1973 Chevrolet Corvette 'Targa' Coupe (LHD)

Chevrolet’s third generation Corvette was announced in 1968, its curvaceous, ‘Coke bottle’ lines heavily influenced by Larry Shinoda’s stunning Mako Shark show car.  Underneath the sexy new bodywork, the latest Corvette’s chassis was a revised version of the C2’s, reworked suspension geometry at the rear being the only major change.  For the first few years of C3 production the Corvette’s stunning looks were left largely unchanged - no bad thing, as the Stingray’s original shape needed little improvement, combining beauty and aggression in equal measure.  Sold in two body styles, the Corvette was available either as a full convertible or a coupe, the latter featuring a clever targa-type roof arrangement with a pair of lift-out panels and removable rear window.  The Corvette’s interior had come in for some revision by 1971, while the body shell was made using a new resin process and there were minor changes to the mechanical specification – most notably a small reduction in the compression ratio to allow for lower octane fuels.  Few changes were made in 1972 but the big news for 1973 was the body-coloured integral front bumper designed to meet new federal impact rules and domed bonnet with a functional scoop, lending the Stingray a cleaner, more up to the minute appearance.  Larry Shinoda once said that the 1973 model was the best Stingray model of all because its front and rear styling came closet to the designer’s original concept.  The 1973 Corvette came with a 190 horsepower 350-cid V8 as standard and a choice of either the Turbo-Hydra-Matic or four-speed manual gearboxes, while a 250hp 350 or 275hp 454 big block V8 were the only engine options available.  A total of 30,464 Corvettes rolled off the line in 1973, a marked improvement over the previous year, of which the vast majority were coupes.