1979 CORVETTE
Production: 53,807 coupes

Abbreviations: ac=air conditioning, at=automatic transmission, ce=california emissions, ci=cubic inch, ep=early production, ha=high altitude, hp=horsepower, mt=rnanual transmission.

• A 350ci, 195hp engine, 4-speed manual transmission, T-tops, and leather or cloth/leather interior trim were included in the base price. - The Corvette's base price and some options increased several times during 1979. Base price climbed from $10,220.23 to $12,313.23 by year end. The largest single increase was $706.00 effective 5-7-79, due to air conditioning, power windows and tilt-telescopic steering column made standard equipment.
• RPO ZX2 included dome and courtesy light delay, headlight warning buzzer, underhood light, low fuel warning light, floor mats, intermittent wipers, and right side visor mirror.
• Manual transmission and/or L82 not available California or high altitude.

• Suggested interiors shown. Additional combinations were possible.
• Code 82 Corvette Dark Brown may also be coded 67.
• Fifteen 1979 Corvettes had primer only.

Interior Codes: 12C=O/C, 122=0/L, 192=Bk/L, 29C=Db/C, 292=Db/L, 49C=Dg/C, 492=Dg/L, 59C=Lb/C, 592=Lb/L, 722=R/L.

Abbreviations: Bk=Black, C=Cloth, Db=Dark Blue, Dg=Dark Green, L=Leather, Lb=Light Beige, O=Oyster, R=Red.

1979 FACTS

• The new "high back" seat style introduced in the 1978 pace car replica were made standard equipment in 1979. Extensive use of plastic resulted in weight reduction of about twelve pounds per seat. The new seats had better side bolster support, and the backs folded at a higher point to perm easier rear storage access. Inertia locking mechanisms restrained the backs in sudden deceleration, negating the need for manual locks. Driver and passenger seats had an additional inch of forward travel.
• The 1979 fuel filler pipe was redesigned to make it more difficult to modify for leaded-fuel access.
• Output of both the base L48 and optional L82 engines increased by 5hp due to a new "open flow" muffler design. Also, adding the L82's low restriction, dual-snorkel air intake to the base engine added another 5hp The base L48 was rated at 195hp, the optional L82 at 225hp.
• The 85-mph speedometers associated with 1980 production were use for several late-build 1979s.
• In 1979, an AM-FM radio became standard equipment, and an illuminated visor-mirror combination became available for the passenger side.
• The front and rear spoilers developed fort the 1978 pace car became 1979 options. They were functional, decreasing drag by about 15% an increasing fuel economy by about a half-mile per gallon.
• Tungsten-halogen headlight beams were phased into 1979 production early in the production year for increased visibility. These replaced only the high-beam units.