C3 Stingray · 1968–1982

C3 Options & RPO Codes

Fifteen model years, from 435-horsepower tri-power big-blocks to the emissions era and back toward performance — no Corvette generation's order sheet tells a bigger story. Every option code appearing in the year pages' production tables is explained here. Click a code in any year's table to land on its entry.

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Engines · Performance packages · Transmissions & axle · Brakes, steering & suspension · Wheels & tires · Body & roof · Interior & convenience · Radios · Ignition, exhaust & emissions

Engines

L79 — 327/350

The carryover small-block for 1968 only: the same hydraulic-lifter 327/350 that closed out the C2 years, in the new body. From 1969 the small-block grew to 350 cubic inches and the L79 code retired.

L46 — 350/350

The 327/350's successor, 1969–70 ($131.65, then $158): the new 350 with the same hydraulic-lifter high-performance recipe. The everyday fast small-block until the LT1 arrived above it.

LT1 — the solid-lifter 350

The best small-block of the generation, 1970–72: solid lifters, big carburetor, and 370 hp at its 1970 debut ($447.60) — a genuine high-rpm racing engine for the street, and many argue the sweetest-handling Corvette package of its era. Rated 330 hp in 1971 and 255 net in 1972 as compression dropped. The ZR1 package was built around it, and the code was famous enough that Chevrolet revived it twice — on the 1992 C4 and the C7.

L36 — 427/390

The hydraulic-lifter 427 carried into the new body, 1968–69 — the gentleman's big-block, same as its C2 role.

L68 — 427/400

The L36 with triple two-barrel carburetors, 1968–69 — tri-power induction and 400 hp with hydraulic-lifter manners.

L71 — 427/435

The king of the street big-blocks, 1968–69 at $437.10: solid lifters, 11:1 compression, tri-power, 435 hp. Unchanged in substance from its legendary 1967 debut, and still the number every ad quoted.

L89 — aluminum heads for the L71

Aluminum cylinder heads atop the L71, 1968–69 — the same weight-saving trick as 1967, shaving roughly 75 pounds off the nose.

L88 — the race engine, act two

Zora's aluminum-head, 12.5:1 racing 427 continued into the new body: $947.90 in 1968 (80 built), $1,032.15 in 1969 (116 built) — still rated a deliberately modest 430 hp, still deleting the radio and heater, still demanding 103-octane fuel. With 1967's 20 cars, 216 L88s in all. The full story lives on the Le Mans L88s page and in Backdoor Horsepower.

ZL1 — the all-aluminum 427

1969, $4,718.35 — an option that cost as much as the car under it. The ZL1 was the L88 recast with an aluminum block as well as heads: a complete racing engine weighing little more than a small-block. Exactly two production Corvettes were ordered with it, making them among the rarest and most valuable Corvettes ever built. More in Backdoor Horsepower.

LS5 — 454/390

The big-block grew to 454 cubic inches for 1970: the LS5 made 390 hp that year ($289.65), 365 in 1971, and 270 net in 1972 — effortless torque through the emissions squeeze. The last year, 1972, was also the last big-block anyone could order with a code this side of the LS4.

LS6 — 454/425

One year only, 1971, $1,221: the aluminum-head 454 rated 425 hp — the most powerful engine of the low-compression era and the C3's last true monster motor. The ZR2 package wrapped a race kit around it. When it left, nothing replaced it.

LS4 — 454, the last big-block

1973–74, $250: the final 454, rated 275 then 270 net horsepower. Still a torque mountain, but the writing was on the wall — 1974 was the last year a big-block Corvette could be ordered, ending a run that began with the 1965 396.

L82 — the performance 350 of the smog era

1973–80, from $299 to $595: the optional high-output 350 that kept the performance flag flying through the toughest years — roughly 200 to 250 horsepower depending on the year's emissions math. Not an LT1, but always meaningfully stronger than the base engine, and the heart of the quickest Corvettes of the late seventies.

L48 — the standard 350

The base 350 of the mid-to-late seventies, appearing on order paperwork under its own code — mid-160s to 190s horsepower depending on year. The engine most C3s actually left St. Louis with.

LG4 — the California 305

1980, California only: emissions certification forced a 305 cu in small-block (about 180 hp), automatic only, on every Corvette sold in the state — the only year a Corvette came with anything smaller than a 350 in the modern era.

Performance packages

ZR1 — the LT1 race package

1970–72, around $1,000: the LT1 bundled with the M22 Rock Crusher, heavy-duty brakes, springs, shocks and cooling — and with the radio and air conditioning forbidden. A pure order-sheet race car in the Z06 tradition: just 53 were built across three years. The full story is on the ZR1 & ZR2 page — and the code returned twice, on the C4 ZR-1 and the C6 ZR1.

