Formerly part of the exclusive Bob McDorman Museum Collection, the very first 1972 Corvette to roll off the St. Louis Assembly line is set to cross the Mecum Auction block January 7 – 16th in Kissimmee, Florida.
Finished in War Bonnet Yellow over a black leather interior, this beautiful Corvette is powered by the 454 ci LS5 big block engine putting out 270 hp through a 3-speed automatic transmission. Surprisingly, the 454 big block was only able to muster up an additional 15 hp over the solid-lifter LT1 350 ci V8 engine also offered for this year.
1972 would be the last year for the Corvette to wear both front and rear chrome bumpers before making the move to an injection-molded urethane front bumper for the 1973 model year. This would also be the last year that the Corvette would include the egg-crate styled side-gill inserts, front fender vent grilles, vacuum powered windshield wiper cover and removable rear window.
The LS5 engine would only be offered for two more years following 1972 until increasingly stringent emission laws would eventually stifle the Corvette’s legendary performance.
While a total of 27,004 Corvettes rolled off the line in 1972, according to production numbers here at the Corvette Action Center, just 2,550 were built in War Bonnet Yellow and 3,913 were built with the LS5 engine.
Below is the official listing information from Mecum: