Fan Friday: Alec Beange's 1974 Corvette Medium Blue C3 Stingray

Not every Corvette story starts in America. This one starts in New Zealand — and it's one of the best engine stories we've featured all year.

Alec Beange had wanted a C3 since he was a boy. At 40, after starting his own business as a contractor with the NASA Balloon Program, he finally made his move — first picking up a red 1973 big block four-speed, then trading up almost immediately when a 1974 came available. Once you see the spec sheet on this car, it's easy to understand why he made the switch. What's under the hood isn't just restored — it's rebuilt, dyno-tuned, and transformed into something that would have been unthinkable from the Bowling Green factory floor.

The engine is a fully rebuilt 454 cubic inch big block — the last year GM ever offered the 454 in a Corvette, making every '74 big block a piece of history in its own right. Alec's version goes considerably further than stock. Competition roller rockers and cam, forged high compression pistons at 10.1:1, worked heads with new valves and springs, an Edelbrock intake topped with a Holley Quick-Fuel 750 cfm carb, MSD distributor and MSD Digital 6AL ignition computer, and Headman headers with a custom exhaust. The result, measured at the rear wheels: 430 horsepower and 850 ft-lbs of torque. The engine bay shot says the rest — blue plug wires, chrome Edelbrock valve covers, red MSD components — it's as much to look at as it is to drive. A TH 700R-4 transmission with a 2400 rpm stall torque converter rounds out the drivetrain, and it proved its worth recently when Alec completed a 1,000-mile trip to the New Zealand Corvette Nationals in Picton, averaging 14 mpg — a meaningful improvement over the original TH400 that made the timing of the upgrade feel especially smart as fuel costs climbed. That coastal shot near Kaikōura tells the story perfectly: a half-century-old American muscle car doing exactly what it was always meant to do, just on the other side of the world.

The 1974 Stingray holds a unique place in C3 history beyond the 454. It was also the final year GM produced a Corvette without a catalytic converter, and its body-color urethane rear bumper — split by a distinctive vertical center seam — is found on no other year. Once you know to look for it, it's impossible to miss. Alec's car wears all of it well: Corvette Medium Blue over polished rally wheels with BFGoodrich Radial T/A white letters, chrome luggage rack on the rear hatch, and a period-correct presence that turns heads whether it's parked in a Christchurch square or pulling into a car show. Thanks for sharing this one with us from across the Pacific, Alec — and safe travels on whatever the next 1,000 miles bring. 🏎️

For a Built C3 Like Alec's

Touch-Up Paint — A Corvette Medium Blue finish this clean deserves a touch-up kit on the shelf for those inevitable small chips. Keeping factory color on hand is the simplest insurance for a car this well-presented. → Shop Touch-Up Paint

Corvette TireRests — from $39.95 — Those BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires look immaculate, and a set of TireRests keeps them that way between drives — no flat spots, no sidewall stress during storage. A simple addition for any car kept this well. → Shop TireRests

Front End Masks/ Nose Bras — Whether it's between show seasons or waiting for the next road trip, a proper fitted cover protects that Corvette Medium Blue finish from dust and UV. → Shop Front End Masks/ Nose Bras

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