ZR2 — the LS6 race package

1971 only, $1,747: the same race kit wrapped around the 454 LS6. Twelve built, making it one of the rarest regular-production Corvettes ever. See the ZR1 & ZR2 story.

Z07 — off-road suspension & brakes

1973–75: the heavy-duty suspension and brake package for the road-race crowd after the ZR programs ended — stiff springs, matched shocks and the good brakes, minus any engine content.

FE7 — Gymkhana suspension

The people's handling package, 1974–82 — famously cheap at $7 in its first years (rising to $57 by 1982): stiffer springs and stabilizer hardware that transformed the car for autocross duty. Enormously popular; one of the great bargains on any Corvette order sheet.

F41 — special suspension

The heavy-duty suspension of 1968–69, continuing its C2 role until the ZR packages and later FE7 took over the job.

F51 — heavy-duty shocks

1979–81: just the firm shock absorbers, for buyers who wanted control without the full Gymkhana spring rates.

Transmissions & axle

M20 — 4-speed, wide-ratio

The standard-issue Muncie 4-speed of the early years, 1968–69 — wide gear spacing for street use.

M21 — 4-speed, close-ratio

The close-ratio 4-speed, offered deep into the seventies — tighter spacing for the performance engines, and for years the enthusiast's default box.

M22 — the “Rock Crusher”

1968–71: the heavy-duty, coarse-gear Muncie built to survive big-block torque, whining its famous whine. Required equipment in the ZR1 and ZR2 packages and the natural partner of the L88.

M40 — Turbo Hydra-Matic

The three-speed automatic that replaced the Powerglide: $226.45 in 1968, and from 1970 onward a no-cost choice with the base engine — the beginning of the automatic's long march toward being the majority Corvette transmission.

MM4 — 4-speed, wide-ratio

The late-seventies code (1978–81) for the wide-ratio 4-speed, by then the survivor of the manual lineup.

MX1 — automatic transmission

The late-seventies ordering code (1978–81) for the automatic — same Turbo Hydra-Matic family as M40, new paperwork.

MA6 — heavy-duty clutch

1969: a stronger clutch for the big-block manuals.

G81 — Positraction

The limited-slip axle, 1968–70 as an option — and so universally ordered that Chevrolet simply made it standard equipment from 1971 on.

G92 — performance axle ratio

1981: the shorter ratio for stronger acceleration at the cost of highway revs.

G95 — optional axle ratios

1977–79: the pick-your-own-ratio code of the late seventies.

GV7 — optional axle ratios

1975: same idea, that year's paperwork.

Brakes, steering & suspension hardware

J50 — power brakes

Vacuum assist for the standard four-wheel discs, 1968 until it became standard equipment in the mid-seventies.

J56 — heavy-duty brakes

1968–69: the competition brake package continued from the C2 — semi-metallic pads, heavy-duty hardware, meant for the track.

N36 — telescopic steering column

1968: the adjustable column's last year under its old code.

N37 — tilt-telescopic column

1969–79: tilt and telescope — one of the most-ordered comfort options of the generation.

N40 / N41 — power steering

Power assist under two codes — N40 through 1973, N41 from 1974 until it became standard. By the mid-seventies almost every car had it.

Wheels & tires

P01 / P02 — wheel covers

Bright metal covers (P01, 1968) and the deluxe covers that followed (P02, 1969–73) — the dress wheels of the chrome-bumper years.

PT6 / PT7 / PU9 — F70×15 tires

The performance tire menu of the early C3: red-line (PT6), white-line (PT7), and raised-white-letter (PU9) F70×15s — the sidewall was half the statement.

YJ8 — cast aluminum wheels

Listed from 1973, but the first production run had quality problems and almost none reached customers — the option genuinely arrived in the mid-seventies and ran through 1978. Handsome, light, and a minefield for restorers dating a set.

N90 — aluminum wheels

1979–82: the later aluminum wheel, standard on the 1982 Collector Edition's design.

Body & roof

C07 / C08 — auxiliary hardtop

The convertible's removable hardtop (C07) and its vinyl covering (C08), offered until the convertible itself disappeared after 1975 — not to return until 1986.

CC1 — removable glass roof panels

1978–82, $349 rising to $443: tinted glass T-top panels in place of the painted ones — the era's signature option, letting light in and telling everyone behind you that you'd spent the money.

D35 — sport mirrors

1977–79: the body-color twin sport mirrors; DG7 later powered them.

D80 — front and rear spoilers

1979: the pace-car spoilers offered on the standard car — the 1978 Indy Pace Car Replica's look, à la carte.

D84 — two-tone paint

1981–82: factory two-tone silver-over-dark schemes for the shark's final years.

DG7 — electric sport mirrors

1981–82: the sport mirrors, now power-adjustable.

TJ2 — front fender louver trim

1969: bright trim for the fender gills — pure jewelry.

