Motorious Explores The Chevy Corvette

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Chevrolet Corvette - America's most iconic sports cars.

At the time, the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette was little more than a show car for Motorama. However, initial reactions from the media and the public were enough to ensure that Chevrolet had no choice but to start production immediately. The roadster’s original design came from Harley Earl, GM’s original head of design. It was the 1953 Corvette show car that caught the eye of Zora Arkus-Duntov, an engineer that would go on to take the Corvette to new heights after writing  Chevrolet chief engineer Ed Cole a letter requesting to work on the car. Upon retirement, Earl passed the torch to Bill Mitchell who then employed Larry Shinoda to design the next generation of Corvette. Arkus-Duntov remained instrumental in the direction of the Corvette throughout the 1970s which earned him the name “The Father Of The Corvette.”

Over a span of 68-years and eight generations the Corvette has gone through many changes along its journey to its current status of American Automotive Legend. It all started with an underpowered roadster then turned into a highly capable sports car. Today the Corvette, with its mid-engine design, is more akin to a supercar and there are talks of implementing EV technology into the design. While this may be an upset to the car’s fan base, it may also be very fitting, as the Corvette has repeatedly been used by GM for product development to the extent that it can be said that most of today’s GM technology made its debut on America’s Sports Car.

Generations

First-generation: C1 (1953–1962)

In all, 300 1953 Corvettes were handmade. All of them were convertibles and all of them wore a Polo White finish. After that successful partial premiere production year, 1954 marked the first full production year. Production numbers jumped to over 3k-units and available options included three additional colors. Initially, the Corvette only had one powertrain option, a 235-cid inline 6 (Blue Flame) engine, and a two-speed automatic Powerglide transmission. Although the engine produced decent power for what it was, it did not do the Corvettes reputation of being a solid contender to the Cadillacs and Jaguars of the time any favors. 1955 marked the roadster’s first V8 engine option and it was that 195-horsepower 265-cid engine that nudged Chevy in the right direction with many upgrades coming the following year.

A new exterior styling with concave sides and an optional two-tone paint scheme and the addition of a more powerful and fuel-efficient Turbo-Fire 265-cid V8 engine and a close-ratio 3-speed manual gearbox are just a few of the changes that helped put sales numbers for the 1956 model year back on track. For the first year ever, the Corvette was now available with outside door handles, roll-up windows, and an optional removable hardtop. 1957 saw the introduction of a new 283-cid engine and a Fuel Injected option that produced a national record of 1-bhp per cubic inch. Nearly 7,000 examples were produced that year. Styling, power, and production numbers continued to rise before peaking for the final year of the C1 Corvette. Chevy’s halo roadster had become a crisp-styled sports car with an available 360-horsepower. In all, over 69k C1 Corvettes were made.

Second-generation: C2 (1963–1967)

Moving into its second-generation, the C2 Corvette became known to many enthusiasts as the best American sports car of all time. For what is commonly referred to as the mid-years, the car was completely redesigned. A new aerodynamic body, a fastback coupe labeled the split-window, was introduced as was a new independent front and rear suspension system. The 327-cid engine remained standard and outputs ranged from 250 to 360-horsepower. Although the Corvette was clearly special and could barely be compared to anything else on the road, many of the parts used were now interchangeable with other GM models and production jumped to over 20k.

In 1964, the split-window design was discarded for a single-piece rear window, and power was bumped to 375-horsepower. Big block offerings came in the form of 390 and 425-horsepower variants in 1966. Transmission options grew and so did production numbers. 1967 marked the final year of the C2 Corvette and is considered to be one of the best-selling years to date. Many special cars were made throughout the mid-year generation and many legendary names were born including the Sting Ray, the Grand Sport, the Z06, and the L88. This generation also represents the first time the Corvette would be imagined as a mid-engined design.

Third-generation: C3 (1968–1982)

Once again, the thought of making the Corvette a mid-engined car was on the table but instead Chevy’s team of engineers decided to continue with a traditional layout carrying over the Stingray moniker. The result was one of the longest generations of the Corvette. It can also be accredited as the generation of massive change and special editions. The ZR1, ZR2, ZL1, Astrovettes, Corvette America, an Indy 500 Pace Car, and a Collector’s Edition were among the limited and special edition models of the third generation.

Keeping the same basic shape, the C3 slowly evolved into a more modern-looking car. Performance fluctuated throughout this generation as well, thanks to changing regulations. 1979 set a sales record with over 53k examples being produced. By 1982, the Corvette’s power output had dwindled to just 200-horsepower and it was clear that the car needed to be updated. Unfortunately, production delays pushed that upcoming update back and the Corvette took a hiatus from production for the first and only time ever in 1983.

Fourth-generation: C4 (1984–1996)

Chief Corvette designer Dave McLellan was tasked with bringing the Corvette into the modern era. Stepping away from his predecessor’s design, McLellan created a more comfortable Corvette with a sleeker style. Thanks to a glass hatchback design the car now had a more accessible storage space which was large enough for a set of golf clubs. This only perpetuated the Corvette’s image of being the official car of the mid-life crisis. However, this generation was a revolutionary one in many ways. A digit display was now featured on the dash, the styling was more aerodynamic than ever before, braking and handling were better than any other generation, and the high-performance engine options were back with a vengeance.

Among the special editions for the C4 generation were two Anniversary Editions, two Indy Pace Cars, a Brickyard 400 Festival/Parade Car, the Grand Sport, a Collector Edition, and of course, the most capable ZR-1 up to that point. The ZR1’s LT5 engine was the product of a collaboration between GM and Lotus, giving the Corvette a 375-horsepower rating which was later raised to 405-horsepower. As powerful as the new ZR1 was, the bragging rights for the fastest C4 produced is the B2K Callaway Twin-Turbo, a variant of which an 880-horsepower variant went over 250-mph.

Fifth-generation: C5 (1997–2004)