Ed Luddy

Yes there were 2 engine choices for 1978. The base L48 350 @ 185 horsepower and the L82 with a bump in compression ratio @ 220 hp. I've owned a few Corvette's of both engines and never noticed much difference. The silver seats in the Pace Car were a lot better than the regular 78 seats. By 1979 all the Corvettes got the same seats in many color choices. 1st pic below is the 78 Pace Car 2nd is my old 81 Corvette with the same style in tan leather with power seat. Yes I know, both needed a good cleaning and new carpet! One thing about these cars with the tinted glass roof panels, the A/C can barely keep up on a hot day. The large back glass/glass tops turn them into a microwave oven for 2 adults!

As far as driving a mid 60's Chrysler sedan as a sole vehicle I think the cost of fuel is going to be the biggest issue. Big V8, no overdrive, carb instead of EFI, etc. That will likely sour the romance of driving heavy old iron more than reliability.

No Steve, unfortunately it's not mine. My old 76 is under going a full resto and I wish I could get it back. It was an end of the line 455 4 speed. Cameo white, Firethorn red interior ordered by my neighbour. No console, only major option was A/C. But the local Pontiac dealer kept re-ordering for him after it got kicked back due to the 455. Finally they did receive enough orders from non California smog exempt cars to build some. It was for Canada. I bought from his estate after he passed, but it had been poorly stored in a damp barn for a long time. I did buy another complete western Formula body to try and restore, but another local guy who knew the car and owner came and bought both from me at a time when I had too many projects! Sound familiar?

Yes. Auction fees and all the rest can chew up a lot cash. Usually 30% or more. So if it sells for $10,000 seller will likely realize about $7,500 or so after all the B.S. Buyer will have $13,000 + by the time it's home and on the road. IF there's no big undisclosed problems. Which usually isn't the case. Even with all that I plan to consign at least 2 to auction. Because of good exposure and hoping there's 2 more people on the planet who want my car's more than I want to keep 'em!

Thanks Steve. It was very good underneath. Was stored for over 25 years in a vineyard storage shed. Put a battery in it, some fresh gas and brake fluid, drove it home 2 1/2 hrs. I spent a fair bit of money getting it back to good driving condition. Took quite a big $$ dollar loss. Have too many cars, no enough storage, time, patience, and most of all money! 3 more cars to sell as soon as spring comes here to frozen Ontario!

Be sure to check out the 37-9 La Salle's also. A very nice car especially in the coupe model, called the little brother to Cadillac.

This is mine. Was a decent car. I included a brand new full Pace Car Decal kit, Redid the seats and much more this year.

Yes!. I just got a text from a buddy who sent a pic of a 1978 Corvette Indy Pace Car crossing the block at B-J auction today for $22,000. I sold mine a few months ago for $9800. They are bound to go up now!!

I thought that only happened to me!

Wow, that's a great story! A testament to how sturdy those cars are with proper care and maintenance. It reminds me of my Aunt Doris and Uncle Jimmy's 50 Dodge. But they lived in Nova Scotia and rust chewed it to pieces along with most cars back in the 50's and 60's.

The Goldenrod Yellow is a rarer color than most. Hard to find today. Yes there are a few things out of whack for sure. If you are buying in that price range should be able to find a nice stock model without the modifications.

Yes I think you are right. The 74 GTO/Ventura shown would have a Pontiac 350/400 from the factory. I know the Canadian Ventura's and Nova's had small block Chevy's

These came with a Pontiac 350 with the Shaker from the factory. The base model Ventura had a 307 or 350 Chevy. At least in Canada.

Watch out for Antonio Andolinni , Or Robert DeNiro.........

My 79 Avanti II was not a good investment, but a car I desired since being 8 yr's old. The fact it was in a storage garage less than 5 blocks from the Studebaker factory in Hamilton Ontario and had a colourful past made me buy it. Now it's one of a very few cars I desire to own again.

I do really like the round headlight cars now. That's a change for me as I couldn't wait to get a new style double square headlight one back in the late 70's ! I did get a 78 Starlight black/ black interior, gold pinstripe one in 79.

Also, that's not a stock color for 76. They came in "Firethorn" red. A metallic color.

The "snowflake" wheels are from a later T/A. Probably came stock with Rallye II's or "honeycombs"

I see you are an Avanti owner. I've been wanting to buy another one but have to wait to sell off 2 or 3 other cars. When I sold my 79 Avanti II I used that money to partially fund a 1999 Jaguar XK8 convertible. That was a big mistake!

Good looking car. This one is a whole lot cheaper than buying a beater and trying to restore it! I've owned a few of them and up here in Canada rust killed a majority of them.

I've chimed in on other posts regarding my past Jaguar car ownership's. When the inline 6 cylinder cars are running good there are few vehicles that can come close to them for overall comfort, handling and pleasure to drive. When I had the chance to do a high speed run on open highway with no traffic (in my younger days) nothing compared to the Jag's. Even my Porsche 928 S did not feel as good at speed. Certainly not any of the Corvette's. But.... the Corvette's always got me home!

Wills is the correct so I'm told.

If you are shopping for a XJS find one with the inline 6. Only half as many problems!!

Ok, who needs a Hirohata Merc? Here's mine. 1/12 scale porcelain #20 of 100. For far,far less than 1/12th the price!

Unless you get a 442 exported new to Canada. Then you can get the GM Vintage Vehicle documents for $120. These show all the build info, production codes, options, colors, etc. As per my 1972. It also helped that I got a lot of original doc's from the original owner.