When Style Meets Pure American Muscle...
A simplified history of the design of the Chevrolet Corvette. How it has grow, and how it as improved...
Lets start off with generation one, the Chevrolet Corvette C1. The Corvette was a huge surprise when it was introduced in 1953. The Corvette looked good, it was unique, it was comfortable, and the only real part of a sports car it was lacking was performance. Even though it had it's flaws, GM went through with it. At first, sales were abysmally low, and in its first year, GM only sold 183 out of the 300 they had produced. The same story repeated itself in the following three years, but GM had faith that their little, underpowered sports car would soon rise in popularity, and the Corvette continued to be sold. Then, in 1956, the Corvette had a design refresh, a whole new performance revamp, and the name Corvette suddenly became mouth-wateringly desirable. It was clear that the Corvette would be changed forever, and finally begin it's truly legendary journey to the mid-engined super sports car, we know and love today.
C1 Corvette
The C2, and saying goodbye to the C1
The C1 was sold from 1953-1962, and in 1963, GM unveiled the next generation C2 Corvette. Known officially as the Sting Ray, GM introduced one of the most beautiful automobiles ever made. GM decided to carry over the same engine used by the later variants of the C1, which means that although it was underpowered, what lacked in the performance department, was made up for in style. The gorgeous curves on the long, slender hood, the quirky, but beautiful split rear window that was available on the earlier models. Every detail on the C2 is gorgeous, and it all comes together amazingly well. The C2 generation was put under control by the legendary Zora Arkus-Duntov, and with that being said, the Zora Option 6 (Z06) performance package was introduced. This finally gave the Corvette the rights of being a sports car. The C2 remains one of the greatest American sports car in existence, and it finally got what it had always wanted... The Corvette was finally major competition to the Europeans, and it only went up from there.
C2 Corvette
The Mako Shark- Corvette C3
You might be able to tell by now that there is quite a bit of bias going on in this article. Let me warn you right now, in this section, there will be even more bias, as the C3 is my favorite car in existence, so let me tell you why. Lets start off with the looks. THE most beautiful vehicle ever created. From the extravagant curves, the hugely long hood, and just the silhouette in general. Its hard to believe that the company that makes Chevrolet Bolts, and GMC Savannas used to make these. Everything is perfect on the C3. The C3 is the most powerful Corvette so far, primarily because it was born the the late 60's and early 70's, which is widely know as the "Era of Raw, Untamed American Muscle," which transforms the Corvette from a sports car to a muscle car in a supercar's body. The Corvette grew up extremely fast during this generation, and all of the sudden, the Corvette became one of the most desirable cars of the 20th century, which makes it the greatest car ever made.
C3 Corvette
Things begin to go downhill
Now don't get me wrong, I still love the Corvette C4, but because I cant even drive yet, it seems I have no choice but to judge cars by their appearance, and in my humble opinion, I thing the C4 is a bit ugly. This a bit random, but your probably wondering why I haven't mentioned the powertrains of any of these cars yet. Well that's because I just don't understand engines. The confuse me, the way they work seems foreign to me, and this is probably why I love Electric car so much. I am VERY familiar with electric territory because I'm a bit of a geek. Anyways, The C4 has always been bland in my eyes. It's nowhere near as unique as the C3, and to me it just seems that the Corvette hit a dead end, and instead of plowing through it, it decided to turn around and go back down the slope it came up from. But, this is nowhere near as catastrophic of a design as our next Corvette, the C5
C4 Corvette
Going Downhill, then falling down a pit
In the hopes of GM improving the Corvette after the C4, Corvette fans were let down. I do like the C4, but when it comes to the C5, I hate it. I think it is hideous, bland, and it should have never left the design table. The Ford Mustang introduced in the mid-nineties was ugly, but it still kept some design elements that made the original Mustang so successful, and it sold fairly well. The Corvette from the same era looked as if GM took a 90's Hyundai Sonata, made it a two door, upped the performance, then added a few out of place sporty design elements. It looks abysmal, but luckily, the road ahead seemed to be promising for the Corvettes industry survival.
C5 Corvette
Rescued and Revived
Finally, there seemed to light at the end of the tunnel for the Corvette. Enter, the Corvette C6. The C6 got a performance boost, and a major design refresh. Everything that made the C5's appearance so bad, was recreated and redone, and some even argue that it is the best looking Corvette ever made! Finally things were looking up for the legend GM created. It regained its glory and fame, and it gained an even bigger fan base then before! The Corvette was back, baby, and it ain't going back down.
C6 Corvette
Taking its place back, then expanding even further
The C7 Corvette added substantial upgrades, to the design and performance. Even though the Z06 namesake had been being used in almost all of the Corvettes before it, it only added a small performance increase when applied. After the success of the C6, GM saw an opportunity, and took it. The Z06 Package added an insane amount of power, and the design was phenomenal. I'm sure fellow DriveTriber @Pilot Edwardo would agree! (If you can't tell, these sections are getting shorter and shorter. It's because I'm getting lazier and lazier)
C7 Corvette
Zora Arkus-Duntov's dream come true
For as long as Zora as been involved with the Corvette, no generation has ever met up the his dream, which was a mid-engined Corvette. The newest generation of Corvette has made it's grandfather proud, and the C8 is finally mid-engined. The C8 is absolutely gorgeous at every angle. Whether you're looking at the aggressive front end, the stunning side view, or even the spaceship-like rear, every detail has been meticulously crafted in order to bring mouth-watering looks, and raw, untamed performance. Nothing about the Corvette is lacking, making the C8, the budget supercar.
Now go ahead and rank the Corvette generations!
In conclusion, the Corvette has become one of the greatest cars ever made, with each and every generation bring something new to the table. It seems no car will ever live up to the fame and desirability of the Corvette. Now comment below what you thought of my very first article, any way I could improve? Thank you guys so much for your support, as this took me a few hours to write.
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Comments (9)
🤯 seriously!!! It’s so wrong 😅
Nevertheless…. Good read Lucas.
I prefer the older stuff to be honest.
• Do you honestly understand the workings of a DC Electrical motor better than then a combustion motor?
It’s embarrassing for sure… but to me at least, charging batteries and providing power to the motors seems a lot easier to understand than what ever ICE’s do
But it’s also kind of nice because I have a much more positive attitude for EVs, unlike many
C7
C2
C1
C6
C3
C5
C4
C8
Lucas, for a 14 year old, or for that matter a person of any age, this is an excellent article, especially a first one. Your writing style is entertaining and light hearted, but with good content.
You and I are probably at the opposite ends of the technology spectrum, but that’s what makes your comments so interesting. You like batteries and charging and electrons in wires and all that, while I, as an older mechanical engineer, love gears, racks and pinions, universal joints, and wishbone suspensions. For you, the best part of a F1 car is probably the kinetic energy recovery system while mine is that beautiful noisy engine.
As to your article, for me, the C1 and C8 are tied for first. Before the C1 was launched in the ‘50’s, I entered a Popular Mechanics Magazine contest to win one. Needless to say I didn’t, but when I saw one in person a year later, I thought it was the most beautiful car in existence. And the mid-engined C8 ticks all the boxes. Perfection!
Keep up the good work. I’ll be on the lookout for your next article.
I adore the C6 for some reason
Nice story
Thank you!