The End

1978 Chevrolet Corvette L82... It would take somebody with a pretty exquisite viewpoint and a surfeit of chutzpah to call the whole thing a bum idea now. Imagine being such a thundering success that you can make a big deal out of some extra rear glass, a glovebox and an enlarged tailpipe ! Yet there she stands, groomed and ready for the faithful with $11,388 (1978 Price) worth of standard equipment and options - and GM will sell just about every one of the 43,000 or so it produces this year, quite a few of them sporting a special 2-tone silver/gray Silver Anniversary paint job. Our test car was blue inside, however, flagrant as sin and proud of it. No doubt about it, the Corvette is an idea whose time not only came in with a bang, but has already lasted for a quarter century. An All-American Sports Car ? Yup - it really is, and as we’ve said before, it’s a heck of a bargain. The 1978 model isn’t revolutionary but this year it does have a little more here and there of those special qualities Corvette fanciers know and love. For instance, the well established 350-cu-in. V-8 has more vigor than last year’s in the standard L48 version and the optional L82 we tested, with 5- and 10-bhp boosts, respectively. The L82 (not available in California) breathes a little more easily via a dual snorkel air intake as well as larger exhaust tubing and freer-flowing mufflers behind the catalytic converter. As the figures show, it moves out smartly, going from rest to 60 mph in 6.5 sec and covers the standing quarter mile in 15.2 sec at 95.0 mph. Both times are 0.3 sec quicker than last year’s model. While the engine lacks the crisp response of earlier high-compression 350s and protested audibly under load on its diet of lead-free fuel, it’s capable of attaining its 6000-rpm redline in 4th and is a satisfying threat to just about any speed limit anywhere. As expected, we found the drivetrain in the test car to be as tough and willing as ever, with the wide-ratio 4-speed manual waiting just below that hallowed, short, thick, console-mounted stalk. This lusty alternative is barred to Californians, however, because of anti-smog strictures - they must make do with the automatic. Our test car had the optional gymkhana suspension, with spring rates 50 percent higher than the standard setup. The main change between last year’s and this year’s setups lies in re-valved and slightly larger rear shock absorbers, which give a little softer ride and better control. But the uninitiated driver will find this suspension package overly harsh at first, with plenty of stiff bobbing and bouncing over minor road imperfections, as well as a lot of hood length swinging this way and that at the end of the steering column. This soon passes, however, and evolves into confidence in the machine’s unquestionably solid, firm and dependable surface adhesion. Braking is superb, with almost no front dive, excellent control and smooth deceleration down to about 5 mph where, strangely, the brakes locked and emitted billows of white smoke. Driving in the heavy rains we encountered during the time we had the car had almost no effect on brake dependability. Some of the early models off the line were afflicted with an unsettling clunking of the standard limited-slip differential, and our test car was one of them. Apparently caused by new machinetooling, the problem was corrected early in the model run, and is controlled in the others with a double-draught of lube additive. We inherited a set of shaved 70-series Goodyear Polysteel radials. In the interest of reduced squiggle and more precise handling, about half the tread had been removed. The operation was a success, though rather a profligate gesture for the average owner. A 60-series radial is an option but at present, according to Corvette engineers, the 70-series tires are quieter, corner better, have better on-center feel and simply give the Corvette a better ride. The reason ? Because of a corporate edict requiring a switch to P-metric radials, Corvette engineers had to change tires midstream and evaluate numerous metric-size radials. The P225/70R-15s turned out better than the optional P225/60R-15s (except for looks) and the engineers decided the 70s were too good to pass up. Development is underway toward upgrading the 60-series radials. Tire pressure recommendations for the car have shown a steady increase during the past few years. The modest 20 psi front and rear pressures recommended as standard in 1975 rose to 20/26 for 1976 and 1977, and have been pumped up to 28/32 for 1978. This change results in an impressive skidpad improvement: from 0.726g last year to 0.798 for the current model. In the slalom, however, the 1978 version was 2.4 mph slower than the record-setting 63.6-mph pace of the 1977 car. This is probably a reflection on the test track surface, which was dry but dusty as a result of runoff from some rare but very welcome Califor

• published: 30 Jan 2011
• views: 2268