Flashback Friday (1972): My Last C3

1970 Convertible - 350ci, 350hp, Four Speed Manual Transmission

Little did I know when I owned this car that I would not own another Corvette for 40 years. In the intervening four decades, I owned a Trans Am, a Porsche, a couple of BMWs, and various soulless, non-descript family sedans and vans.

This ‘70 was by far the most reliable and trouble-free Corvette of all the C2s and the ‘68 C3 I had owned up until 1972. I think it was only a little over a year old when I bought it. There were no roof leaks, squeaks, rattles, or drivetrain drips of any kind. Everything worked flawlessly, and it could easily be used as daily personal transportation.

This ‘70 was a huge departure from the ‘68 coupe I had owned. The ‘68, of course, was the first year of the re-designed Corvette, and it had many problems including leaks around the t-tops and the removable rear window, an overheating small-block engine, and various other maladies.

But this car was like a breath of fresh air in comparison; it was unfailingly dependable and trouble-free. I’ll always remember this car as one of the best Corvettes I ever owned.

In 2012, after forty years, I got back into Corvettes when I bought an ‘02 C5. But even this much newer model had several issues that shouldn’t have occurred late in the fifth-generation production run, and it wasn’t as flawless as my 1970.