1972 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors

Base Corvette Sport Coupe (19437)

• The base price of the 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe without any optional equipment.
• A 350 cubic inch, 200 horsepower engine, 4-speed wide ratio manual transmission, vinyl interior trim, and T-tops were included in the base price.Base Corvette Convertible (19467) – The base price of the 1972 Corvette Convertible without any optional equipment.
• A 350 cubic inch, 200 horsepower engine, 4-speed wide ratio manual transmission, vinyl interior trim, and a convertible top  were included in the base price.

Custom Interior ( — )

• Optional interior trim upgrade that included a number of custom modifications to the base interior.
• The custom interior trim includes leather seat trim, wood-grain accents and carpet trim on door panels, wood-grain accents on the console, and cut-pile carpeting.

Three Point Seat Belts (AV3)

• A three-point belt in a Y-shaped arrangement.
• The seatbelt design features three separate mounting points of connection to the car. The connection points are located at the right lap mount, left lap mount, and at the shoulder mount.

Power Windows (A31)

• Factory installed power driver and passenger windows.

Custom Shoulder Belts (A85)

• An addition to the standard lap safety belt that crosses over the shoulder for added safety.
• The shoulder belts option were included with all Corvette coupes at no additional charge.  The option was also available on the Corvette convertible, but at an additional cost.

Auxiliary Hardtop (for convertibles) (C07)

• An optional hard-top that could be installed in lieu of the convertible top.

Vinyl Covering (for Auxiliary Hardtop) (C08)

• This option provided an external vinyl liner application to the auxiliary hardtop.
• The vinyl covering provided a faux convertible top appearance even when the hardtop was mounted on the car.

Rear Window Defroster (C50)

• An optional rear window forced air defroster.
• This option was not available to consumers when the RPO ZR1  was ordered.

Air Conditioning (C60)

• Factory installed air-conditioning.
• System includes evaporator, blower, condenser, receiver-dehydrator, refrigerant (freon) tank, air intake assembly and duct assembly for both systems.
• Includes an integrated heater.
• Manually controlled by knobs on instrument control panel.

Optional Rear Axle Ratio  (ZQ1)

• Rear axle ratio selection.

Power Brakes (J50)

• Vacuum power assisted brakes.
• Includes dual circuit master cylinder.

Air Injection Reactor (K19)

• Reactor assembly in the fuel/air injection system.
• Used to mix fresh air with hot exhaust gases to burn off the unburned gasoline in an effort to reduce emissions.

454ci, 270hp Engine (LS5)

• Optional high-output, big-block V-8 engine.

350ci, 255hp Engine (LT1)

• Optional higher-output, small block V-8 engine.

4-Speed Manual Transmission, Close Ratio (M21)

• A close ratio version of the M20 Muncie 4-speed manual transmission.
• The gear ratios for the RPO M21 Close Ratio 4-Speed Manual Transmission are: 1st Gear – 2.20:1, 2nd Gear – 1.64:1, 3rd Gear – 1.28:1, 4th Gear – 1.0:1 (Direct).

Turbo Hydra-Matic Automatic Transmission (M40)

• An optional, three-speed automatic transmission.
• The Turbo Hydra-Matic Automatic Transmission consisted of a 3-element hydraulic torque converter and compound planetary gear set.  It was equipped with the following gear ratios: 1st Gear – 2.48:1, 2nd Gear – 1.48:1, and 3rd Gear – 1.00:1.
• The M40 Turbo Hydra-Matic Automatic Transmission was a no-cost option with the base 350 cubic inch, 200 horsepower engine, but cost an additional $97 when ordered with the 454 cubic inch, 270 horsepower LS5 engine.  It was not available with the LT1 or the ZR1 options.

Tilt Telescopic Steering Column (N37)

• An optional, adjustable steering column and tilt-angle adjustable steering wheel.
• The Telescopic Steering Column changed the drivers distance from the steering wheel by literally telescoping the steering wheel closer to or further away from the vehicle operator.

Power Steering (N40)

• Hydraulically assisted power steering.

