Images are from the brochure collection of Hemmings Motor News
Evolution was the name of the game for Chevrolet’s flagship sports car in the mid-1970s. The fourth generation Corvette underwent only minor changes for the 1975 model year, leaving the model’s best features intact while continuing to adapt to new and challenging regulations.
As this 1975 Stingray brochure (printed September, 1974) illustrates, the Corvette could be configured as a comfortable, long-distance grand tourer, a handling-focused gymkhana star, or anything in between. Chevrolet made most of this model year’s changes under the skin, although the skin itself did change with the addition of impact-absorbing vertical overriders, front and rear, to aid the five-mile-per-hour bumpers; a one-piece rear bumper cap appeared seamless next to the split design used the previous year.
1974‘s 4-bbl.-carbureted 454-cu.in. V-8, net-rated at 270 hp, wouldn’t return for 1975, leaving the higher-compression 350-cu.in., 205 hp L82 V-8 -now fitted with catalytic converters and a more restrictive single exhaust- as 1975’s top engine choice. Also new were the HEI distributor, electronic tachometer and speedometer including KPH markings. The standard Corvette V-8 was the 4-bbl.-carbureted 350-cu.in. unit making 165 hp. True enthusiasts knew the $400 Z07 option combined that L82 engine with the FE7 “off-road” high-performance suspension and heavy-duty power brake package, making for the most athletic production Stingray you could buy that year. Car and Driver found a base, automatic-equipped Corvette could still manage 0-60 in 7.7 seconds and a respectable 129 MPH top speed.
And, most importantly, 1975 would be the last year you could buy a true Corvette convertible until 1986. Few buyers seemed to care that the $6,550 convertible was a veritable bargain compared to the $6,810 coupe, though, as production figures amounted to 4,629 versus 33,836 for the respective body styles. Of course, open air was always available in this model, considering the coupe’s standard removable T-top roof panels, while the convertible could be equally snug with the optional hardtop ($267, or $350, skinned in vinyl).
Chevrolet was selling the Stingray as a truly practical car in this literature, even noting its ability to tow a light boat or camping trailer with a factory trailer frame hitch, wiring harness and heavy-duty battery. Have you ever hauled with a Corvette?
Click on the brochure images below to enlarge.
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