Corvette History
The first generation Chevrolet Corvette; C1, was introduced in late 1953 and produced until 1962.
This "solid axle" generation ended with the introduction of the Sting Ray in 1963 with independent rear suspension. As the story goes the C2 prototype had mixed reviews and sales lagged.
The corvette generation was nearly cancelled but thanks to Harley Earl stayed in course and Corvette came into its own, both on the road and at the racetrack during the space-age Sixties.
It flexed its muscle during the subsequently turbulent years of anti-war protests, political scandals, and civil unrest.
It survived an onslaught of adversity throughout the Seventies. And while it welcomed the eighties with its portfolio secure, the car's fortunes plummeted over the course of the ensuing decade.
Again turning the tide, Chevy's legendary sports car was reborn in the late nineties as a technologically advanced performance machine for the new millennium and it enjoyed a well-earned resurgence in popularity.
Then, the Corvette engineers unleashed the C6, the most precise and refined Corvette yet. They soon topped themselves with the next-generation Z06, a 500-horsepower track-bred Corvette that upped performance to new heights.
Corvette Engines
| Engine | Year | Power |
| 235 cu in (3.9 L) Blue Flame I6 | 1953–1954 | 150 hp |
| 1955 | 155 hp | |
| 265 cu in (4.3 L) Small-block V8 | 1955 | 195 hp |
| 1956 | 210 hp | |
| 1956 | 240 hp | |
| 283 cu in (4.6 L) Small-block V8 | 1957 | 220 hp |
| 1958–1961 | 230 hp | |
| 1957–1961 | 245 hp | |
| 1957–1961 | 270 hp | |
| 283 cu in (4.6 L) Small-block FI V8 | 1957–1959 | 250 hp |
| 1960–1961 | 275 hp | |
| 1957 | 283 hp | |
| 1958–1959 | 290 hp | |
| 1960–1961 | 315 hp | |
| 327 cu in (5.4 L) Small-block V8 | 1962 | 250 hp |
| 1962 | 300 hp | |
| 1962 | 340 hp | |
| 327 cu in (5.4 L) Small-block FI V8 | 1962 | 360 hp |
| 305 in³ "Calif. Only" LG4 V8 | 1980 | 180 hp |
| 327 in³ Small-Block V8 | 1968 | 300 hp |
| 1968–1969 | 350 hp | |
| 1969 | 300 hp | |
| 1970 | 350 hp | |
| 1970–1971 | 370 hp | |
| 305 in³ "Calif. Only" LG4 V8 | 1980 | 180 hp |
| 327 in³ Small-Block V8 | 1968 | 300 hp |
| 1968–1969 | 350 hp | |
| 350 in³ Small-Block V8 | 1969 | 300 hp |
| 1970 | 350 hp | |
| 1970–1971 | 370 hp | |
| 1971 | 270 hp | |
| 1971 | 330 hp | |
| 1972 | 200 hp | |
| 1972 | 255 hp | |
| 1973 | 190 hp | |
| 1973–1974 | 250 hp | |
| 1974 | 195 hp | |
| 1975 | 165 hp | |
| 1975 | 205 hp | |
| 1976–1977 | 180 hp | |
| 1976–1977 | 210 hp | |
| 1978 | 185 hp | |
| 1978 | 220 hp | |
| 1979 | 195 hp | |
| 1979 | 225 hp | |
| 1980–1981 | 190 hp | |
| 1980 | 230 hp | |
| 1982 | 200 hp | |
| 427 in³ Big-Block V8 | 1968–1969 | 390 hp |
| 1968–1969 | 400 hp | |
| 427 in³ Big-Block Tri-Power V8 | 1968–1969 | 435 hp) |
| 427 in³ ZL1 aluminum V8 | 1969 | 550-680 hp estimated |
| 454 in³ Big-Block V8 | 1970 | 390 hp |
| 1971 | 365 hp gross, 285 hp | |
| 1971 | 425 hp | |
| 1972, 1974 | 270 hp | |
| 1973 | 275 hp |
| Year | Production | Base Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 28,566 | $4,663 | New body and T-top removable roof panels, new interior, engines carried over, three-speed Turbo Hydra-matic replaces two-speed Powerglide as automatic transmission option |
| 1969 | 38,462 | $4,780 | First year of the 350 in? Small-Block; longer model year extended to December, 1969 due to delay in introduction of 1970 model; "Stingray" front fender nameplates added, new interior door panels and inserts, 17-inch black-vinyl steering wheel (replaced 18-inch wood-rim wheel) |
