The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car first manufactured by Chevrolet in 1953 and is built today exclusively at a General Motors assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was the first all-American sports car built by an American car manufacturer. The National Corvette Museum is also located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
While the style of a car may be just as important to some as to how well the car runs, automobile manufacturers did not begin to pay attention to car designs until the 1920s. It was not until 1927, when General Motors hired designer Harley Earl that automotive styling and design became important to American automobile manufacturers. What Henry Ford did for automobile manufacturing principles, Harley Earl did for car design. Most of GM's flamboyant "dream car" designs of the 1950s are directly attributable to Earl, leading one journalist to comment that the designs were "the American psyche made visible." Harley Earl loved sports cars, and GIs returning after serving overseas World War II were bringing home MGs, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos and the like. Earl convinced GM that they needed to build a two-seat sports car. The result was the 1953 Corvette, unveiled to the public at that year's Motorama car show.
Taking its name from a small, maneuverable fighting frigate, the first Corvettes were virtually handbuilt in Flint, Michigan in Chevrolet's Customer Delivery Center. The outer body was made out of a revolutionary new composite material called fiberglass, offering the strength of steel without the weight. The tradition continues even today, as no Corvette has ever had anything other than a fiberglass outer skin. Underneath that radical new body were standard Chevrolet components, including the "Blue Flame" inline six-cylinder engine, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission and drum brakes from Chevrolet's regular car line. Though the engine's output was increased somewhat thanks to a triple-carburetor intake exclusive to the Corvette, performance of the car was decidedly lackluster. Compared to the Ford Thunderbird with its 312 in3 (5.1 L) V8 and British and Italian sports cars of the day, the Corvette was underpowered, required a great deal of effort as well as clear roadway to bring to a stop and even lacked a "proper" manual transmission. Up until that time, the Chevrolet Division was GM's entry-level marque, known for excellent but no-nonsense cars...and nowhere was that more evident than in the Corvette. A Paxton supercharger became available as a dealer-installed option in 1954 which greatly improved the Corvette's straight-line performance, but sales continued to decline. GM was seriously considering shelving the project, thereby leaving the Corvette as little more than a footnote in automotive history, and would have done so if not for two important events. The first was the introduction of Chevrolet's first-ever V8 engine in 1955, and the second was the influence of a Soviet emigre in GM's engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov. Arkus-Duntov simply took a 283 in3 (4.6 L) version of the new engine and backed it with a four-speed manual transmission. That modification, probably the single most important in the car's history, helped to turn the Corvette from a two-seat curiosity to a genuine sports car and Thunderbird contender. It also earned Arkus-Duntov the rather inaccurate nickname of "Father of the Corvette."
There have been six generations of the Corvette so far, generally referred to as versions C1 through C6. The first generation started in 1953 and ended in 1962, with the noteworthy addition of optional fuel injection in 1957. This new induction system first saw regular use on a gasoline engine two years prior on the Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwing" roadster. Although the Corvette's GM-Rochester fuel injection system used a single central plunger to feed fuel to all eight cylinders in comparison to a more direct means of delivery with a single plunger for each of the Mercedes' six cylinders, the system nevertheless produced 283 hp (211 kW) from 283 in³ (4.6 L), making it the first production engine in history to exceed 1 hp/in³ (45.5 kW/L).
The second or mid-year generation, now under the styling direction of Bill Mitchell, started in 1963 and ended in 1967. 1963 would see the introduction of the new Corvette Stingray coupe with its distinctive split rear window (discontinued for 1964 over safety concerns) as well as an independent rear suspension. Power for 1963 was at 365 hp (272 kW) hitting 375 hp (280 kW) in 1964.
Four-wheel disc brakes were introduced in 1965, as was a "big-block" engine option. With a 396 in³ (6.5 L) V8 under the fiberglass hood, the Corvette now became a contender in the burgeoning muscle car wars of the period. Side exhaust pipes appeared on the 1965 Stingray and continued through 1969. Chevrolet would up the ante in 1966 with the introduction of an even larger 427 in³ (7 L) version, creating what would be one of the most collectable Corvettes ever. 1967 saw a 435 hp (324 kW) version of the 427, but unofficial estimates place the actual output at 525 hp (391 kW) or more.
In 2004, Sports Car International named the Stingray number five on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.
