yet, so it was still ok to order a 454 or 4 speed in a Corvette. Obviously when the oil embargo started, all we could sell were Vegas... LOL Another unusual thing that happened in 1973, which no one seems to remember today, is that the 73 Corvette had lots of new things that everyone wanted... cowl induction, radial tires, larger rubber body mounts (and yes they really did make them ride and handle a lot better and have way fewer rattles) and we finally got a rubber front bumper like the GTO :-) And actually the 73 454 had 5HP more than that "steel bumper" 72 :-) But this caused a HUGE demand for the 73 Corvette. If you wanted one, you were going to pay MSRP and even a dealer pack on top of that, in many cases. Small dealers that didn't sell many Corvettes were selling them to larger Chevrolet dealers for $500 over invoice. So to make even more profit, dealers were loading them up with every option available. So now if you go look for a used 73 or 74 Corvette, you're going to find mostly 350 automatic coupes loaded with options. Even the 454s are usually automatics. And obviously 74 was the last year for a 454... for all these reasons. From 1976 to the 90s, most of what you'll find in Corvettes are automatic coupes with all the options.

[Pusher_Man]

Now that's what I call answering a question

Many thanks for helping out a newbie.

[Stefano]

Welcome Jim and thanks for your first hand perspective.

Lou Bachrodt Chevrolet in Rockford was very involved with performance cars, Corvettes and even some very significant Supercars.

Bachrodt sold one of the 1966 Yenko Stingers as well as two 1967 Yenko 427 Camaros with one being the very first Yenko Super Camaro built.

Todd Ocide was very instrumental with the performance and Corvette orders. He even received one of just a few COPO orders (I believe) 1966 L88 Corvettes for his road racing exploits and was sponsored by the dealership.

As a Kid I remember the gas rationing and waiting in line with my parents to get gas.

This Corvette marks the end of an era, the last 454, the last real dual exhaust and last year prior to catalytic converters. The only power rating is the torque. The only car more powerful was the SD 455.

Ironically 1974s tend to find me. Based on what was happening at the time from a historical perspective, it's amazing that any were built.

I had what is believed to be the very last 440 magnum car, a Mr Norms 440 1974 Charger, the last conversion car built at Nickey Chevrolet a 1974 L88, this car and a couple of Super Duty TAs.

[black69]

Hey Stephano, please photoshop out that guy's SS number on the title.
Nice car!
-bob

[Stefano]

SOLD.

[earntaz]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: black69</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hey Stephano, please photoshop out that guy's SS number on the title.
Nice car!
-bob</div></div>

Good job!

[Jmcdonald]

Small world Stefano. I met Todd Oseid several times, but by the time I started working at LB I think he had started some kind of performance car dealership in Madison... but his brother Rob was my manager off and on, and was quite the character. I'd never heard those stories about Todd and the COPOs... but then I don't think I ever encountered the term COPO till sometime in the 90s. As salesmen we were allowed to choose our demos, but there was seldom anything fun to pick from, so they said here's some order forms, order what you'd like. When those ended up selling quickly, I ended up ordering most of the fun stuff... so I had lots more to pick from after that. If I'd known there was a process for ordering something that wasn't on the preprinted order forms, things could have gotten exciting :-)

When the gas crisis came along, if you weren't selling Datsuns and Toyotas, you weren't making any money, so I decided it was time to make a major change and moved from Illinois to Arizona. Suddenly I had access to those old fun steel cars again, but rust is still my main concern when I look at old cars for sale.

It sounds like you've had a really fun career.