Chevrolet Corvette History

The Chevrolet Corvette was Chevy first sports car and is manufactured in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Bowling Green is also the home of The Annual National Corvette Homecoming and The National Corvette Museum. The Corvette also has been manufactured in St. Louis Missouri and Flit Michigan. Harley Earl confessed General Motors that they needed a sports car in the two seater Corvette was it. Earl and his crew started working on the design for the Corvette, which was codenamed ” Opel”. The 1953 Corvette was unveiled in 1953 at the Motorama car show.

The Chevrolet Corvette took its name from the Navy ship called a frigate which was a very maneuverable fighting ship. The credit for the name Corvette is attributed to Myron Scott. The first Chevy Corvettes were hand built at the Flint Michigan customer delivery center. The fiberglass body of which the Corvette was made may have had more to do with the still quotas after the war then the weight of the new material. This new revolutionary material was used to cover mostly standard Chevrolet components like the two speed power glide transmission, “Blue Flame” inline six-cylinder truck motor, and standard card drum brakes. The triple carburetor intake added some power to the six banger but was still considered by most to be underpowered. A standard transmission and better brakes would have been welcome by most critics at the time.

Sales of the Corvette were on the decline in 1954 even after addition of the Paxton Supercharger and the Corvette would probably have been discontinued in 1955 if not for the addition of the Chevrolet’s first V8 265 CID since 1919. The second reason was an idea of Zora Arkus-Duntov from GM’s Engineering department. His idea of adding a three speed Manual transmission was quite possibly the most important change in the Chevrolet Corvettes history. There was a third possible reason for the cars survival and that was the Ford thunderbird. The Chevy-Ford rivalry was so strong at the time that Chevy may not have wanted to be seen as backing down from a challenge.

The Corvette was limited to 300 units produced for the 1953 production year. This was mainly due to the Corvettes being and built. From the years 1953 to 1962 if the car was known by many as these “solid axle” Corvette. The 1955 Corvette had few exterior changes but now there was a large V in the Corvette emblem, signifying V-8 engine.

The Chevrolet Corvette received a new day design body in 1956. Chevrolet left the country club look behind and took on the new hot rod look. The Mercedes Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” roadster had been using fuel injection for two years and now so did the Corvette. (Chevy also made it available on the Chevrolet Bel-Air). The addition of fuel injection brought the horsepower up to 290 horsepower on the 283 cubic inch engine but Chevy advertised 283 horsepower ” one horsepower per cubic inch”.There were a options on this new Corvette like heavy duty suspension and brakes, power windows, hydraulic convertible top, and a four speed Manual transmission.

The 1958 th Chevrolet Corvette was probably the flashiest Corvette ever built. The changes consisted of additions of chrome, quad headlights, twin trunk spurs, hood louvers, and exhaust that exited through the bumper. In the 1959 and 1960 Corvette the horsepower was increased and the chrome was thinned out but little changes otherwise. In 1961 the ‘boat tail” lights were added to the rear of the car, the first Corvette to have four taillights. In 1962 the fastest of the sea one corvettes was made by going to a 327 CID from the 289 CID engine. This change brought the horsepower rating up to about 360 horsepower. This model also saw another decrease in chrome.

The Corvette split-window coupe introduced the Corvette Stingray in the first Corvette to have an independent rear suspension and non functioning hood vents. Due to safety concerns the split-window was discontinued the next year along with the hood vents. The horsepower rating was up to 360 horsepower and the following year and reached 375 horsepower. The Vette was fitted with a four wheel disc brakes in 1965 along with a big block 396 cubic inch motor. In 1965, 1967 and 1969 side exhaust pipes were optional. In 1966 and even larger power plant was introduced, the 427 CID which would be one of the most collectible Corvettes ever. Then in 1967 the L-88, 427 CID was introduced with a rating of 430 HP. Unofficially there have been estimates of 550 HP and rumors of slightly higher numbers. Only 20 L-88 versions of the 427 were placed in the Corvette.

Corvette generation number three started in 1968 with an unintended introduction to the public. This introduction was through the Hot Wheels ” Custom Corvette” Die-Cast toy car. The third generation corvette was patterned after Chevy’s ” Mako Shark II”. The 350 CID motor was added to the available engine options for the Vette and in 1970 the 427 big block was raised to 454 CID. 1970 and 1971 so the peak in power ratings for the car with numbers like, 1970 LT-1 370 horsepower, 1971 454 425 horsepower. In 1972 GM went to the SAE net measurement, leaving the SAE gross measurement behind. This resulted in lower values on the horsepower ratings.

Corvette had a bad start for 1983, production problems led to the delay in only 44 prototypes were completed. 43 of the 44 cars were crushed and the remaining car number 23 is on display in Bowling Green. This meant that the fourth generation Corvette did not start until 1984. The L83 engine was used on the 1984 model with a unique fuel injection system named ” Crossfire”. The new C4 Corvette incorporated the first major changes in body and suspension since 1963. These major changes included in the C4 Coupe word new brakes with aluminum calipers, aluminum frame and suspension, rear glass hatch and a one piece targa top. The redesign of the Corvette C4 emphasized the handling characteristics with transverse composite leave springs on the front.

In 1988 the Corvette saw its 35th Anniversary Edition with each having a special ID number badge beside the gear selector. The 35th anniversary edition cars were too easy to identify by the white steering wheel, white seats, white wheels, and a white trim ect.

The 1992 Corvette model year brought the 300 HP LT1 engine. Another so-called improvement was the Accelerator Slip Regulation (ASR) which is utilized for traction to control rear wheel spin. Luckily GM saw fit to install a switch to override this control.