The third generation, patterened after Chevrolet's "Mako Shark" show car started in 1968 and ended in 1982. This generation has the distinction of being introduced to the motoring public in an unorthodox - and unintentional - fashion. 1968 also marked the introduction of the Mattel's now-famous Hot Wheels line of 1/64-scale diecast toy cars. General Motors tried their best to keep the appearance of the upcoming car a secret, but the release of the Hot Wheels line several weeks before the Corvette's unveiling had a certain version of particular interest to Corvette fans: The "Custom Corvette," a GM-authorized model of the 1968 Corvette.
The fourth generation was introduced at the close of 1982 production as a 1984 model and ended in 1996, meaning that there's no such thing as a "1983 Corvette." In 1990, the Corvette ZR-1 was introduced as a limited-production, high-performance version of the standard Corvette, which contained a special 32-valve overhead cam LT5 engine designed by Lotus Engineering and built by Mercury Marine. One of the fastest street cars ever built up to that time, the final year of ZR-1 production was 1995.
The C4 corvette is known for its boxy look. In the coupe it also is the first corvette to have a glass hatchback for better storage access. It also had all new brakes with aluminum calipers. The Corvette C4 came standard with an electronic dashboard with digital liquid crystal displays for speed and RPM. The C4 was a complete redesign of the previous generation and the emphasis was on handling. The C4 corvette was proclaimed the best handling car ever when it was released. This handling came at the expense of a stiff, unforgiving ride. The unit-body frame used in the C4 was also prone to rattles and squeaks due to frame flexing. Also due to the external unit body frame the door sills were quite deep and entry and exit were impeded. The bumper did not meet federal bumper regulations.
The fifth generation started in 1997 and ended with the 2004 model year. The C5 was a radical change from the previous generation. The car now had a hydroformed box frame, and the transmission was moved to the rear of the car and was connected to the engine via a torque tube. Gone were the squeaks and rattles of the C4 and in replacement was an incredibly strong frame that would last for at least two more generations. The new C5 was better in every aspect than the C4 it replaced.
The Corvette's 50th Anniversary was celebrated June 20th and 21st, 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee. The venue provided a bonanza of flawlessly restored Corvettes, a chronological display set up by the National Corvette Museum with every model year of the Corvette along with engineering and restoration seminars. The anniversary also brought some Chevrolet Concept Vehicles into focus including the approved-for-production Chevrolet SSR, a combination pickup truck and roadster featuring styling cues from Chevrolet trucks of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Also on hand were several Corvette race cars, including the Corvette SS built by Zora Arkus-Duntov and the C5R that won at Le Mans. Among the many displays were examples of the 2003 50th Anniversary Edition as well as a few 2004 "Commemorative Edition" Corvettes.
Recently, the factory has expanded to build the Cadillac XLR roadster, which shares its platform with the sixth-generation Corvette. Bowling Green is also home to the aforementioned Corvette Museum, which celebrates this American automotive icon by displaying in chronological order the various regular production models as well as some unique one-off versions created by Chevrolet. The building in Flint in which the first cars were assembled was spun off with GM's Delphi Electronics division and later donated to GMI/Kettering University in the late 1990s. The building has since been remodeled, and is now the C.S. Mott Engineering and Chemistry Center. In the garage housing the school's Pontiac Firebird club is a plaque commemerating it as the place where the first Corvette was built.
A successor to the ZR-1 made its debut in 2001 and was called the Z06. Insted of a heavy double-overhead cam engine like the ZR-1, the Z06 used a high-output (LS6) version of the conventional Corvette V8 (LS1). This engine produced 385 hp (287 kW) which was not much more than the old ZR-1, but since it was much lighter, the Z06 was a much faster car. For 2002 onward, the Z06 produced 405 hp (302 kW). The Z06 also came with side mounted brake ducts, and an rpm red-line raised by 500 rpm (to 6500 rpm).
The C5-R was a racecar built by GM Racing. It was based on the C5 road car but had an enlarged V8 and different bodywork with exposed headlamps. It is raced in the American Le Mans Series in the GTS Class and has been to four 24 Hours of Le Mans races.
The car's remarkable 2001 racing season featured eight victories in 10 races, including an overall win in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 1-2 finish in GTS class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Le Mans wins sparked off a rivalry with Prodrive's Ferrari 550 Maranellos, and both teams have become fan favorites.
2002, the C5-R repeated its 1-2 victory at Le Mans, and also dominated the GTS class in the American Le Mans Series. In 2002 a new transaxle unit was used instead of the previous years separate transmission and differential.
