Spare tire combo for early A. BBP 73-76 disk

A guy a few years older than me graduated from high school, enlisted in the Army, and bought a new Corvette. Probably a '76 or '77. A 500 blew out at an extra-legal speed, and the car was totaled. It sat next to his folk's home for years while he waited for a settlement. I heard he never got one. It was quite a contrast. His Dad kept their home immaculate, and it had this junk wreck right next to it for years.