Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a line of American two-door, two-seater sports cars, manufactured and marketed by General Motors, under the Chevrolet marque, since 1953.[1][2]
This article is about the sports car. For other uses, see Corvette (disambiguation).Chevrolet Corvette
1953–present
United States:
- Flint, Michigan 1953
- St. Louis, Missouri 1954–1981
- Bowling Green, Kentucky 1981–present
Sports car (S)
2-door coupé
2-door convertible/roadster
- FR layout/FMR Layout (1953–2019)
- RMR layout (2020–present)
Over the course of eight generations, indicated sequentially as C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance, distinctive styling, lightweight fiberglass or composite bodywork, and competitive pricing. Since the cessation of Ford and Chrysler's competitors,[3] the Corvette is the only two-seat sports car produced by a major United States auto manufacturer and serves as Chevrolet's halo car.[4]
Since its introduction in 1953, the two-seater has steadily moved upmarket. Originally a relatively modest, lightweight 6‑cylinder convertible, subsequent introductions of V8 engines, competitive chassis innovations, and rear mid-engined layout have positioned the Corvette in the supercar class. The first three Corvette generations (1953–1983) employed body-on-frame construction, and since the C4 generation, introduced in 1983 as an early 1984 model, Corvettes have used GM's unibody Y‑body platform.[5] All Corvettes used front mid-engine configuration for seven generations, through 2019, and transitioned to a rear mid-engined layout with the C8 generation.[6]
In 1953, GM executives accepted a suggestion by Myron Scott, then the assistant director of the Public Relations department, to name the company's new sports car after the corvette, a small maneuverable warship.[7] The first model, a convertible, was introduced at the 1953 GM Motorama as a concept car; production models went on sale later that year. In 1963, the second generation was introduced in coupe and convertible styles. Originally manufactured in Flint, Michigan, and St. Louis, Missouri, the Corvette has been produced in Bowling Green, Kentucky, since 1981, which is also the location of the National Corvette Museum.
The Corvette has become widely known as "America's Sports Car."[8] Automotive News wrote that after being featured in the early 1960s television show Route 66, "the Corvette became synonymous with freedom and adventure," ultimately becoming both "the most successful concept car in history and the most popular sports car in history."[9]
1954 Corvette convertible
1956 Corvette convertible
1959 Corvette convertible (rear)
1960 Corvette convertible
Over the years, the Corvette has won awards from automobile publications as well as organizations such as the Society of Automotive Engineers.
1959 Corvette XP-87 Stingray Racer concept
A 1959 Scaglietti Corvette
1961 Mako Shark concept
1965 Mako Shark II concept
1977 Aerovette concept
2009 Corvette Stingray concept
Corvette concept cars have inspired the designs of several generations of Corvettes.[43] 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 Stingray 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. The concept car was raced through 1960 having only "Sting Ray" badges before it was put on the auto-show circuit in 1961.[122]
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 V8 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 as a 4-rotor 420 hp (313 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 kept it from going into production.
A Corvette Stingray Anniversary concept car was unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, fifty years after the Sting Ray racer-concept of 1959.[123] The vehicle was based on a combination of the 1963 Sting Ray and the 1968 Stingray. The new Stingray concept appears in the 2009 movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, as the vehicle mode of the character Sideswipe.[124] A convertible/speedster version was used for the same character in the 2011 sequel, Transformers: Dark of the Moon.[125]
Owner demographics[edit]
According to research by Specialty Equipment Market Association and Experian Automotive, as of 2009, there were approximately 750,000 Corvettes of all model years registered in the United States. Corvette owners were fairly equally distributed throughout the country, with the highest density in Michigan (3.47 per 1000 residents) and the lowest density in Utah, Mississippi, and Hawaii (1.66, 1.63, and 1.53 registrations per 1000 residents). 47% of them hold college degrees (significantly above the nationwide average of 27%), and 82% are between the ages of 40 and 69 (median age being 53).[126]
Racing[edit]
C1[edit]
In 1960, three C-1 Corvettes were race modified and entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans by team owner Briggs Cunningham and were numbered #1, #2, and #3 cars in the race. The numbered #3 car was driven by John Fitch and Bob Grossman and it had finished the race in eighth place overall, but it had won the big-bore GT class.[127]