Deluxe Wheel Covers (P02)

• Optional deluxe wheel covers.
• This option was not available to consumers when the RPO ZR1 was ordered.

White Stripe Tires, F70 x 15, nylon (PT7)

• Standard size tires with a special 3/8″  wide white sidewall stripes.

White Letter Tires, F70x15, nylon (PU9)

• Standard size tires with special raised white lettering.

Heavy Duty Battery (T60)

• A larger than standard battery with added cranking power and capacity.
• The Heavy Duty Battery option (T60) was included when the LS5 was ordered.
• It featured an 80AH rating and included 90 plates.
• 3,750 watts.

AM-FM Radio (U69)

• A standard/stock dealer installed Corvette radio..
• This radio only broadcasted a mono signal.

AM-FM Radio, Stereo (U79)

• An optional, dealer installed Corvette radio.
• This radio option provided a true stereo signal.
• This radio featured green lettering.
• This option was not available to consumers when the RPO ZR1  was ordered.

California Emission Test (YF5)

• An assembly line emissions test to conform with California registration requirements.
• Not available when the LS5 engine was ordered with the car.

Special Purpose Engine Package (ZR1)

• Optional performance and handling upgrade.
• The ZR1 package included the LT1 engine, heavy-duty, close-ratio 4-speed manual transmission, heavy-duty power brakes, transistor ignition, special aluminum radiator, and special springs, shocks, and front and rear stabilizer bars (although ZR1’s have been documented with and without rear stabilizers.)
  1972 ZR1’s did not have metal fan shrouds.
• When the ZR1 option was ordered, the following options were not available on the 1972 Corvette: Power Windows (A31), Rear Window Defroster (C50), Air Conditioning (C60), Power Steering (N40), Deluxe Wheel Covers (P02), AM-FM Radio (U69), AM-FM Radio, Stereo (U79).

Notes

Repeal of the Federal Excise Tax on December 11, 1971 reduced retail prices.
There were virtually no appearance changes for the 1972 model year, but the significance of this model year is that it represented the “end of an era” for the third-generation Corvette.  The 1972 Corvette was the last to feature both front and rear chrome bumpers, a bright egg-crate grill, side-fender grills (later models do have function vents and some have vent trim), and a removable rear window, which was a feature that was unique for the 1968-1972 model years.

The 1972 Corvette did not include the fiber-optic light-monitoring system used in 1968-1971 models, although the previously optional alarm system was now a standard feature (the horn sounding type) and was included in the car’s base price.

The 1972 decrease in horsepower rating was mainly the result of the measurement criteria. While previous horsepower ratings were measured in “gross” output of the engine, the 1972 ratings used a more realistic, more real-world “net” horsepower.  The net horsepower took into consideration losses in horsepower from the air cleaners, exhaust systems, and accessories.

1972 Corvette Exterior & Interior Colors

Exterior Colors

CODE	EXTERIOR	QTY	WHEELS	INTERIOR
912	Sunflower Yellow	1,543	Silver	Black, Saddle
924	Pewter Silver	1,372	Silver	Black, Blue, Red, Saddle
945	Bryar Blue	1,617	Silver	Black
946	Elkhart Green	4,200	Silver	Black, Saddle
972	Classic white	2,763	Silver	Black, Blue, Red, Saddle
973	Mille Miglia Red	2,478	Silver	Black, Red, Saddle
979	Targa Blue	3,198	Silver	Black, Blue
987	Ontario Orange	4,892	Silver	Black, Saddle
988	Steel Cities Gray	2,346	Silver	Black, Red, Saddle
989	War Bonnet Yellow	2,550	Silver	Black, Saddle

Interior Colors (Vinyl)

Black (Vinyl)	400
Red (Vinyl)	407
Dark Blue (Vinyl)	412
Saddle (Vinyl)	417
Dark Green (Vinyl)	423

Interior Colors (Leather)

Black (Leather)	404
Saddle (Leather)	421

Exterior Colors

Interior Colors

Wheels & Seats

 

For more 1972 Corvette, see our 1972 Corvette Research Hub and 1972 Corvette Model Guide