This is the fourth edition of a series. Previous articles can be found on the links below.http://boyracer.blogspot.in/2013/04/oldest-nameplates-still-in-production.htmlhttp://boyracer.blogspot.in/2013/02/oldest-nameplates-still-in-production.htmlhttp://boyracer.blogspot.in/2013/02/oldest-nameplates-still-in-production.htmlFew Sportscars have the distinction of having a long run of more than two decades. A simple reason is the need for these lifestyle cars to excel on style, performance and innovation. Even more distinct is the fact that only a handful sportscars from mainstream brands can compete with supercars from niche manufacturers and live to tell the tale. Chevrolet Corvette has a tale to share, one that spans six decades.First Generation (1953-1962)Designed by Henry Earl in 1953 as a concept car, the car was an instant hit amongst the Americans and visibly rushed into production to bank on its successful design. The first generation Corvette was called the C1. The frist batch Corvettes had white colour and red interiors as standard. To rush the production General Motors started making Corvettes on a makeshift truck production line while constructing a dedicated production line at the same time. The initial batches used fibreglass in large quantities as steel was still not easily available after the world war.Sales slid after initial response and kept sliding over the years. Corvette nameplate got a new lease of life when a new V8 engine was added to the car alongwith a manual transmission which put the car in line with sports car from Italian manufacturers. Also important was the launch of the the Thunderbird nameplate by Ford to compete against the Chevrolet Corvette.
Second Generation (1962-1967)The second Generation of the Corvette was confirmed when sales touched 10000+ units in 1960. Known as C2, the car was also called Chevroley Corvette Stingray after the Q-concept for Corvette was conbined with another sports car concept. The new car was a radical upgrade with all drum brakes replaced by All disc brakes, a compact coupe design, independant suspension and edgy square shapes replacing the rounded chrome designs thanks to extensive wind tunnel testing and the new design philosophy. The most distinct design element was the divided rear window.The new car was able to put down power more efficienctly thanks to the new stiffer and shorter chassis and suspension setup putting Corvette right in the middle of the sports cars wars started by Italian niche makers like Ferrari and Lamborghini. The Stingray was an immediate success selling 20000+ copies in 1962.Third Generation 1967-1982The third generation Corvette was more of an effort to keep the sales register ringing despite the C2 Stingray version selling 25000 copies a year. While the engine and chassis were a carryover from the C2, the Interiors and design elements were redone to stay competitive. The C3 also went on to set sales records for a sports car of its era selling 53000 copies a year in 1979.The success of the C3 was due to the new Mako Shark design concept. The new design by Larry Shinoda was able to give The Corvette its new design mojo without losing its familiar look. The Stingray name returned in 1969 to bank on its success. While the newer emissions were killing the power figures, GM decided to make the car and engine lighter to stay competitive shedding 120 kgs in 1979.Fourth Generation 1983-1996The C4 was the first completely redesigned Corvette in 15 years. The new Corvette was more practical and modern and reliable than older versions. GM also came out with newer engines which met emission norms but were still powerful. GM had put most of the money in perfecting the old but loved features while replacing the outdated with new technology. The most evident of these parts was the cabin where digitization had taken over. The legendary status was stamped when the ZR-1 'King of the Hill' broke speed records. This specific car was developed with the help of Lotus Engineering UK.Fifth Generation (1996- 2004)The fifth generation or the C5 was again redesigned. A simple reason for this exercise was the rapidly changing technology and the onslaught from foreign competition, mainly the Japanese.GM decided that the Corvette had to be all new from Scratch to stay on top. The squeaks and rattles that were a major issue in the older vettes was completely taken care of in the C5. High tech systems such as Heads up display and Drive by Wire were introduced in the car and a welcome relief for vette owners.GM was also quick in releasing a successor to the ZR-1 King of the hill codenamed Z06. The Z06 made less horsepower but was tuned by engineers to best the ZR-1 in each and every aspect before launch.Sixth Generation 2005-20012Plumetting fortunes and stiffining competition sent GM into a frenzy when it came to launching the C6. Many reviewers were of the opinion that the Vette C6 borrowed a lot from the Ferrari design philosophy. The most visible change in the C6 is the huge power bump over older vettes to compete with the stiffening compeition. The prices rose from $4000 for the C1 to $100000 for the C6. Also visible are the new exposed headlamps not seen on Vette's since 1962.Seventh Generation (C7) (2013- onwards)Post Bankruptcy, the beauraucrats were removed from the GM board. A newer, bolder and more effiicient Corvette was unveiled by GM in 2013. This is also the first version to bear the Stingray name. Also the new C7 will be the first Corvette to be manufactured in RHD format since 1953. The new car also sees a front engine rear wheel drive layout to keep costs low.
