Total 1976 Corvettes Built- 46,558 – All Coupes
Corvettes is America’s only true production sports car. Among its standard features are a fiberglass body and fully independent suspension. Chances are no other American car is looked after so lovingly by its owners. In fact, Corvette is one of America’s most enduring values. Over half of the first 1953 models are still in existence. These and many later models are worth more, today, to their owners than their original purchase prices. Others never even appear on the market but are proudly passed down from father to son. So, you can look at the purchase of a ’76 Corvette in many ways. As an immediate source of some of the most enjoyable driving you’ll ever experience. As an automotive investment instead of a purchase. Or even as a valued legacy. What other car offers so much? But what is it that makes Corvette so exciting? Is it the shape? It’s your shape, you know. The one you day dreamed about during a boring school lecture or business meeting. The escape machines. All we did was take your dream and refine it through the years. Or is Corvette’s excitement in the interior? All cars have interiors, of course, but Corvette gives you the intimacy of a two-seater cockpit with its focal point right at you, the driver. What we did was add those comfortable buckets to cradle you, put the controls within your relaxed reach, give you complete instrumentation plus a broad view over the hood. Then, we topped it off with those removable roof panels that give you the opinion of the open-to-the-world feeling of a convertible or the buttoned-up security of a coupe. Or is Corvette’s excitement in the chassis? If you know cars, isn’t this the way you’d design a chassis? A short wheelbase for good maneuverability. A low center of gravity carefully located between front and rear wheels. Each wheel independently suspended and with a wide GR70 series steel-belted radial ply tire. It takes all that to make Corvette excitement. You won’t find all that on any other American car. Don’t even bother to look.
Every ’76 Corvette included a host of standard equipment. We’ve listed much of it here. Chevrolet Efficiency System. A group of engineering improvements, introduced with the 1975 Corvettes are designed to give you cleaner air, overall operating economy, quicker starts, faster warm- ups, and more miles between oil changes and chassis lubes. The efficiency system includes High Energy Ignition – up to 85% hotter spark to the plugs, which means more responsive ignition performance; Catalytic converter – takes over most of the emissions control so engines can be tuned for smooth, responsive, efficient performance; Carburetor Outside Air Induction – impressive engine performance because cooler, denser air is fed into the carburetor from outside the car; Early Fuel Evaporation – improves warm-up performance by using exhaust gases to pre-heat incoming fuel/air mixtures before combustion; steel-belted radial ply tires – reduce rolling friction. Long intervals between recommended service help save you money as you operate a ’76 Corvette.
Exterior Features: Twin remove-and-store roof panels. You can switch from a clean-lined hardtop to the opened-up feeling of a Convertible, or vice versa, in less than a minute. Soft urethane body-color covers over hydraulic energy-absorbing bumpers. Dual bumper guards, front and rear. Flush, retracting headlights: dual-unit taillights inset in rear bumper cover. Soft-Ray tinted glass, all around. Hide-A-Way windshield wipers. New exterior colors: mahogany metallic, dark Corvette green metallic, Corvette buckskin metallic, dark Corvette brown metallic and Corvette red. Also, silver, bright Corvette blue metallic, bright Corvette yellow, Corvette orange frame, classic white.
Interior Features: Interior has comfort-contoured bucket seats. Integrates instrument panel and center console provide a functional yet intimate environment. Panel is elaborately instrumented, padded and trimmed in color-keyed grained vinyl with stitched seams. Console is grained-vinyl trimmed. New Standard textured-vinyl upholstery has deep-pleated, saddle-stitched seat panels in black, dark firethorn, light buckskin or white. Also, there are seven leather-trimmed Custom Interiors available. Nylon, deep-twist, color-keyed carpeting is wall-to-wall over passenger and luggage compartments. New four-spoke, color-keyed padded vinyl steering wheel with Corvette crossed flags medallion on horn button. Custom deluxe seat and shoulder belts, color-keyed to interior. Most controls are mounted on center console convenient to driver’s right hand. These include shift selector, pull-on parking brake, thumb-wheel controls for built-in heater-defroster system. Console also included cigarette lighter, ashtray and storage compartment. Power ventilation system. It keeps outside air circulating inside (with the ignition on), even when the car is stopped, and the windows are up. Molded full foam seat construction. Extensive sound insulation around passenger compartment. Three carpeted storage compartments behind seat backs, one lighted, one lockable. Courtesy lights, under instrument panel and in luggage compartment, actuated by automatic door switches. Panel-mounted map case.