| 1970 | 17,316 | $5,192 | First year for the LT-1 Small-Block and 454 in? Big-Block; three-speed manual transmission dropped and four-speed manual became standard with Turbo Hydra-matic available as no-cost option with all engines except LT-1 350; posi-traction made standard equipment; introduced along with all-new second-generation Chevrolet Camaroon Feb. 26, 1970, new egg-grate metal front grills and fender grills, lower molded fender flares, new hi-back seats & interior trim, new custom interior option includes:leather seat trim, cut-pile carpeting, lower-carpeted door panels & wood-grain accents. |
| 1971 | 21,801 | $5,496 | Significant horsepower drops due to reduced compression ratios to meet GM corporate edict requiring all engines to run low-octane unleaded gasoline; horsepower ratings based on both "gross" and "net" figures with the former based on engine hooked to dynometer while "net" ratings based on horsepower as installed in vehicle with accessories and emission controls installed. |
| 1972 | 27,004 | $5,533 | Horsepower ratings now advertised in SAE net figures, last year for LT-1 engine, front & rear chrome bumpers & removable rear window, last year for windshield wiper door. |
| 1973 | 30,464 | $5,561 | 5 mph front bumper system with urethane cover, pot-metal front grills (black with silver edges), chrome rear bumpers unchanged, new design front fender ducts, first year for radial tires (standard equipment), rubber body mounts, new hood with rear air induction & under-hood insulation, new front-end (round) emblem. |
| 1974 | 37,502 | $6,001 | 5 mph rear bumper system with urethane cover to match last year's front bumper, new recessed tail lamps and down-turned tail-pipes. 1974 is the only year with two piece rear bumper cover with center-split. No gas lid emblem was used. Aluminum front grills (all-black), new dual exhaust resonators, revised radiator cooling and interior a/c ducts, integrated seat /shoulder belts in Coupe. Last year for true dual exhaust, last year for big-block engine in a Corvette. |
| 1975 | 38,645 | $6,810 | First year of Catalytic converter & single-exhaust, black (painted) bumper pads front & rear, redesigned inner-bumper systems & one-piece rear bumper cover, plastic front grills (all-black), amber parking lamp lenses (replaced clear lenses on 73-74) new emblems, last year of C3 convertible. |
| 1976 | 46,558 | $7,604 | First-year for steel floor-panels, cold-air induction dropped, new aluminum alloy wheels option, new one-piece rear "Corvette" nameplate (replaces letters), last year of "Stingray" fender nameplates. |
| 1977 | 49,213 | $8,647 | Black exterior available (last year-1969), new design ""Corvette flags" front end & fender emblems. New interior console and gauges, universal GM radios. |
| 1978 | 46,776 | $9,750 | New fastback rear window, Silver Anniversary and Indy 500 Pace Car special editions; Pace-car included sport seats & spoilers-front & rear, limited option-glass t-tops; redesigned interior, dash and instruments. |
| 1979 | 53,807 | $10,220 | Sport seats (from previous year pace-car); front & rear spoilers optional, glass t-tops optional; New interior comfort features; highest Corvette sales year to date. |
| 1980 | 40,614 | $13,140 | Lightened materials, new hood, front end with molded spoilers, rear bumper cover with molded spoiler and new tail lamps, Federal government required 85 mph (137 km/h) speedometer; California cars powered by 305 V8 and automatic transmission for this year only, last year for L-82 engine - (n/a with manual transmission) |
| 1981 | 40,606 | $16,258 | Production is switched from St. Louis to new Bowling Green plant; 350 V8 returns in California cars, last year for manual transmission. |
| 1982 | 25,407 | $18,290 | New cross-fire fuel-injected L83, New automatic overdrive transmission; Collectors Edition features exclusive hatch rear window - is one fourth of production. |
Corvette Restoration Projects by Vettexperts
