A Starter's Guide to Cars: Corvette

Some collect cars as a hobby. But those of us not named Jay Leno or Jerry Seinfeld can still be car enthusiasts. To help you get started, here is a look at an American classic through the ages... the Chevy Corvette.

Origin of the Corvette

Harley Earl, GM designer, invented the Corvette in 1951. He wanted to come up with an American sports car that can compete with the well known European sports cars. Corvette was named after the World War II sea vessel which was small but very fast.

Different Generations of the Corvette

C1 Corvette, the Original (1953-1962)

Only 300 corvettes were first created in 1953. The first was white with a red interior. It had a light fiberglass body. It was comparatively weak, though, with its 150 horsepower and 6-cylinder engine. It was not the racing car we know of today but a car meant for cruising.

C2 Corvette (1963-1967)

The Corvette began to flourish in the 1960s. From 10,000 cars each year, production increased to 27,000 cars, yearly. A range of engine options and special editions surfaced. In 1963, the Corvette Grand Sport, which was the first racing car, was created.

C3 Corvette (1963-1967)

The largest generation of Corvettes that were ever produced was the C3 Corvettes. Between 1953 and 2010, 540,000 were produced in this era. Initially, this generation came out strong. However, the emission standards lowered the values of their horsepower and collector.

C4 Corvette, aka the Stingray (1968-1982)

A new model was designed in the 1980s but since the one that came out in 1983 was inferior in quality, this was recalled and it was only in 1984 when the fourth generation was released.

C5 Corvette (1968-1982)

The fifth generation of Corvettes was technologically made to compete in high level sports. The first decade of the 21st century saw Chevrolet join the other auto companies in boosting the race track power of their cars.

Since the GM’s bankruptcy in 2009, there is no certainty as to when the C7 will be released. In the meantime, corvette enthusiasts will just have to patiently wait. Only time can tell what the future will bring for this great sports car.