This year, the Corvette became eligible for Social Security, having turned 65 with a birthday before 1955. The fiberglass 2 seater has continually evolved and been improved and today’s C7 model is able to give Ferraris a run for much less money.
The Corvette’s story begins in 1951. American GIs were returning home from Europe and bringing with them British and Italian roadsters such as Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, and MGs. GM saw a potential market in this and “Project Opel” began.
The new car would need to use components from standard Chevrolet sedans to keep costs down. It would be powered by a high compression version of Chevrolet’s 3.8 liter inline 6 producing 150 horsepower. The only transmission that could handle the power was the 2 speed powerglide automatic. The car would be made of fiberglass, which was ideal for such a low volume roadster.
The car was christened “Corvette”, after the warships best known for their nimbleness. It was unveiled in January 1953 at GM’s Motorama at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. Only 300 were built in 1953, all of them by hand.
In December 1953, mass production began in St Louis enabling 10,000 to be built annually. But in 1954, only 3640 were sold. Believe it or not, the Corvette was a complete flop in its first 3 years. The fiberglass bodies were poorly built and leaked and the performance was not very impressive.
In 1955, Ford brought out a better Corvette with the Thunderbird. It had V8 power making it a serious sports car. As a result, while Chevrolet moved just 700 Corvettes, Ford sold 16,000 T-Birds. GM came very close to pulling the plug on the ‘Vette. But then it was decided to put the new Chevy V8 under the hood.
The new engine and a new body saved the Corvette. Sales rose to over 3000 and continually increased until the C1 was discontinued in 1962.
The C2 Corvette was unveiled in 1963. It showed the change that GM was headed for with Harley Earl being replaced by Bill Mitchell as the head of styling. Earl had a thing for boldness with creations such as the 1959 Cadillac. Mitchell however liked subtlety, and the tailfins and vast chrome was replaced by smooth lines and shear edges. It was dubbed “stingray” and began the hidden headlight craze. Early models included a split rear window which was soon discontinued because of how it obstructed rear vision. Sales kept rising, hitting 27,000 in 1966.
The Coke Bottle shaped C3 was introduced in 1968 for what would be a 15 year production run ending in 1983. This Corvette would survive more trials than any model before or after. It survived through soaring insurance costs, 2 energy crises, 5 mph bumpers, CAFE laws, and anti-smog rules. After 1975, the C3 would have no more convertible versions. People preferred air conditioning to the complexity and annoyances of droptops and there were rumors that NHTSA’s rollover standards would make them illegal. As a compromise, a removable roof panel was offered.
The weird thing is that the Corvette prospered during this era. 1979 marked the best year ever for sales with 50,000. The design that had come out during LBJ’s presidency still looked good during Reagan’s. By this point, however, the Corvette was earning an unfortunate reputation as the car men would buy when they were compensating for something. So GM chose to move the Corvette upmarket in the early 80s. The price went up as it became more of a competitor to the Porsche 911.
A new Corvette finally arrived in 1984 (there was no 1983 model year due to production delays). The 60s coke bottle was replaced by smooth and straight aero lines for the 80s. It was also smaller and lighter than the C3. The base engine at first produced just 205 horsepower, that’s barely more than a Hyundai Sonata. It soon rose however, first to 250 then to 300. 1986 saw the return of the convertible ‘Vette.
In 1990, the “King of the Hill” Corvette arrived, known as the ZR1. It was designed with help from Lotus and its 5.7 liter V8 produced a staggering 375 horsepower. Being almost twice as expensive as the normal 250 hp Corvette made it a proper halo car for GM.
1991 brought the Corvette’s first true domestic competitor since the 1957 Thunderbird in the form of the Dodge Viper. Where it fell short in handling and sophistication it made up for in raw power. The 8 Liter V10 produced 400 horsepower. But the Viper would never become as legendary and was quietly axed last year.
The C5 Corvette, released in 1997, when I was born, looked just like the C4 but in a rounded 90s form. Things like the popup headlights, quad tailights, low mounted turn signals, and fastback glass roof were carryovers from the old one. But while it looked the same, it was very different underneath. A new hydroformed box frame improved structural rigidity. The emissions choked dark days were over, the base engine produced 345 horsepower and yet the Corvette was fuel efficient enough to avoid the EPA’s gas guzzler tax. In 2001, the replacement for the old ZR1 arrived as the Z06. In 2003, the Magneride computer controlled damping system became optional, further improving handling and bringing it closer to the sophistication of European sports cars.
The C6 came along in 2005. The most notable styling change was the end of the pop-up headlights. The Corvette was the last car ever to have those. The base engine was boosted in size from 5.7 to 6 liters, producing 400 hp, more than the ZR1 of a decade earlier. The Z06 had a massive 7 Liter V8 producing 505 horsepower. The new ‘Vette was also shorter and handled better.
In 2009, the ZR1 returned, this time sporting a supercharged 6.2 liter V8 producing 638 horsepower and a top speed of 205 mph. It provided Ferrari style performance for a fraction of the price.
The C7 Corvette arrived in 2014. Styling was much more sculpted and aggressive than the C6. It also brought back the “Stingray” moniker. The engine range is down to just 3 variants of the 6.2 liter V8 for the base, Z06, and ZR1. While it still uses pushrods, it now has direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and variable valve timing. The transmissions are the 2nd 7 speed manual offered anywhere (the Porsche 911 was first) and an 8 speed automatic. The Corvette by this point was now not only as fast but also as refined as the Porsches, Jaguar F Type, and Nissan GT-R.
What does the future hold for the Corvette? Well it’s not in any mood to retire, it is selling well, over 30,000 per year since 2014. Apparantly, the next model will be mid engined.
The Corvette has been an institution for 65 years. GM has managed to not screw it up. While the Corvette is very American, its history shows a level of competence that has been almost Toyota-like. GM has continually honed it and made it better and better to the point that it is now one of the best performance cars in the world. This is in stark contrast to other American cars which have been left to whither on the vine and replaced over and over as their manufacturers search for the “next big thing”. Imagine where GM would be if they had taken a more Corvette-like attitude toward the Oldsmobile Cutlass.