L79 Corvette is best Corvette. In fact, it's the only one I would consider owning. Big talk? Maybe. But I've personally driven all the great ones except an L88, and only the L79 cars make me grin like a mental patient every single time I drive one. It’s the only one I vow to own someday and I kick myself each time I get out of this car because I can’t keep it. Even that stunning silver 427 '67 convertible we sold a few months ago—and there's video of me having a ball while driving it—doesn’t make me feel the way an L79 car does. Add in the sweeter handling of the small block car, the lower maintenance, the benign street manners, and the wicked split personality that the 350 horsepower 327 V8 offers, and you get a car that sings and dances so perfectly that I just can't imagine even wanting to own any other Corvette.

This fantastic Rally Red 1967 Corvette coupe is just about right in all the ways that matter. First and foremost, it’s a real L79 with its matching-numbers engine, all documented by Al Grenning of CCAS. That’s as legit as such a thing can be. It’s also mostly original, with one extremely high-quality repaint in 2005 in its original Rally Red. It was delivered new to West Virginia but spent most of its life in California and was reportedly owned for almost 30 years by Skip Marketti of the Nethercutt Collection—it is surely a good one. During that time it was maintained and freshened, but never fully disassembled or restored. As a result, it feels solid, tight, and very authentic. The repaint is better than new, but you can’t argue with the spectacular finish that still looks competitive even after 15 years. There are a few very minor signs of use but nothing significant and certainly nothing that requires attention beyond wiping it off now and then. The car has all its original fiberglass and has never been hit, so doors fit about as well as they should (good, but not perfect, which is GM’s way) and the important details are all in place. The chrome is probably too nice to be original 1967 stuff, but the work there was excellent and they show none of the usual waviness that reworked pieces often exhibit. This sucker is RIGHT.

The interior is a combination of original and replacement parts. During that 2005 freshening, it received new carpets, a new molded headliner, and fresh door panels, but the seats are original and were simply re-dyed to help them fit in with the new stuff. Today they show a wonderful patina that you couldn’t re-create if you tried and original upholstery always looks better than the repro stuff anyway. The woodgrained wheel is in excellent shape and all the gauges are fully operational, springing to life when you turn the key. The 71,792 miles are undoubtedly authentic. The 6500 RPM tachometer was included with the L79 and it’ll use every tick on the dial without effort. And speaking of ticking, the clock works properly, the factory AM/FM radio tunes stations loud and clear, and man there’s just nothing like rowing that big chrome shifter for the M21 4-speed underneath. If this car doesn’t make you smile when you drive it, you’re probably not human.

The engine is unquestionably the car’s original, numbers-matching L79, with a partial matching VIN and a correct HT suffix code denoting L79 with a 4-speed. The L79 is a 327 cubic inch V8 rated at 350 horsepower and arguably the finest carbureted small block ever built. Yes, the LT-1 made a bit more power, but it doesn’t quite match the L79’s docile street manners (remember, the L79 is a hydraulic cam) and ferocious willingness to rev. I mean, drive it like it’s made of glass and it happily trundles along in 4th gear at 1500 RPM, pulling cleanly from low speeds. Drive it like you hate it and it just RIPS through the gears. Pay attention, because you’ll bang into the redline faster than you expect and by the time you get it into the next gear, the engine is already heading back into the red. It’s just fantastic to drive. There’s plenty of low-end torque, so it’s not peaky and if you don’t want to rev it, well, don’t—it doesn’t care. Roll on at 40 MPH and it’ll pull well into triple digits without a hiccup and then idle at 600 RPM, all with a carburetor and points ignition. How awesome is that? Speaking of the carburetor, that’s the only incorrect part on the car—it’s a replacement Edelbrock 4-barrel but it’s probably worthwhile to find a correct Holley and put it on there. Performance won’t change, but this car is worthy. And because it is well-tuned, it never gets hot, it offers plenty of oil pressure, and the original 1100693 alternator makes plenty of electricity, even with the oversized L79 pulley. You’ll also find a correct 3892657 block casting, Winters intake manifold, and heavy-duty cooling system.

The Muncie M21 close-ratio 4-speed manual transmission is also numbers-matching and original to the car, and it’s a big part of why the L79 feels so profoundly snappy. Get it right, and the engine is already right where you need to be when you grab the next gear, offering a seamless flow of power that is insanely addictive. BAM-BAM-BAM, it snips through the gears and matches the engine step for step. Clutch action is light and there’s no chatter. This car is also joyous to drive because it has manual steering, so there’s nothing to get in the way of the pavement and your palms—if you’re one of those guys who “needs” power steering, well, this might just be too much car for you anyway. Even with the fat radials, steering is light and precise and it’s only at a dead stop that you’ll feel the extra effort, so keep it rolling a little bit and don’t worry about it. Like all ’67 Corvettes, it does have 4-wheel disc brakes and they have been recently serviced with new lines and pads. There’s also a recent exhaust system that uses mandrel bends that may flow a bit better than stock, and new bushings with stock-style shocks were installed at all four corners so it rides and handles right. The rear end is dated 9-6-66 and coded AK, which means 3.36 gears so it’s reasonable on the highway and not at all busy. There’s a full-sized spare tire in the well, although we didn’t drop it down to examine it, and the bolt-on aluminum wheels (reproductions, of course) wear 215/70/15 Michelin radials that look right and work very well.

Documentation is fairly impressive: in addition to the certification from CCAS proving it is not a re-stamp or a forgery, this Corvette also has a semi-legible tank sticker still affixed to the original gas tank, an original owner’s manual, NCRS Shipping Data Report, and lots of receipts and other papers from its long history.

Americans always make the mistake of assuming that bigger is better, and big block Corvettes have a reputation for being the best Corvettes. I strongly disagree. When I was racing Corvettes, our motto was, “I can get my small block Corvette around the track faster than your big block,” and it was always true. While the 427s get all the glory, this wicked little L79 is every bit as fast, handles better, and remains as docile as your mom’s Impala when you just want to chill. It’s the most fantastic Jekyll-and-Hyde routine I’ve ever seen from a carbureted engine, and it’s virtually indestructible, needling little more than gas and oil to live forever. That means there’s just no reason not to get in and rip it through the gears—it’s what it wants to do, it’s what it does best. What are you waiting for? Call now!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.