AutoTrader Find of the Week: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 427 Really is a Holy Grail

It’s no secret that Corvette owners love bragging about how rare and special their particular vehicles are.

The truth of the matter, of course, is that the vast majority of Corvettes are not that special. And even if they might be technically rare or uncommon, that does not necessarily equate to desirability.

This 1967 Corvette Stingray L71 427 offered for sale through Summit Ford’s Classic collection in Toronto, Ont., and listed on AutoTrader could not be more the opposite.

It’s not a clone. It’s not a recreation. It’s the real deal. And its $325,000 asking price reflects that.

Delivered to its original owner on April 21, 1967, at Washburn Chevrolet of Santa Barbara, Calif., this Corvette was number 12,807 of the 22,940 Corvettes produced that year. It is one of only 8,504 coupes and 3,754 cars to be optioned with the 435-horsepower 427-cubic-inch L71 V8.

It might not sound super uncommon, but keep in mind GM isn’t great at tracking the intersection between option groups, nor does the VIN track transmission options. So while the Muncie four-speed manual was the standard option for all 427-engined Corvettes, the automatic was considered the performance upgrade and would have attracted a fair amount of buyers.

GM also didn’t track paint colour through VIN codes. Instead, paint codes were tracked via a “trim tag” located on the driver’s side door jamb or via a sticker in the glove box.

This Corvette’s trim tag tells us it’s code 983 — originally Greenwood Green, a then-new colour for 1967.

Bad math tells us there were probably about 1,400 L71 427-cubic-inch Corvette coupes made 1967. Of those 1,400, you have to ask, “How many were sold in Greenwood Green?” and, “How many were an original Muncie four-speed?”

Then there's the options list. Heavy-duty four-disc brakes, power steering, power windows, an air injection system, a cabin heater, and an AM/FM radio — all options in 1967. In fact, other than the omission of L89 aluminum cylinder heads and an automatic Powerglide transmission, there doesn’t seem to be much the original owner didn’t opt for.

When you start to add it up, the odds of finding another 1967 Corvette as well-appointed as this one start to feel improbable.

And really, the more important question to ask is, “How many like this one are left?”

Which is perhaps why this car has received National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) Top Flight Awards in 2006, 2008, and 2012.

A second owner acquired the car in 2011 and proceeded with the restoration of the carpet, headliner, interior trim panels, ignition coil, voltage regulator, and steering coupler. Its green paint was refinished under previous ownership.

As always, Summit is supremely confident in its classic inventory. The car comes dealer-certified and even qualifies for its financing program.

But perhaps the best thing about this Corvette, despite its well-preserved and maintained condition, is that it is not a museum piece. It’s a driver.

The undercarriage sports plenty of healthy road grime. Some of the GM factory orange paint is chipping off the engine block. You don’t have to be precious about it just because it’s rare.

Because having a Corvette shouldn’t be about manically detailing it non-stop and forcing it to live the majority of its life stuffed in a parking lot while you sit in a lawn chair and warn people not to touch it unless they’re “in the nude.”

A Corvette should be about shredding the tires off it. That’s how you really make a car like this one special.