History of the Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The first model was designed by Harley Earl and introduced in 1953. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after the Corvette; a small, maneuverable war ship. It has been produced in six generations in coupe, convertible, t-top coupe, and targa coupe body styles. Originally built in Flint, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri, it is currently built at a GM assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The National Corvette Museum and annual National Corvette Homecoming, also located in Bowling Green, celebrate the car's worldwide history.
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| Manufacturer | Chevrolet Motor Division |
|---|---|
| Parent company | General Motors Corporation |
| Also called | Sting Ray (1963-67) Stingray (1969-76) |
| Production | 1952–present |
| Model year(s) | 1953-1982 1984-present |
| Assembly | St. Louis, Missouri, United States Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States |
| Class | Sports car |
| Body style(s) | 2-door convertible 2-door coupé |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Year | Production | Base Price | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 300 | US$3,498 | First generation (C1) begins; production starts on June 30; polo white with red interior and black top is only color combination; Options were interior door handles; "clip in" side curtains were a substitute for roll-up windows. | ||
| 1954 | 3,640 | US$2,774 | Production moves to St. Louis; exterior colors-blue, red, and black are added; top color-beige is added, longer exhaust pipes. | ||
| 1955 | 700 | US$2,774 | Both inline-6 and 265 cu in (4.34 L) V8 engines produced; 3-speed manual transmission added late in the model year. | ||
| 1956 | 3,467 | US$2,900 | New body with roll-up windows; V8-only; 3-speed manual transmission becomes standard equipment and Powerglide moved to option list. | ||
| 1957 | 6,339 | US$3,176 | 283 cu in (4.64 L) V8; Optional 4-speed manual and fuel injected engine option added. | ||
| 1958 | 9,168 | US$3,591 | Quad-headlights and face-lifted body; new interior; fake louvers on hood and chrome strips on trunk lid; number of teeth in grille reduced from 13 to 9. | ||
| 1959 | 9,670 | US$3,875 | First black interior and dash storage bin; only year with a turquoise top; louvers and chrome strips from '58 removed. | ||
| 1960 | 10,261 | US$3,872 | Very minor changes to the interior: red and blue bars on the dash logo, vertical stitching on seats | ||
| 1961 | 10,939 | US$3,934 | New rear styling, bumpers, and round tailights. New fine-mesh grill. | ||
| 1962 | 14,531 | US$4,038 | 327 cu in (5.36 L) V8 engine; last year with a trunk until 1998. New black grill with chrome surround, chrome rocker panel moldings. | ||
| 1963 | 21,513 | US$4,037| | Second generation (C2) begins;new coupe body style introduced (only year for split rear window); coupe more expensive than convertible | ||
| 1964 | 22,229 | US$4,037 | rear backlite windows of coupe changed to single pane window; hood louvers deleted | ||
| 1965 | 23,562 | US$4,106 | 396 in3 Big-Block V8 added; last year of fuel injected engine option (until 1982); side-discharge exhaust introduced | ||
| 1966 | 27,720 | US$4,084 | 427 in3 Big-Block V8 with unique bulging hood; 327 in3 300-horsepower small block V8 standard | ||
| 1967 | 22,940 | US$4,240 | five-louver fenders are unique; Big-Block hood bulge redesigned as a scoop; parking brake changed from pull-out under dash handle to lever mounted in center console; Tri-power 427 would become most sought-after Corvette ever | ||
| 1968 | 28,566 | US$4,663 | Third generation (C3) begins; 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 | US$4,780 | First year of the 350 cu in (5.7 L)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 | US$5,192 | First year for the LT-1 Small-Block and 454 cu in (7.44 L) 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 Camaro on 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 | US$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 | US$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 | US$5,561 | 5 mph (8.0 km/h) 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 | US$6,001 | 171 mph (275 km/h) rear bumper system with urethane cover to match last year's front bumper, new recessed taillamps 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 ever, | ||
