One of my buddies is a film director. As that’s a gig that offers a modicum of downtime, he gets in some exercise by hiking up the wending roads of the Hollywood Hills behind his house. Those be-sneakered sojourns allow him to contemplate life’s more important questions- such as why won’t Scorsese return his calls? and why do they call it a casting couch when it’s really more of a hide-a-bed? It also gives him the opportunity to snap some of the more interesting cars he sees, including this ’78 Corvette.

While this Vette sports the gold commemorative badge, its metal-flake root beer paint marks it as one of the anniversary-year cars not to have the two-tone silver over gray paint scheme. It does have the new for ’78 bubble back glass, although it’s fixed in place, and access to the luggage area was from inside only. If you wanted a C3 hatch, you’d have to wait for the more angular ’82s.
This is a Florida car, as evidenced by the plates. It’s also identifiable by the L-82 badges on the hood. In 1978 Californians could only get their Vettes with the 175-bhp version of the L-48, while the rest of the country could choose, as a $525 option, the 220-bhp L-82.
The interior on the ’78s received a modest refresh, but still carried a ’60s vibe with a coved flat face and deep-set gauges. The steering wheel is the same that could have been found on the contemporary Vega, which was a turn-off for many Vette owners at the time. Surprisingly, air conditioning was not a standard feature on the ’78, requiring a check on the options box and an additional $575 out the door.
Thanks for the pictures go to Hamish McCollester. Check out the trailer for his new movie Jason’s Big Problem!