The National Corvette Museum is auctioning off one of the cars that has been displayed within the museum in order to raise money for its various projects and operations.
The car in question is a 1974 Corvette that was donated to the museum in 2014. It was a one owner car when it was donated and has just 34,434 miles of the odometer, making it “great Corvette for an enthusiast’s collection, or for a regular driver,” the NCM says.
Painted in its original Dark Brown exterior color, the ’74 Corvette looks to be in near-perfect shape and features a Saddle leather interior with the optional custom interior package which, added wood grain door panel and console trim, along with carpeted lower door panels.
Under the hood sits the original 350 cu. in. V8 engine, which is paired with an L82 four-speed manual transmission. Corvette Rally wheels wrapped in Firestone white letter GR70-15 tires complete the package.
The NCM says the winner of this eBay auction will also receive the ‘NCM Experience’ tour. This provides a similar experience to the GM Option Code R8C, which enables a newly purchased Corvette to be delivered to the Corvette Museum instead of a Chevy dealer. For these owners, the NCM rolls out the proverbial red carpet, giving them  a V.I.P. Museum tour, a one-year individual membership to the Corvette Museum, a commemorative plaque, silver decal and a photograph in front of the NCM.
More photos of this original color, numbers-matching 1974 Corvette can be viewed at this link.
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Comments
Brown just never fit a Corvette well. Nice color but it just looked better on a Blazer.
Prince singing little brown Corvette just does not have that hook to it either.
We feel nostalgia because of how the 1974 Corvette looks compared to the C7 Corvette and the upcoming next generation C8 Corvette; one almost wonders what the 74 Corvette would have been like if GM engineers attempted to build a mid-engine car then.
Around ’77, my girlfriend owned a ’74 brown Corvette convertible, and I had a white ’74 t-top. Personally, the brown color was my more favorite. Beautiful car, which will soon be enjoyed like it was 1974 all over again.
Rootbeer Brown
My first car, a 1978 Camaro, was painted that same color. That year GM called it camel brown on the Camaro. The car also had a tan interior similar to this Corvette. It was a 6 cylinder automatic with optional positraction. Rusty but trusty and good in the snow. Just like your first true love, you never forget your first car.
Guy donates car and than they sell it. Not sure that was his intention.
Great Chevette color, probably worth more than the Corvette, both underpowered brown cars. Remind you of a pos.
While I agree that the NCM should not be auctioning off donated Corvettes, this color, year, and options was my first of now, 9, Corvettes. NCM, I’ll buy it off you if you declined to auction it for some reason.
BTW, for the sake of technical accuracy, ‘L82’ was an engine option designation, not that of a transmission.
My first corvette was a 74 exactly like this one. Brown and cream with a metallic paint. Didn’t have a lot of money and I so wanted a new corvette. I put cragar mags on it. Made it look hot until my next ones I understood meant a lot for originality.
We joined the National Corvette Museum as life time members when it was just a small store front in Bowling Green. I see one of the new colors on the C8 is a brownish color. Can only see in certain lights.
You always remember your first corvette. Now my latest and greatest is a 2019 Black 7 speed ZR1. Just can’t live without them. Many, many has passed through my years.
I do agree why is the corvette museum auctioning off a donated car. One obviously somebody loved. And donated it. I think that will cause problems with people donating cars and then the museum selling them. Doesn’t make any sense at all. And I personally think that is wrong!!!!!!
Guy should buy it back, deduct whatever He pays over the fair market price on his taxes.
He’ll then have created a great story about the car to later sell at a premium.
I think the Corvette Museum needs to take the car down now and give it back to the original owner that donated it in good faith. The 74 was a one owner car.
It is sad the museum is even doing this. Really shocks me. Making the museum look bad they should should have told them they didn’t was the car in the in the beginning and this person kept it all these years. If it were my car I donated which the museum encourages people to do. The owner could sell it if he chose but I am sure he never would have thought the museum could ever do such a thing. To me they need to advertise they don’t need anymore cars rather than just take them away for the owners that loved them. I hope the corvette museum sees all of this. Now I would never donate a car to them. Really makes me sick. That owner thought he or she was doing the right thing because it was the museum. They weren’t given any money for it and the museum just took it on false pretenses. I have supported and loved the museum all these years it not anymore. What could they possibly need to buy to sell a donated car. They have plenty of money and no reason to scam a person that thought they were doing the right thing. I would be raising cane and get me car back. I am sure they conned this person to do this. That is a lot of years for this person to keep this car and in good shape. Then to be scammed. All I can say is discuss and shameful for the museum. No telling how many more they have sold on EBay we don’t know anout. But this needs blasted loud and clear. My mind has changed on how I feel
about this and the museum. They should be asham.
I complained to the Corvette Museum over what they are doing. They have no right to sell a donated car for their benefit! That is just stealing. The owner waited all these years to donate their beloved car to the museum on good faith. No car should ever be sold that was donated. And to purchase something else. The car needs taken down and given back to the original owner. And the museum use something valuable of theirs to sell.
I hope nobody donates a car anymore because no telling where it will end it. They either conned these people Or didn’t tell them. I would be so angry and insulted. They have the right to get their car back. Since when is it written a car donation can be sold by the museum. I wish more articles would come out on this. What does the museum do,’just pick cars they don’t want and sell for their benefit? They have plenty of money and keep building and need to give the donated cars back to the owners before this gets worse. Now I have lost faith and trust in the Corvette Museum. They have no rights to do this. The owner should never have to buy his own car back. He supported the museum and now taken advantage of him.Never in my life would have thought the museum would come to this.The more people that know will realize this and trust will fade fast. As it should.
The car was donated and not on loan. They can do whatever they want with it as they own it. They can’t keep everything and this isn’t really a significant car. All museums make the same type of decisions.