In 2003 there were additional restrictions placed on the C5-R so as to limit power. In the 2003 season opening 12 Hours of Sebring race, the C5-Rs remained in winning form, with one of them finishing first in class and eighth overall. Also in 2003 the yellow paint job was dropped in favor of a special Red, White, and Blue paint job to commemerate the Corvette's 50th Anniversary. However, at Le-Mans, the Prodrive Ferraris spoiled the anniversary and a three times in a row victory by winning the GTS class.
In 2004 the yellow paint was back and after being beaten by the Ferrari 550's at Le Mans in the previous year, the Corvette returned for another 1-2 finish.
The sixth generation Corvette does not change as much as the previous generation Corvette did. The design engineers tried to perfect, not reinvent, but some still complain that it is challenging to drive in town, on bad roads and in the rain.
The new C6 gets an overhaul of the suspension geometry, all new bodywork with exposed headlamps, a larger passenger compartment, a larger 6.0 liter engine, and a much higher level of refinement. Overall, it's 5.1 inches (13 cm) shorter than the C5, but its wheelbase has increased by 1.2 inches (3 cm). It's also one inch (2.5 cm) narrower making a smaller, sportier Corvette. The reduced dimensions were in response to critisism that the C5 Corvette looked too wide, the new body give the impression of a much sleeker, faster car. Chevrolet hopes the new design will attract buyers of comprable European sports cars like the Porsche 911, but some purists dislike the new styling. The new 6.0 Liter LS2 V8 produces 400 hp (298 kW) at 6000 rpm and 400 lbf.ft (542 Nm) of torque at 4400 rpm. Its red-line is increased to 6500 rpm like the C5 Z06.
The new Z06 is stated to be coming in 2006, and will have an eight-cylinder, 427.6 cubic inch (7008cc), 500 hp (373 kW), 7.0 L engine codenamed the LS7. Dave Hill, the chief engineer for the C6 Corvette, says that it will be a much further departure from the standard Corvettes and be more like the C6-R that GM is building for the American Le Mans Series. Its performance is projected to be similar to the Ford GT and the Dodge Viper SRT-10.
Corvette concept cars have inspired the designs of several generations of Corvettes. The first Corvette, Harley Earl's 1953 EX-122 Corvette prototype was itself, a concept show car, first shown to the public at the 1953 GM Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on January 17, 1953. It was brought to production in six months with only minor changes.
Harley Earl's successor, Bill Mitchell was the man behind most of the Corvette concepts of the 1960s and 1970s. The second-generation (C2) of 1963 was his, and its design first appeared on the Sting Ray racer of 1959. It made its public debut at Maryland's Marlborough Raceway on April 18, 1959, powered by a 283 cu in (4.64 L) V8 with experimental 11:1 compression aluminum cylinder heads and took fourth place. It raced through 1960 wearing only "Sting Ray" badges before retiring to tour the auto-show circuit in 1961.
In 1961 the XP-755 Mako Shark show car was designed by Larry Shinoda as a concept for future Corvettes. In keeping with the name, the streamlining, pointed snout, and other detailing was partly inspired by the look of that very fast fish. The 1961 Corvette tail was given two additional tail lights (six total) for the concept car. The body inspired the 1963 production Sting Ray.
In 1965 Mitchell removed the original concept body and redesigned it as the Mako Shark II. Chevrolet actually created two of them, only one of which was fully functional. The original Mako Shark was then retroactively called the Mako Shark I. The Mako Shark II debuted in 1965 as a show car and this concept influenced Mitchell's redesigned Corvette of 1968.
The Aerovette has a mid-engine configuration using a transverse mounting of its V-8 engine. Zora Arkus-Duntov's engineers originally built two XP-882s during 1969. John DeLorean, Chevy general manager, ordered one for display at the 1970 New York Auto Show. In 1972, DeLorean authorized further work on the XP-882. A near-identical body in aluminum alloy was constructed and became the XP-895 "Reynolds Aluminum Car." Duntov and Mitchell responded with two Chevrolet Vega (stillborn) Wankel 2-rotor engines joined together as a 4-rotor 420 hp (310 kW) engine which was used to power the XP-895. It was first shown in late 1973. The 4-rotor show car was outfitted with a 400 cu in (6.6 L) small-block V8 in 1977 and rechristened Aerovette. GM chairman Thomas Murphy approved the Aerovette for 1980 production, but Mitchell's retirement that year, combined with then Corvette chief engineer Dave McLellan's lack of enthusiasm for the mid-engine design and slow-selling data on mid-engined cars killed the last hope for a mid-engine Vette.