How has the corvettes changed

How has the Corvette changed overtime?

The Corvette has evolved over time because...

The corvette was first introduced in 1953. The first model was made from 1953 to 1962. It was the start of the C series cars. They were almost discontinued because GM expected way more people to buy the car, but that fell short drastically. but GM stuck it out and kept making models in the future.

In 1927, GM hired Harley Earl to be the new designer. 14 years later in his work career, Harley saw that another company called Nash-Healey was making an expensive two seater car. He convinced GM that they needed to make a more affordable two seater sports car. They started the project and named it “Project Opel” in late 1951. The way they made it inexpensive is they used parts you could find in local car part stores. they would used the used the chassis from former model chevrolet cars. So they didnt have to make whole new frame design.

In the next model, the C2 which came out in 1963, they Changed the design a little bit. They made the headlights rise up out the body, they split the rear window, and they came in solid hard tops. The head lights wouldn’t be an in-body design again until 2005.The outcome for these corvettes were a lot better than the original versions. The engine of course also got bigger and better like with most new car model.  

The C4 model which came out in 1983, became America's most desireable car. It was produced for 13 years. In 1986 the convertible became the Indianapolis 500 pace car. The C4 became known for its more sleek design than other cars and previous model corvettes. It was aso the first corvette with a uniframe. A uniframe is when the floor pan, windshield, halo, and perimeter frame are all welded together. In 1986 GM partnered with lotus for a new engine design to replace the stock L98 V8 engine. Lotus helped make the corvette’s ZR1 engine. The original engine made 245 horsepower at its max but lotus’s ZR1 engine made 375 hp.

The most recent Corvette, the C7, in my opinion is the best looking corvette ever made. This car has been in the makings since 2007. Which is only 2 years after they released the C6. The C7 is the first corvette to have a back-up camera and a magnetic ride suspension system. It also has an upgraded engine but it’s not an engine partnered made by lotus. This engine makes a minimum 455 horsepower and a maximum of 650 horsepower.

The corvette has drastically changed since the first model in 1953. The structural integrity of each model got stronger and stronger. Each improvement made the car lighter, stronger, and safer. While some will say as the years progressed the build quality got cheaper (using more plastic) but it was all for weight reduction purposes.

Works cited

Mueller, Mike (2012). The Complete Book of Corvette: Every Model Since 1953. St. Paul, Minn.: Motorbooks. ISBN 9780760341407. Retrieved 14 October 2016.

"Prototype Corvette ZR-1 Leads Day One Barrett-Jackson Bidding". Automotive.speedtv.com. 2009-01-14. Retrieved 14 October 2016.