Head Room: 36.2”
Hip Room: 48.8”
Shoulder Room: 47.9”
Leg Room: 42.1”
Usable Luggage Space: 6.5 cu. ft.
Corvette offers buyers a choice of two engines, three transmissions and four rear axle ratios, to insure that you have a power team that best suits your personal driving needs. Standard 350 4-barrel V8: A rugged, quiet power plant with excellent low-speed torque for around-town cruising, but also vert willing and responsive on the high-way. 1976 features include a new lighter weight Freedom energizer type battery (no add-water servicing, no venting required) with side terminals that eliminate corrosion build-up. Standard wide-ratio 4-Speed manual transmission. The better manual transmission for normal driving. The high first-gear ratio (2.64 to one) gets you off the mark smartly, while wide range intermediate ratios provide good torque matching at low and intermediate speeds. Crisp shift action with all gears fully synchronized.
Occupant Protection: Two combination seat and inertia reel shoulder belts for driver and right seat passenger (with reminder light and buzzer). Energy-absorbing steering column. Safety steering wheel. Passenger-guard door locks. Safety door latches and hinges. Folding seat back latches. Energy-absorbing padded instrument panel. Contoured windshield header. Thick-laminate windshield. Safety molded-in armrests.
Accident Prevention: Side marker lights and reflectors. Parking lights that illuminate with headlights. Four-way hazard warning flasher. Lane-change feature in direction signal control. Back-up lights. Windshield defrosters, washers and dual-speed wipers. Wide-view inside day-night mirror (vinyl-edged, shatter resistant glass and deflecting support). Outside rearview mirror. Dual master cylinder brake system with warning light. Starter safety switch. Dual-action safety hood latch.
Anti-theft: Alarm set or deactivated by key lock in left front fender. Ignition-key reminder buzzer. Steering column lock.
For Comfort and convenience: Power windows. Power brakes. Power steering, Four-Season air conditioning. Easy-to-use controls for heating, cooling, defrosting or defogging, plus bi-level setting for warm air at upper level. Tilt-Telescopic steering wheel. Adjusts to seven different tilt positions with six inches of telescopic travel. Helps provide a steering wheel position that’s just right for you. Makes it easier to enter and exit, too. AM/FM stereo radio included fixed height rear antenna and to speakers. With the acoustics of the Corvette interior, stereo delivers “you’re in the concert hall” sound. Am/FM radio includes fixed height rear antenna and two speakers. Dual horns. Electro-Clear rear window defogger. Map lamp with inside the rearview mirror.
Mechanical Items: Special 350 4-barrel V8 (L82). Designed for added performance, the special features a longer duration, higher lift cam than the standard 350 V8, special heads with larger valves, impact-extruded pistons, a forged crank running in 4-bolt-main bearing caps, plus finned aluminum rocker arm covers. Close-ratio 4-Speed manual transmission. Available only with the special 350 V8, the close ratios of this 4-Speed are better suited for numerous high-speed up-and-down shifts associated with competition driving. Fully synchronized with a 2.43 to one first-gear ratio. Turbo Hydra-matic transmission. This 3-range automatic is available with either standard or Special V8. You can shift manually with the selector on the console or leave it in “Drive” for automatic shifting. Highway rear axle ratio. Lower than-standard ratio is designed to reduce engine speed and to give somewhat better efficiency than the standard ratio. High-altitude rear axle ratios. Higher-than-standard ratios permit increased low-end performance. Gymkhana suspension. Provides larger diameter front stabilizer bar, a rear stabilizer bar plus stiffer springs and special shock absorbers, front and rear. Heavy-duty freedom energizer-type battery. No add-water servicing required.
For appearance: Cast aluminum 15 x 8” wheels (4) reduce unsprung weight by approximately 32 lbs. Includes steel spare wheel. White stripe or white lettered GR70-15 steel-belted radial ply tires. Custom interior with genuine leather seat trim panels in black, blue-green, dark firethorn, smoke gray, light buckskin, dark brown and custom wood-grain vinyl accents on doors and console.
Dealer-installed accessories: Floor mats (black). Litter container (black) Tissue/litter container (black). Light-duty (1,000-lb. GVW or less) trailer hitch. Trailer wiring harness. Citizen Band transceiver. Citizen band antennas. Compass. Right-hand outside mirror. Engine block heater. Portable hand spotlight. Luggage carrier for rear deck.