Motor Trend 1972 Corvette Test: Base 350 vs LT-1 vs LS5 454
Corvette race car champion, Tony DeLorenzo, puts three 1972 Corvettes through their paces at Riverside Raceway for a Motor Trend Road Test
FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: 1972 Motor Trend Corvette Road Test
Read the original comparison of the Base 350, LT-1, and LS5 454 Corvette exactly as enthusiasts saw it in 1972.
We are getting very close to having archival Corvette road tests for every 1968-1982 Corvette in our Corvette Free Public Library. The latest addition is from the June 1972 issue of Motor Trend. The road test’s title is “The Glass Menagerie – Dollar for dollar, the Corvette is the best sports car buy anywhere” by Chuck Koch.
From 1957 to the early 1970s, customers could order their Corvette in any flavor, from mild to wild. Motor Trend acquired three distinctive 1972 Corvettes for this road test. The cars included: a base model 350, 4-speed with the base 200 HP engine with 3.36:1 gears, an LT-1 with the 255 HP solid-lifter small-block 350 with a 4-speed and 3.70:1 gears, and an LS5 454 with a 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic automatic, and 3.08:1 gears.
This was an excellent collection of 1972 Corvettes representing the base engine and the two optional performance engines, the small-block 350 LT-1 and the big-block 454 LS5. The selection of Tony DeLorenzo was perfect for the time. DeLorenze and his road racing partner, Jerry Thompson, were coming off one of the longest winning streaks in Corvette road racing history, scoring 21 straight wins with their awesome, fearsome L88 Owens-Corning Fiberglas-sponsored Corvettes. Midway through the DeLorenzo/Thompson domination, the bad joke in the pits was, “So, who will win 2nd place this time?”
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Things were very different when DeLorenzo and Thompson raced their Owens-Corning L88 Corvettes
We need to point out that back in the olden days, most drivers built and wrenched their own cars. DeLorenzo and Thompson got help from Zora Arkus-Duntov and Gib Hufstader in terms of parts and guidance, but they built and set up their own cars. Therefore, Tony DeLorenzo was more than qualified to put Motor Trend’s three Corvettes through their paces on the Riverside track.
The road test’s conclusions were very interesting. On the track, the 350 LT-1 performed the best, but it wasn’t necessarily easy to live with on the street, thanks to the LT-1’s aggressive cam and solid-lifters. The LS5 454 had the most bottom-line grunt, but weighed in at a tubby 3,725 pounds. And while the base model 350/200 Corvette was the slowest of the three, overall, it was a nice sports car to live with.
Let’s look at some comparative numbers for the three featured 1972 Corvettes.
Before diving into the numbers, it helps to understand where the 1972 Corvette fits within the broader evolution of the C3 generation. While the changes from 1970 through 1972 were relatively subtle, they created what many enthusiasts consider the most desirable version of the chrome-bumper Corvette.
Beginning in 1970, Corvettes got a minor facelift with an egg crate front grill and side front fender vents. The south side of all four wheel well openings were flared to reduce splashing road dirt and stone chips. The exhaust tips went from round on the 1968-1969 Corvettes to rectangular tips. The small-block performance 350 LT-1 got the big-block domed hood with pin striping and “LT-1” lettering on the sides of the dome.
The road test did not list the prices as tested in the stats box. So, our price-as-tested figures are approximations based on the price of the engine options. There was no price difference between a 4-speed and a 3-speed automatic transmission car. Below are the approximate prices for the three versions tested and what those prices are in 2026 dollars.
While the three test cars differed significantly in character, they also arrived at a pivotal moment in Corvette history
By 1972, the horsepower wars of the 1960s were coming to an end. Detroit engineers were working on getting their engines ready for unleaded gasoline. Adding lead (ethyllead, abbreviated TEL) to gasoline began in the 1920s to make gasoline usable in internal combustion engines.
The simplest way to keep engines from pinging (pre-detonation) was to simply lower compression. For regular passenger cars, the difference was hardly noticeable. But for performance engines, the effect was immediate.
The base 350 Corvette engine horsepower went from 300 HP in 1970, to 270 HP in 1971, and 200 HP in 1972. The 350 LT-1 went from 370 in 1970, to 330 HP in 1971, and to 255 HP in 1972. The 454 LS5 went from 390 in 1970, to 365 in 1972, to 270 HP in 1972.
There were three distinctive reasons for this. After you are done clutching your chest, a big factor was GM’s new standard for rating engines, from “gross” to “net” figures starting in 1972. Engines in the “gross” rating calculation did not account for power-robbing items, such as the fan, exhaust system, water pump, and under-the-hood hot air. The “net” calculations factored in those real-world conditions. First, the numbers were more realistic.
Second, it was to blunt the growing criticisms that cars had too much horsepower. Insurance companies had to deal with increased claims for high-performance muscle cars. For many younger customers, the cost of insuring a new Corvette caused them to buy a SS-350 Camaro instead. The third factor for the reduced horsepower was more stringent emission controls and weight increases due to the addition of safety measures.
How much did the 1972 Corvettes cost when they were new?
350/200 HP Corvette Coupe / $5,553 / $44,850 in 2026 dollars
350/255 HP LT-1 Corvette Coupe / $6,036 / $49,000 in 2026 dollars
454/270 HP LS5 Corvette Coupe / $5,827 / $47,200 in 2026 dollars
Let’s look at fuel prices and what was then considered “normal” gas mileage
Performance wasn’t the only concern for Corvette buyers in the early 1970s. Fuel prices remained low by modern standards, but buyers still paid attention to mileage—especially when comparing a small-block Corvette to a big-block 454.
