The 1978 Corvette sold quite well, moving 46,776 units in all. Of these, 6,502 sold were the limited edition Corvette Pace Car model, which retailed for more than $4,000 over the standard model. While the base coupe started at $9,351.00, the Pace Car had a sticker price of $13,653.21. Still, the Pace car had a unique “collector’s quality” about it which made it extremely desirable to consumers – so much so that every Pace Car in 1978 sold for more than list price.
Read more: 1978 Corvette Research Center.
1978 Production Volumes by Model Variant
The coupe accounted for 100% of sales in 1978 because the convertible was no longer offered after 1975 for the C3 generation.
| Model Variant | Production | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Coupe | 46,776 | 100.00 |
| Total | 46,776 | 100.00 |
1978 Production Volumes by RPO Codes & Colors
Below, we have broken out the 1978 Corvette production builds by RPO codes and options so you can see how popular or rare certain options were.
| RPO | Grouping | Description | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1YZ87 | Base Car | Base Corvette Sport Coupe | 40,274 |
| 1YZ87/78 | Base Car | Limited Edition Corvette Pace Car | 6,502 |
| L82 | Engine | 305ci, 220hp Engine | 12,739 |
| M21 | Transmission | 4-Speed Manual Transmission, close ratio | 3,385 |
| MX1 | Transmission | Automatic Transmission | 38,614 |
| CC1 | Roof | Removable Glass Roof Panels | 972 |
| FE7 | Suspension | Gymkhana Suspension | 12,590 |
| G95 | Rear Axle | Optional Rear Axle Ratio | 382 |
| QBS | Tires | P225/60R15 White Letter SBR Tires | 18,296 |
| QGR | Tires | P225/70R15 White Letter SBR Tires | 26,203 |
| U58 | Radio / Stereo | AM-FM Stereo Radio | 10,189 |
| U69 | Radio / Stereo | AM-FM Radio | 2,057 |
| UM2 | Radio / Stereo | AM-FM Stereo Radio with 8-Track | 20,899 |
| UP6 | Radio / Stereo | AM-FM Stereo Radio with Citizens Band | 7,138 |
| U75 | Radio / Stereo | Power Antenna | 23,069 |
| U81 | Radio / Stereo | Dual Rear Speakers | 12,340 |
| YJ8 | Wheels | Aluminum Wheels | 28,008 |
| A31 | Other Options | Power Windows | 36,931 |
| AU3 | Other Options | Power Door Locks | 12,187 |
| B2Z | Other Options | Silver Anniversary Paint | 15,283 |
| C49 | Other Options | Rear Window Defogger | 30,912 |
| C60 | Other Options | Air Conditioning | 37,638 |
| D35 | Other Options | Sport Mirrors | 38,405 |
| K30 | Other Options | Cruise Control | 31,608 |
| YF5 | Other Options | California Emission Certification | 0 |
| NA6 | Other Options | High Altitude Emission Equipment | 0 |
| N37 | Other Options | Tilt-Telescopic Steering Column | 37,858 |
| UA1 | Other Options | Heavy Duty Battery | 28,243 |
| ZN1 | Other Options | Trailer Package | 972 |
| ZX2 | Other Options | Convenience Group | 37,222 |
| 10 | Exterior Colors | Classic White | 4,150 |
| 13 | Exterior Colors | Silver | 3,232 |
| 13/07 | Exterior Colors | Silver Anniversary | 15,283 |
| 19 | Exterior Colors | Black | 11,075 |
| 26 | Exterior Colors | Corvette Light Blue | 1,960 |
| 52 | Exterior Colors | Corvette Yellow | 1,243 |
| 59 | Exterior Colors | Corvette Light Beige | 1,686 |
| 72 | Exterior Colors | Corvette Red | 2,074 |
| 82 | Exterior Colors | Corvette Mahogany | 2,121 |
| 83 | Exterior Colors | Corvette Dark Blue | 2,084 |
| 89 | Exterior Colors | Corvette Dark Brown | 1,991 |
| 12C | Interior | Oyster Cloth | 0 |
| 122 | Interior | Oyster Leather | 0 |
| 15C | Interior | Silver Cloth | 0 |
| 152 | Interior | Silver Leather | 0 |
| 19C | Interior | Black Cloth | 0 |
| 192 | Interior | Black Leather | 0 |
| 29C | Interior | Dark Blue Cloth | 0 |
| 292 | Interior | Dark Blue Leather | 0 |
| 59C | Interior | Light Beige Cloth | 0 |
| 592 | Interior | Light Beige Leather | 0 |
| 69C | Interior | Dark Brown Cloth | 0 |
| 692 | Interior | Dark Brown Leather | 0 |
| 72C | Interior | Red Cloth | 0 |
| 722 | Interior | Red Leather | 0 |
| 76C | Interior | Mahogany Cloth | 0 |
| 762 | Interior | Mahogany Leather | 0 |
| RPO | Grouping | Description | Total |