V54 — luggage / roof panel rack

1977–82: the deck rack that carried the T-top panels — the most seventies accessory on the list.

Interior & convenience

A01 / A02 — Soft Ray tinted glass

The green-tinted glass options carried into 1968–69 (all windows, or windshield only) — then tinted glass simply became standard equipment.

A31 — power windows

Offered 1968–79, standard thereafter.

A42 / AG9 — power driver seat

The six-way power seat arrived late: A42 in 1981, recoded AG9 for 1982.

A51 — special contour bucket seats

1975: the upgraded buckets of the mid-seventies interior.

A82 — headrests

Optional in 1968, and standard once federal law caught up during 1969 — the same arc that began on the 1966 order sheet.

A85 — custom shoulder belts

1968–75: deluxe shoulder harnesses, before integrated three-point belts took over.

AV3 — three-point seat belts

1972: the modern belt arrangement, briefly its own option.

AU3 — power door locks

1978–82: electric locks for the shark's final era.

B32 — color-keyed floor mats

1977: mats matched to the interior color.

C50 / C49 — rear window defroster / defogger

Clearing the back glass: C50 (1968–75) blew air; C49 (1976–82) switched to the electric grid.

C60 — air conditioning

Offered through 1979 and near-universal by then — the option that tracked the Corvette's drift from sports car to grand tourer. Standard equipment by the end of the generation.

K05 — engine block heater

1969: for cold-country cars.

K30 / K35 — cruise control

Speed control under two codes: K30 (1977–80), then K35 (1981–82).

K50 — low-noise cowl-induction air cleaner

1975: a quieter intake for a quieter era.

U05 — dual horns

1974–75: two horns where one had been.

U15 — speed warning indicator

1968–69: the buzzer that scolded you for speeding, carried over from 1967.

UA6 — alarm system

1968–71 as an option, then standard from 1972 — Corvettes had become worth stealing.

UF1 — rearview mirror map light

1973–76: a reading lamp in the mirror housing.

V08 — heavy-duty cooling

1982: the big-radiator package for the final shark year.

T60 / UA1 — heavy-duty battery

More cranking power: T60 in the big-block years (standard with the LS5), UA1 afterward (standard with the LS4).

ZN1 — trailer package

1977–81: hitch-ready cooling and suspension. Yes, people towed with them.

ZQ2 — power windows and door locks

1979: both conveniences in one tick-box.

ZX2 — convenience group

1977–79: the small-comforts bundle of the late seventies.

Radios

U69 — AM/FM radio

The base radio for most of the generation, 1968–78.

U79 / U58 — AM/FM stereo

Stereo arrived under U79 (1968–72), then U58 carried the flag from 1973 to the end.

UM2 — stereo with 8-track

1977–80: peak seventies, in dashboard form.

UN3 — stereo with cassette

1979–80: the format that would win.

UP6 — stereo with CB

1978–80: breaker one-nine from a Corvette. The seventies were a specific time.

UM4 / UM5 / UM6 / UN5 — the ETR radios

For 1981–82 the radios went electronic: ETR stereo with 8-track (UM4), 8-track plus CB (UM5), cassette (UM6), or cassette plus CB (UN5) — a four-way matrix of fading and rising formats.

U75 — power antenna

1978–82: the mast that hid itself.

U81 — dual rear speakers

1978–80: stereo you could actually hear over the exhaust.

UL5 — radio delete

1978–82: a credit for ordering no radio at all — the purist's checkbox, rarely ticked.

Ignition, exhaust & emissions

K66 — transistor ignition

1968–69: the breakerless ignition carried over from the C2, before electronic ignition became universal.

N11 — off-road exhaust

1968: the louder system's last stand.

N14 — side-mount exhaust

1969: the famous side pipes' one C3 year — the last factory side-exhaust Corvette until the C6 era.

K19 — Air Injection Reactor

The smog pump of the early emissions years, required where mandated.

NA2 / NA6 — emissions equipment

Late-seventies certification codes: standard equipment (NA2) and the high-altitude package (NA6) for mountain-state cars.

YF5 — California emissions

1972–82: the California certification package — the code that, by 1980, meant your Corvette came with a 305.

VJ9 / VK3 — stickers and brackets

1975 paperwork codes: the exhaust-emission sticker (VJ9) and the front license-plate mounting (VK3). Proof that everything got an RPO.

Z49 — Canadian base equipment

1972: the certification bundle for cars sold in Canada.

Paint & trim codes

Exterior color and interior trim codes, with production figures where known, are listed on each year page from 1968 through 1982. They're also what's stamped on your trim tag — a decoder for those is in the works.

Looking for the earlier codes? The C2 glossary (1963–67) covers the Sting Ray years. Spot an error, or want an option covered in more depth? Tell us.