Welcome to Found Off The Street, our look at cars found on the cape that rust liked so much it decided to summer there; Cape Cod, MA. Today we have a 1978 Silver Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette.
Last week in Found Off The Street we saw a pretty rusty 1961 Chevrolet Suburban that will more than likely never see the road again. As you can see from the pictures, this week's 1978 Chevrolet Corvette needs nothing but a willing buyer to return to the street. From the condition you can tell the Corvette has led a pretty pampered life. The past year or so has not been quite as easy for the old car, with most of it having been spent out in the weather by the side of the road waiting for a new home and a return to the good life.
The base L-48 engine under the long hood of the Corvette produced a mere 185 HP when it was brand new. This amount of power was still good for a 7.8 second 0-60 time in a car equipped with an automatic, such as this one. Although it doesn't seem very quick in comparison to the cars of today or even other generations of vintage corvettes, in the height of the Malaise era, these were still one of the fastest cars you could buy.
To celebrate Corvette's 25th anniversary all 1978 Corvettes came with a silver anniversary logo on the nose and the fuel door. Some cars, such as this one, were ordered from the factory with the $399 B2Z Silver Anniversary package which included the two tone silver and gray paint and special aluminum rims. The package was dreamed up by longtime Corvette designer Bill Mitchell, and it was the first time a two tone color package had been offered on a Corvette since 1961.
This car has really endeared itself to me as I've seen it weather the elements over the past year. Even if it is just perceived, I feel like the time outside has given the car a little more character then many of its garage kept peers. When I saw the car last week with the windows rolled down, it was after several days of heavy rain and it was drying out on a sunny day. I hope someone buys the car before the first snow falls and the car can return to the pampered life it is used to, after getting a little dose of the real world. For $16,995, it could be you.