In 1972, I bought my first tank of gasoline for my first car, a Mist Green 1970 307 Malibu with power steering and brakes, A/C, and an AM/FM radio. Regular gasoline was 36 cents per gallon. ($2.92 in 2026 dollars) Two years later, the average price per gallon was 53 cents per gallon. ($3.79 in 2026 dollars)
My around-town fuel mileage was 14 mpg, which all the older guys I knew then assured me was “about right”. But here the kicker! The Motor Trend road test gas mileage range for the three 1972 Corvettes: base model 350, 350 LT-1, and 454 LS5 were: 10-14 MPG, 9-12 MPH, and 13-15 MPG. Interestingly, the 454’s mileage was better than the underpowered base model. These cars were not especially fuel-efficient.
At first glance, the acceleration figures appear exactly as expected
However, a closer look at the specifications reveals another important factor that heavily influenced the results: rear axle gearing. The base model was the slowest in the 0-30, 0-60, and quarter-mile. The LT-1 was the quickest in the 0-30 and 0-60 times and just 0.2 seconds slower in the quarter-mile than the LS5 454. And lastly, the heavier LS5 454 was 0.1 seconds slower in the 0-30, but was 0.2-seconds quicker than the LT-1 in the quarter-mile.
A close look at the road test’s statistics box sheds some light on the acceleration figures. Gearing is almost everything. The base model Corvette tested had 3.36:1 rear gears. If the car had 3.70:1 gearing, the acceleration numbers would have been better. The LT-1 Corvette had 3.70:1 gears. If the LT-1 had been equipped with 4.11:1 gears, the performance numbers would have been impressive. The LS5 454 tested had highway 3.08:1 gears that impacted the car’s 0-30, 0-60, and quarter-mile times.
1972 was the end of the chrome bumper Corvettes
Beyond performance and engine choices, the 1972 Corvette holds another distinction that continues to influence collector values today. From 1953 to 1972, all Corvettes had chrome front and rear bumpers. Thanks to the new, stricter crash regulations, beginning in 1973, all cars had to have 5-mph front bumpers. The quickest way to achieve this was to simply make the bumpers bigger, heavier, and more protruding.
Most cars got what I used to call, “chrome tail road tie bumpers” that were UG-LEE! Corvette engineers designed the 1973 front bumpers to be a bumper bar mounted to the frame, behind a soft bumper cover. Chrome bumpers were still on the rear of the 1973 Corvettes. By 1974, Corvettes had to have the front and rear 5-mph bumpers. Consequently, 1968-1972 chrome bumper Corvettes are at a premium.
Let’s look at what it costs to buy a 1972 chrome bumper Corvette in 2026.
BringATrailer.com is a good source for a real-world, seller-to-buyer gauge of prices for all cars. Auctions are fun to watch, but too often, selling prices can be suspicious.
| 1972 Corvette Model | Low Sale | Mid-Market | High Sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base 350 Corvette | $24,000 | $34,000 | $48,000 |
| LT-1 350 Corvette | $52,000 | $78,000 | $115,000+ |
| LS5 454 Big-Block | $38,000 | $58,000 | $90,000+ |
Performance alone does not explain today’s market values. Scarcity plays an equally important role
1970 to 1972 LT-1 Corvettes are at the top of the price pecking order for two reasons. First, buyers place a premium on the lighter, more nimble LT-1 package. Second, it is the low production numbers. In 1970, Chevrolet made only 1,287 LT-1 out of 17,316 Corvettes built that year. That’s only 7.43% of all 17,3161970 Corvettes. In 1971, just 1,949 LT-1 Corvettes were built. That’s 8.9% of all 21,801 1971 Corvettes. And in 1972, 1,741 LT-1 Corvettes were built. That 6.4% of all 27,004 Corvettes built that year.
When you download the PDF version of the 1972 Motor Trend Corvette road test, carefully examine the performance figures and compare them to the BringATrailer.com sales numbers. In terms of performance, there is a 1.2-second gap between the base-model 1972 Corvette and the LT-1. But the High Sale price between the same cars is $67,000 and $42,000 between the base model and the 454 Corvette.
That’s a lot of cash for bragging rights. One thing is certain for the foreseeable future: as long as buyers long for early ’70s Corvettes, the 1970-1972 LT-1 Corvettes will dominate pricing.
Now, let’s compare the C3 LT-1 Corvettes to what are arguably the least desirable Corvettes today, the 1980 model.
| 1980 Corvette Model | Low Sale | Mid-Market | High Sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base L48 Coupe | $12,000 | $18,000 | $32,000 |
| L82 Coupe | $16,000 | $24,000 | $40,000 |
| Exceptional Survivor / Low-Mile Cars | $35,000 | $45,000 | $60,000+ |
Viewed through modern eyes, the performance numbers can seem modest. However, context matters. Compared to Corvettes from the C4 1992 LT1 to today, the 1972 Corvette’s performance figures aren’t very impressive. But you have to look at all performance cars from the perspective of their time.
We’ll wrap this up with Tony DeLorenzo’s closing statement in the road test. “You can’t get a better overall performance car. I’d be hard-pressed to find a better car than the Vette. It’s just an incredible automobile.” – Scott
FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: 1972 Motor Trend Corvette Road Test
Read the original comparison of the Base 350, LT-1, and LS5 454 Corvette exactly as enthusiasts saw it in 1972.
Corvette Generational History
Our 1953–1962 C1 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.
The 1962–1967 C2 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.
Also, 1968–1982 C3 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.
The 1984-1996 C4 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.
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