| 1975 | 38,645 | US$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 | US$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 | US$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 | US$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, instruments. | ||
| 1979 | 53,807 | US$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 | US$13,140 | Lightened materials, new hood, front end with molded spoilers, rear bumper cover with molded spoiler and new taillamps, 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 | US$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 | US$18,290 | New cross-fire fuel-injected L83, New automatic overdrive transmission; Collectors Edition features exclusive hatch rear window - is one fourth of production. | ||
| 1984 | 51,547 | US$21,800 | Fourth generation (C4) begins; hatchback body; digital instrumentation L83 engine continued from 1982. | ||
| 1985 | 39,729 | US$24,891 | More powerful and fuel efficient L98 engine introduced. | ||
| 1986 | 35,109 | US$27,027 | First convertible since 1975. Third brake light, antilock brakes, and key-code anti-theft system are new. | ||
| 1987 | 36,632 | US$27,999 | Callaway twin-turbo offered through dealers with GM warranty. | ||
| 1988 | 22,789 | US$29,480 | New wheel design; all white 35th Anniversary special edition coupe. | ||
| 1989 | 26,412 | US$32,045 | ZF 6-speed manual replaces Doug Nash 4+3. | ||
| 1990 | 23,646 | US$32,479 | ZR-1 is introduced with DOHC LT5 engine. Interior redesigned to incorporate drivers-side air bag | ||
| 1991 | 20,639 | US$33,005 | Restyled exterior; last year for the Callaway B2K twin turbo. | ||
| 1992 | 20,479 | US$33,635 | New LT1 engine replaces the L98; Traction control is standard. | ||
| 1993 | 21,590 | US$34,595 | Passive keyless entry is standard; 40th Anniversary special edition in Ruby Red. | ||
| 1994 | 23,330 | US$36,185 | New interior including passenger airbag. | ||
| 1995 | 20,742 | US$36,785 | Last year of the ZR-1; minor exterior restyling; Indy Pace Car special edition. | ||
| 1996 | 21,536 | US$37,225 | Optional LT4 engine with 330 bhp (246 kW). Collectors Edition and Grand Sport special editions. First year with OBD II diagnostics. | ||
| 1997 | 9,752 | US$37,495 | Fifth generation (C5) begins; LS1 engine is new; the hatchback coupé is the only body style offered. | ||
| 1998 | 31,084 | US$38,995 | Convertible C5 debuts with the first trunk in a Corvette convertible since 1962; Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Replica offered; Active Handling System introduced as optional equipment | ||
| 1999 | 33,270 | US$39,777 | Less-expensive hardtop coupé is offered. | ||
| 2000 | 33,682 | US$40,900 | Newly-styled alloy wheels debut. | ||
| 2001 | 35,627 | US$41,475 | Hardtop coupé body style becomes top-performance Z06, utilizing the new LS6 engine and suspension improvements; Second-Generation Active Handling System becomes standard equipment on all models; slight (5 bhp (3.7 kW)) increase in base model engine power | ||
| 2002 | 35,767 | US$42,450 | 20 bhp (15 kW) increase for the Z06 | ||
| 2003 | 35,469 | US$45,895 | 50th Anniversary Edition package offered for Coupe and Convertible base models; F55 Magnetic Selective Ride Control Suspension supersedes F45 Selective Ride Control Suspension as base-model option. | ||
| 2004 | 34,064 | US$46,535 | 24 Hours of Le Mans Commemorative Edition package offered for all models. | ||
| 2005 | 37,372 | US$44,245 | Sixth generation (C6) begins; New body is first with fixed headlights since 1962; no Z06 model and a late convertible introduction. | ||
| 2006 | 34,021 | US$43,800 | Z06 debuts; 6-speed automatic with paddle shift available on non-Z06 models. | ||
| 2007 | 40,561 | US$44,250 | 6-speed automatic paddle shift delays are reduced drastically compared to 2006. | ||
| 2008 | 35,310 | US$46,950 | Mild freshening, LS3 introduced, All leather interior added (4LT, LZ3). | ||
| 2009 | 16,956 | US$48,565 | ZR1 model added, new "Spyder" wheels for Z06. | ||
| 2010 | 22,194 | US$52,520 | Grand Sport Coupe and Convertible added; replaces the Z51 performance package, launch control standard on MN6 models. | ||
| 2011 | 13,596 | US$55,990 | Wheel choices are updated; Larger cross-drilled brake rotors (13.4" front and 12.8" rear) available on Coupe and Convertible, or included with (F55) Magnetic Selective Ride Control. | ||
| 2012 | 11,647 | US$75,600 |
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| Total | 1,508,930 |