This 1970 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible is one of the highest- scoring cars in Bloomington Gold history. A three-owner car since new, its story begins with its purchase by a GM employee, who chose the new, larger-displacement 454 CI big-block V-8 introduced that year. The year 1970 proved to be the peak of the muscle car era. All manner of machinery roamed the streets, powered by engines displacing as much as 455 CI and serving up unprecedented horsepower and torque. Corvette had long been at the vanguard of production big-cube power, beginning with the 1965 396/425 HP L78 and culminating in 1969 with the last of the 427/435 HP tri-power L71s. Federally mandated emissions controls were already beginning to tighten, and in 1970, the venerated 427 was bored out to create the 454 CI LS5 V-8. This was not to produce more horsepower but to increase low-end torque for improved acceleration from low operating speeds. The LS5 perfectly fulfilled those requirements, generating 390 HP and a whopping 500 lb-ft of torque while using a hydraulic cam and a Rochester 4-barrel carburetor. In fact, the big-block Chevrolet’s days were already numbered thanks to the perfect storm of tightening emission controls, ballooning insurance rates and the advent of lead-free gasoline. In 1970, however, all that was in the future; in the meantime, there were still plenty of big-block thrills to be had in a Corvette. Sold new at Ernie Grissom Chevrolet in Mount Clemens, Michigan, this 1970 Corvette convertible arrived from the factory finished in rich Mulsanne Blue with a black Custom interior that included leather seat upholstery, wood-grain trim and carpet trim on the door panels, wood-grain console accents and cut-pile carpeting. With the new-for-1970 LS5 454/390 HP V-8 at the helm, it was also fitted with a Muncie 4-speed manual transmission and Positraction rear end, Soft Ray-tinted glass, power windows and power brakes, a Delco AM/FM radio and a white soft top. After taking delivery of his new Corvette, the first owner drove it until 1972, when he parked it in his garage. It was not until 1989 that it resurfaced and was purchased by Greg Klingler of Davison, Michigan. The car earned its first of many prestigious awards in Klingler’s ownership, winning an NCRS National Top Flight Award in 1992. Then, Ed Foss added the car to his growing collection in 1999 and quickly set about establishing its sensational record of awards, beginning with Bloomington Gold, Survivor and Benchmark Certification in 2000, when it also achieved NCRS Regional and National Top Flight honors, with almost perfect respective scores of 99 and 98.6. That same year it also was awarded the Chevy Vettefest Triple Crown. Unrestored and original, this multiple- prize winner has accumulated just 1,157 original miles and comes with documentation that includes the original retail order form, bill of sale, Protect-O-Plate deposit and payment receipts, the original title and a notarized affidavit from the original owner.