Second Generation (1962-1967)The second Generation of the Corvette was confirmed when sales touched 10000+ units in 1960. Known as C2, the car was also called Chevroley Corvette Stingray after the Q-concept for Corvette was conbined with another sports car concept. The new car was a radical upgrade with all drum brakes replaced by All disc brakes, a compact coupe design, independant suspension and edgy square shapes replacing the rounded chrome designs thanks to extensive wind tunnel testing and the new design philosophy. The most distinct design element was the divided rear window.The new car was able to put down power more efficienctly thanks to the new stiffer and shorter chassis and suspension setup putting Corvette right in the middle of the sports cars wars started by Italian niche makers like Ferrari and Lamborghini. The Stingray was an immediate success selling 20000+ copies in 1962.Third Generation 1967-1982The third generation Corvette was more of an effort to keep the sales register ringing despite the C2 Stingray version selling 25000 copies a year. While the engine and chassis were a carryover from the C2, the Interiors and design elements were redone to stay competitive. The C3 also went on to set sales records for a sports car of its era selling 53000 copies a year in 1979.The success of the C3 was due to the new Mako Shark design concept. The new design by Larry Shinoda was able to give The Corvette its new design mojo without losing its familiar look. The Stingray name returned in 1969 to bank on its success. While the newer emissions were killing the power figures, GM decided to make the car and engine lighter to stay competitive shedding 120 kgs in 1979.Fourth Generation 1983-1996The C4 was the first completely redesigned Corvette in 15 years. The new Corvette was more practical and modern and reliable than older versions. GM also came out with newer engines which met emission norms but were still powerful. GM had put most of the money in perfecting the old but loved features while replacing the outdated with new technology. The most evident of these parts was the cabin where digitization had taken over. The legendary status was stamped when the ZR-1 'King of the Hill' broke speed records. This specific car was developed with the help of Lotus Engineering UK.Fifth Generation (1996- 2004)The fifth generation or the C5 was again redesigned. A simple reason for this exercise was the rapidly changing technology and the onslaught from foreign competition, mainly the Japanese.GM decided that the Corvette had to be all new from Scratch to stay on top. The squeaks and rattles that were a major issue in the older vettes was completely taken care of in the C5. High tech systems such as Heads up display and Drive by Wire were introduced in the car and a welcome relief for vette owners.GM was also quick in releasing a successor to the ZR-1 King of the hill codenamed Z06. The Z06 made less horsepower but was tuned by engineers to best the ZR-1 in each and every aspect before launch.Sixth Generation 2005-20012Plumetting fortunes and stiffining competition sent GM into a frenzy when it came to launching the C6. Many reviewers were of the opinion that the Vette C6 borrowed a lot from the Ferrari design philosophy. The most visible change in the C6 is the huge power bump over older vettes to compete with the stiffening compeition. The prices rose from $4000 for the C1 to $100000 for the C6. Also visible are the new exposed headlamps not seen on Vette's since 1962.Seventh Generation (C7) (2013- onwards)Post Bankruptcy, the beauraucrats were removed from the GM board. A newer, bolder and more effiicient Corvette was unveiled by GM in 2013. This is also the first version to bear the Stingray name. Also the new C7 will be the first Corvette to be manufactured in RHD format since 1953. The new car also sees a front engine rear wheel drive layout to keep costs low.
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