Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette - America's most iconic sports cars
Born from Harley Earl’s original design and brought to life by legitimate genius Zora Arkus-Dontuv, the Chevrolet Corvette is about as American as baseball and apple pie. A veritable “dream car” that revolutionized motoring in Western civilization as Chevrolet’s “halo car”, the Corvette evolved from a bare-bones, thrill-seeking cruiser in 1953 to a bonafide sports car by the time we were calling it a Sting Ray in 1963. By the time the torch was passed to Larry Shinoda and Bill Mitchell (albeit still under the watchful eye of Mr. Duntov), the mid-year Corvette was widely known as “America’s Sports Car”, a distinction the legend has not relented in the 70 years and eight generations it’s been in production. Success on wheels, the Corvette is deeply engrained into America’s DNA and is one of our greatest contributions to the world – a fact that still rings true today with the revolutionary C8.
1953-1962
C1 - FIRST-GENERATION
Introduced to the world at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria in 1953, the C1 Corvette featured a unique, hand-laid fiberglass body that would ultimately be the car’s unifying trait for 70 years. Early C1 models offer Chevy’s conservative (albeit reliable) Blue Flame straight-six engine and 2-speed transmission, resulting in rather tepid sales. By 1956 Chevy smartly bumps power up to a V8 to coincide with a new body, face, and the introduction of side coves, changing the fate of the car forever. Sales rapidly increase and eventually skyrocket with the onset of the 283 V8 and options like Ramjet fuel injection and a 4-speed gearbox. Aesthetic and performance upgrades continue through 1960, culminating in the redesigned and uber-popular “duck tail” models of ’61-‘62.
1963-1967
C2 - SECOND-GENERATION
Dubbed the “Mid-Year” Corvettes, the C2 introduces the world to the Sting Ray. Fiberglass body panels remain, sculpted into a revolutionary design inspired by a mako shark Bill Mitch caught fishing. Hidden headlamps and a split-window fastback highlight the ’63 model (the first coupe ever offered), and the upmarket Z06 is born, beginning the Corvette’s long love-affair with high-performance. A traditional coupe replaces the split-window in ’64, and aesthetically the C2 remains largely similar through ‘67. Chevy responds to fans thirsty for power/performance with the optional big-block V8s in ’65, including the venerable 427 introduced in ’66. Big power begets better performance equipment, including standard 4-wheel disc brakes, dual headrests, and an energy-absorbing steering column all ushered in by the model’s final offering in ’67.
1968-1982
C3 - THIRD-GENERATION
Restyled inside and out, the C3 Sting Ray (the space is deliberate) offers an industry first – T-top roof panels. Styling is cribbed from Shinoda’s Mako Shark II concept car and feature “pop-up” headlights, chrome bumpers (fore and aft ’68-’72; front only in ’73), and a deleted formal rear storage area. The C3’s underpinnings and V8 engines carryover through ’71 (notable firsts include the ZR-1 in ’69 and LS6 V8 in ‘71), but emissions drop power to coincide with the urethane bumper cars from ’74 and on. The ’78 25th Anniversary car features a fastback rear window, along with a new interior where leather is now offered at no cost, resulting in record-breaking production in ’79. ’80-82 models are restyled and drop weight, and fuel-injection returns.
1984-1996
C4 - FOURTH-GENERATION
First total redesign since 1963, the undertaking proved so difficult that no Corvette is offered in 1983 – a first since the car’s inception. Chevy started fresh in ’84 with a slick, wedge-style shape atop a smaller frame, modern cockpit, and the drivetrains (including the ingenious Doug Nash 4+3 gearbox) were tweaked for the next few years resulting in rave reviews from industry critics. For the first time in its history, the Corvette was the “best bang for your buck” sports car on the market. The convertible returns in ’86 after a 10-year absence, the ZR-1 debuts in ’90 and eats up 911 Turbos on the street, and a light redesign in ’91 followed by the intro of the 5.7L LT1 carries the C4 through 1996.
1997-2004
C5 - FIFTH-GENERATION
With sales of the C4 declining, the C5 was redesigned from the ground-up and featured breakthroughs that carried all the way to the C7. Innovations include incredibly low drag, 50/50 weight distribution, active handling, and the soon-to-be legendary LS1 aluminum engine. The ’97 C5 was only offered in a coupe, the convertible (for which the new platform was designed) debuted in ’98, and a fixed-roof coupe came out in ’99. In 2001, the Z06 was introduced as the apex predator with a burly LS6 under the hood, and its introduction coincided with new fascia grilles that improve airflow to the engine. Pound-for-pound, the C5 Corvette represents the best value across the brand, with huge performance offered at reasonable price points.
2005-2013
C6 - SIXTH-GENERATION
Refreshed and revitalized, the C6 brought with it a more compact, lightweight, and shorter package somewhat paradoxically atop a longer wheelbase, resulting in the most aerodynamic Corvette up to that point. Exposed headlights return from ’62 (as does the power convertible top), a 400HP 6.0L LS2 powers the way, and the model continues its dominance as the “best sports car for the money”. 2006 ushered in a redesigned Z06 highlighted by an aluminum frame, floppy-paddle shifters, carbon-fiber accents, and a 7.0L rated at 505HP. A retuned 6.3L LS2 takes over in ’08, while special editions like the new ZR1 and Grand Sport model are released in consecutive ears. By 2011, eleven C6 submodels are offered – the most in the car’s history.
2014-2019
C7 - Seventh-GENERATION
The Stingray designation triumphantly returns atop a new aluminum frame, marking the model’s biggest change in over a decade. A brand-new 6.2L LT1 V8 boasts 455HP (460 with performance exhaust), 6-speed automatics and 7-speed manuals are fitted to match (an 8-speed auto takes over in ’15), and the improved, sexy design features a carbon-fiber hood for all trim levels. The line between sports car and supercar begins to blur, as performance, luxury, and styling all rate off-the-charts and the world takes notice. Remarkably, prices still remain amazingly low, although a shift in perception is felt as the C7 begins to force itself into the exotic car conversation with offerings like the C7.R Z06, wide-body Grand Sport, and the 755HP ZR1 as the coupe de gráce in 2019.
2020-present
C8 - Eight-GENERATION
After decades of rumors and cloak-and-dagger reports, the ‘next’ generation C8 debuts as the brand’s first-ever mid-engine Corvette. With the Z51 package, 0-60 times are the fastest of any Corvette ever made, handling is world-class, and the design is jaw-dropping. Even the cabin is that of a bonafide exotic car, and more importantly will never be shared by any other GM vehicle – an unwritten prerequisite in the supercar/exotic world. Unbelievably, the starting MSRP is sub-$60K, although the world has gotten wise to motoring’s “best kept secret”, and long wait lists, dealership premiums, and bespoke production orders have driven prices closer to the $100K mark. For those that always want that extra everything, 2023 will offer a 670HP V8 Z06 model, along with the world’s first Electric ‘Vette.