1972 was the end of the road for many things in Corvette-land. It was the last year of the chrome front bumper, the last year for the vacuum operated pop-up windshield wiper door, and the last year for the wild-eyed high compression LT-1 350 V-8 motor.
The lack of a power bulge in the middle of this Mille Miglia Red convertible's hood means it's a small-block car. That would mean either the aforementioned LT-1 350 or, far more likely, the base ZQ3 350 mill.
For the 1972 model year, all GM engines were advertised with their SAE net horsepower ratings. That, combined with lowered compression ratios in preparation for an unleaded gas future made it feel like the cars had taken a much bigger performance haircut than they actually had.
The ZQ9 350 V-8, with its 4-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust, had an 8.5:1 compression ratio and was rated at 200 SAE net horsepower, while the solid lifter LT-1 had a 9.0:1 compression ratio and boasted a 255 horsepower rating. Both power ratings were actually unchanged from the previous year, but '71 advertising used gross numbers with SAE net as a footnote.
Chevy sold just over 6,500 Corvette convertibles in '72 with a base MSRP of $5,296, which is equivalent to roughly forty thousand bucks in 2024. This one was photographed in July of 2024 using an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and Panasonic 12-60mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens.
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