An Introduction to Corvette
Corvette’s glorious history began in 1953, when Chevrolet first launched Corvettes. It has withstood the tests and ravages of time, and is now considered to be on a par with some of the best cars in the world. The first all-American sports car built by an American company, today Corvettes are made almost exclusively by General Motors at its Kentucky plant.
The first Corvette produced in 1953 was a reflection of the styling of Harley Earl, who convinced GM that two-seater sports cars were the ultimate American dream. The name Corvette comes from a small maneuverable combat frigate. Early Corvettes were built almost by hand with fiberglass instead of steel for a lightweight effect. At the time, Chevrolet was known for producing great performance cars in a no-nonsense package. So even though the cars were a good value, sales continued to fall.
The Corvette story would have ended with this little chapter had it not been for the arrival of Zora Arkus-Duntov at GM’s engineering department. Duntov single-handedly transformed the Corvette from a two-seater to a genuine sports car by taking a 265 version of the engine and applying the three-speed manual transmission to it.
Corvette history covers 6 generations of the famous Corvette cars, from C1 to C6. C1s are generally referred to as solid-axle, and were in production until 1962. By 1963, the Corvette was headed for turbulent times, with several other cars trying to outshine each other. The Corvette rose to competition with the C2 which began rolling out in 1963. This year saw the spectacular popularity of the Corvette Sting Ray coupe with its split rear window and Ford-like non-functional vents. The split window was removed the following year due to safety concerns, making this model car one of the most sought after by vintage collectors. Increased engine power, four-wheel disc brakes, and side exhausts appeared on later versions and were available until 1969.
The famous L88 version of the Stingray was another milestone in Corvette history. A true blood racing car, the L88 was in production for just three years and was quickly gobbled up by a market thirsty for the fashionable sports beast. “Not for the Faint of Heart” was the song that Chevrolet invented to promote its new L88. The L88 was never intended for public use. The high-performance car had many capabilities that were relatively unknown to most users at the time.
The C3 was inspired by Chevrolet’s Mako Shark design. This series began in 1968 and lasted until 1982. Small changes in styling made the Corvette even sleeker and lighter. 1973 saw the last of the Corvettes with chrome bumpers. 1975 was the last year a Corvette convertible was produced, and in 1980, the Corvette received a new aerodynamic design revision that dramatically reduced drag.
The glorious history of the Corvette passes to the fourth generation C4 or Corvette, which saw the first Corvette have a glass hatchback. The C4 was a total redesign and the emphasis on this model was handling. This model was hailed as the best handling car of all time. In the mid-1980s, GM collaborated with Lotus to develop the expensive ZR-1. The Grand Sport version of the Corvette released in 1996 marks the end of the C4 series. High performance and excellent appearance stood out in this model. The C5 was launched in 1997 and was in action until 2004.
The appearance of the car had been considerably improved in this version. Performance also proved that this model was far superior to previous versions. The C5-R and Z06 are other notable cars in this series. The C6 is not much different from its predecessor. The main goal of the update seems to be aimed at improving the previous model and eliminating some inconveniences and problems. The new Z06 arrived in 2006. Corvette history is replete with awards and accolades Corvette has won for both looks and performance.