The C5 Corvette begin production in 1997 and was a major change from the C4. The C5 Trans was shifted to the rear to form an integrated rear-mounted transaxle assembly which was attached to the motor via driveshaft. The automotive press judge the C5 as improved in almost every aspect over the earlier Corvette designs. The new Vette also got a new small block of completely new design and rated at 345 Hp.

The Corvette Z06 was released in 2001 and replaced the FRC hardtop of 1999 through 2000 as the highest performing C5 Corvette. They use the LS6 engine which was a high to output version of the LS1 and produced 385 HP. Other modifications were made to the ZO6 including larger wheels and tires, improved gearing, new six speed Manual transmission, upgraded suspension, brake cooling ducts, lighter battery and thinner glass. The ZO6 produced 405 HP from 2002 onward thanks to some engine modifications. Dyno tests have shown that Chevrolet under raided the engine by as much as 20 Hp. The Corvette’s released for the 2003 model year were released with silver 50th anniversary badges and in updated headliner. The 2003 Corvette also had its aluminum shift for replaced with a steel fork and.

Chevy claims that the 405 HP version of the ZO6 Vette can make 1/4 mile pass in 12.4 seconds. The cars record is 11.7 with an experienced driver behind the wheel. The top speed was achieved in fifth gear at 6500 RPM and was 176 miles per hour. The Corvette is not capable of holding its own on a road track with cars like the Ford Mustang Cobra R, Porsche 911 turbo and the Dodge Viper.: The Chevrolet Corvette was Chevy first sports car and is manufactured in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Bowling Green is also the home of The Annual National Corvette Homecoming and The National Corvette Museum. The Corvette also has been manufactured in St. Louis Missouri and Flit Michigan. Harley Earl confessed General Motors that they needed a sports car in the two seater Corvette was it. Earl and his crew started working on the design for the Corvette, which was codenamed ” Opel”. The 1953 Corvette was unveiled in 1953 at the Motorama car show.

The Chevrolet Corvette took its name from the Navy ship called a frigate which was a very maneuverable fighting ship. The credit for the name Corvette is attributed to Myron Scott. The first Chevy Corvettes were hand built at the Flint Michigan customer delivery center. The fiberglass body of which the Corvette was made may have had more to do with the still quotas after the war then the weight of the new material. This new revolutionary material was used to cover mostly standard Chevrolet components like the two speed power glide transmission, “Blue Flame” inline six-cylinder truck motor, and standard card drum brakes. The triple carburetor intake added some power to the six banger but was still considered by most to be underpowered. A standard transmission and better brakes would have been welcome by most critics at the time.

Sales of the Corvette were on the decline in 1954 even after addition of the Paxton Supercharger and the Corvette would probably have been discontinued in 1955 if not for the addition of the Chevrolet’s first V8 265 CID since 1919. The second reason was an idea of Zora Arkus-Duntov from GM’s Engineering department. His idea of adding a three speed Manual transmission was quite possibly the most important change in the Corvettes history. There was a third possible reason for the cars survival and that was the Ford thunderbird. The Chevy-Ford rivalry was so strong at the time that Chevy may not have wanted to be seen as backing down from a challenge.

The Corvette was limited to 300 units produced for the 1953 production year. This was mainly due to the Corvettes being and built. From the years 1953 to 1962 if the car was known by many as these “solid axle” Corvette. The 1955 Corvette had few exterior changes but now there was a large V in the Corvette emblem, signifying V-8 engine.

The 1958 th Chevrolet Corvette was probably the flashiest Corvette ever built. The changes consisted of additions of chrome, quad headlights, twin trunk spurs, hood louvers, and exhaust that exited through the bumper. In the 1959 and 1960 Corvette the horsepower was increased and the chrome was thinned out but little changes otherwise. In 1961 the ‘boat tail” lights were added to the rear of the car, the first Corvette to have four taillights. In 1962 the fastest of the sea one corvettes was made by going to a 327 CID from the 289 CID engine. This change brought the horsepower rating up to about 360 horsepower. This model also saw another decrease in chrome.

The corvette split-window coupe introduced the Corvette Stingray in the first Corvette to have an independent rear suspension and nonfunctioning hood vents. Due to safety concerns the split-window was discontinued the next year along with the hood vents. The horsepower rating was up to 360 horsepower and the following year and reached 375 horsepower. The Vette was fitted with a four wheel disc brakes in 1965 along with a big block 396 cubic inch motor. In 1965, 1967 and 1969 side exhaust pipes were optional. In 1966 and even larger power plant was introduced, the 427 CID which would be one of the most collectible Corvettes ever. Then in 1967 the L-88, 427 CID was introduced with a rating of 430 HP. Unofficially there have been estimates of 550 HP and rumors of slightly higher numbers. Only 20 L-88 versions of the 427 were placed in the Corvette.

The corvette Z06 was released in 2001 and replaced the FRC hardtop of 1999 through 2000 as the highest performing C5 Corvette. They use the LS6 engine which was a high to output version of the LS1 and produced 385 HP. Other modifications were made to the ZO6 including larger wheels and tires, improved gearing, new six speed Manual transmission, upgraded suspension, brake cooling ducts, lighter battery and thinner glass. The ZO6 produced 405 HP from 2002 onward thanks to some engine modifications. Dyno tests have shown that Chevrolet under raided the engine by as much as 20 Hp. The Corvette’s released for the 2003 model year were released with silver 50th anniversary badges and in updated headliner. The 2003 Corvette also had its aluminum shift for replaced with a steel fork and.

Chevrolet Corvette Burnouts