The L88 package ran its course by the end of the model year and was replaced with the new ZR1 for The ZR1 was based on a small-block cubic-inch engine, as opposed to the whopping L88, which powerful as it may have been, didn't have the sheer bark of the larger-displacement engine.
For only, that was rectified with the ZR2 package, including a cubic-inch 7. While output wasn't quite as strong as big blocks in years gone by thanks to new emissions standards that reduced compression ratios, the ZR2 was plenty capable, with the M22 four-speed gearbox, heavy-duty brakes, sport suspension, and aluminum radiator similar to the old L88, along with air-conditioning and radio delete.
In the early s, GM, Ford, and Chrysler had an agreement in place with the American Manufacturers' Association to abstain from factory motorsports programs. The move allowed the Detroit Three to focus on volume-production models and not go down the cash-burning wormhole that is auto racing. Still, the much-loved "Father of the Corvette," Zora Arkus-Duntov, had a burning desire to see his new C2 Corvette take on the world's best sports cars at home and abroad.
The Corvette Z06 got halfway there, with a cubic-inch, hp engine, gallon endurance-racing fuel tank, and track-spec brakes and suspension that made it a hit with privateer drivers. The ultra-rare Corvette Grand Sport was even better. With an all-aluminum cubic-inch V-8 making hp, more weight reduction from the modified body, and other improvements, Arkus-Duntov's goal was to distribute five of these cars to some of the country's best independent drivers and then show GM executives how successful they were.
On June 28, , workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan , assemble the first Corvette, a two-seater sports car that would become an American icon. The first completed production car rolled off the assembly line two days later, one of just Corvettes made that year. On June 30, , the first Corvette came off the production line in Flint.
It was hand-assembled and featured a Polo White exterior and red interior, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, a wraparound windshield, whitewall tires and detachable plastic curtains instead of side windows. The earliest Corvettes were designed to be opened from the inside and lacked exterior door handles.
Other components included a clock, cigarette lighter and red warning light that activated when the parking brake was applied—a new feature at the time. In , the Corvette went into mass production at a Chevy plant in St. Louis, Missouri. Sales were lackluster in the beginning and GM considered discontinuing the line.
Chevrolet fully transforms the Corvette for the model year. A revised front end is reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz SL coupe's, while scalloped sides add a more distinctive look. The V-8 carries over but includes a new camshaft design that allows it to produce horsepower with the standard Carter four-barrel carburetor.
A second carb is available and raises output to horses. New creature comforts include external door handles, windows that roll into the door panel to Corvettes had removable window curtains , and an available power-operated folding roof. We still called Sports Cars Illustrated at the time take an early Corvette prototype for a spin and find the stick-shift hp convertible hits 60 mph in 7.
Things get even better in , when Chevrolet enlarges the V-8's displacement to 4. In its most powerful state, the engine makes an eye-widening horsepower. The Corvette goes under the knife again and emerges sporting a revised front end with a new dual-headlight design for Other changes include an updated interior that sees the tachometer move from the center of the dashboard to a location in the driver's line of sight, just below the speedometer.
Power continues to rise as well, and the most potent Corvette produces a cool horses from its fuel-injected V That figure rises to ponies for Chevrolet prepares to bid adieu to the first-generation Corvette. A redesigned rear end debuts for and introduces the sports car's now famous quad-taillight design. Chevrolet shovels its new 5. Chevrolet releases an all-new Corvette for the model year. Affectionately known as the Sting Ray , the second-generation Corvette introduces to the model an independent rear suspension and a coupe body style.
The form-fitting body is once again made of fiberglass. A split-window design is unique to the first-year coupes. Chevy's V-8 carries over and can be mated to either an automatic transmission or a three- or four-speed manual gearbox.
In our test of the then-new Corvette, we chide Chevrolet for offering anything but the four-speed manual in the car. The package adds a vacuum brake booster, a dual master cylinder, power drum brakes with sintered metallic brake linings, larger shock absorbers, and a bigger front anti-roll bar. Limited to Corvettes equipped with the most powerful hp variant of the V-8 engine horses are standard and a four-speed manual transmission, RPO Z06 is applied to just Corvettes in Chevrolet responds to critics of the Corvette's drum brakes by equipping the car with standard four-wheel disc brakes for the model year.
The brake improvements are a timely upgrade, as Chevrolet also sees fit to plug its big-block V-8 engine under the Corvette's hood. The optional engine displaces 6. For , Chevrolet increases the engine's bore , subsequently upping displacement to 7.
The bigger big-block belts out a reported horsepower, with power shooting up to horses for A second V-8 is added to the Corvette lineup for as well. Dubbed L88, the top-of-the-line bent-eight produces horses on paper. The real number, however, is closer to horsepower. Just 20 buyers check the box for the beefy L88 engine. After five model years, the C2 Corvette is replaced for by the C3. The coupe no longer offers a formal rear storage area.
However, the body style now includes removable roof panels. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.
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