50th Anniversary Corvette
With the 2003 model year vehicles being released recently I think it is time I step back to my roots and acknowledge the 50th Anniversary of the Chevrolet Corvette. Of course there will be a special edition model offered that you can read about with a few clicks of your mouse or picking up any new car buyers guide. I would like to go the other way and reflect on a little "memory lane" that has made the Corvette what it is today. In this article I'll start at the beginning and look at the fist generation Corvettes, referred to as the " C1." In the months to come I'll carry on through the years and follow the wonderful automotive history of the Corvette legend. There a very few cars on the planet that have the following and passion that Corvettes do. Just ask an owner, it’s not just a car, it is a lifestyle.
The attraction all began back in the early 50's. The sports car market was dominated by Europeans and no North American manufacturer was offering anything of the sort. The first Corvette was designed as a rear drive two seater convertible that would alight the postwar college campuses. That it did and in doing so removed the words Jaguar and MG from the tips of tongues. To GM and the rest of the world, Corvette has been master of its destiny and it is easy to see why, if you examine its full history. The design and construction has set so many motor industry firsts that it had to be special from the initial working drawings. The most common is likely the fact that GM implemented the use of a fiberglass body, a practice not many manufacturers use even fifty years later. Like many performance cars the Corvette bloodline was developed on the racetrack and has many boastful accreditations under its belt. It is a known fact however that the legend was founded more so on the street and sidewalk instead. By far the most electrifying part of the Corvette image has always been its looks. It just looks like the ultimate sports car!
As its looks have evolved over time, so has its power. The first Corvettes were powered by an inline six cylinder engine, better known as the "Blue Flame." In 1955 GM introduced the 265ci V8 which produced 195 HP. As time went on GM worked hard to improve on their flagship and made a better and stronger car each year. When the 1957 model hit the showrooms, Chevrolet made it possible to offer the fuel injection option, which was at the time, an automotive marvel. The Corvette’s V8 had increased to 283ci displacement. Another revelation that occurred in this car, with the fuel injection option, was one horsepower produced for every cubic inch of engine. By this point in time the factory was putting numbers on the race track and Corvettes on the road, but more competition had arrived with the Ford Thunderbird. Although you would imagine a sales decrease as a result, Chevrolet once again increased their production for 1958. A slight body change to the dual headlight front end was performed, but the overall look remained, whether it was in convertible, soft top, or hard top appearance. The final major change of this generation came in 1961 when the rear of the car went to what is sometimes called the dove tail. When you look at the back of the '61 and '62 Vette what you actually see is the beginning of the Stingray body and many more good things to come from our friends at Chevrolet. Next month we will look at the Stingrays and some of the benchmarks GM was able to achieve with them.
