A Brief History Of The Chevrolet Corvette

71 Years of Corvette: A Fast History Lesson 

Style icon, performance pioneer, American legend: all are true of the Chevrolet Corvette, which has pushed the boundaries of technology, performance, and style for eight generations, all the while remaining an attainable cultural icon. 

1960 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

But where did it all start? Now over 70 years old, the Corvette legend began in late 1951 when renowned General Motors designer Harley Earl created a top-secret performance car project, known internally as ‘Project Opel’. Two years later the first-generation Corvette (designated the C1) made its public debut at the GM Motorama concept show in 1953 and such was its warm reception that production quickly followed. 

Boasting a lightweight fibreglass body, distinctive exterior styling, and a six-cylinder Blue Flame engine with 150hp (112kW), the C1 Corvette was a uniquely American take on the popular British sports cars of the time. 

It wasn’t until two years later, however, that things really took root for the Corvette legend. At the urging of Chevrolet engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Corvette was fitted with a V8 for the first time in 1955. Producing 195hp (143kW) and featuring a displacement of 4.3-litres, the V8 was soon paired with a three-speed manual alongside the previous two-speed automatic. 

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

The now-iconic C2 generation made its debut in 1963 and it wasn’t only lighter, leaner, and faster than the original, but it introduced the Stingray nameplate for the first time. 

Independent rear suspension also featured and by 1966 Chevrolet had added two big block V8s under its front-hinged bonnet: a 6.5-litre with 425hp (317kW) and the renowned ‘427’ 7.0-litre V8 which would eventually make well over 500hp (373kW0 in limited-edition L88 guise. 

The C3 Corvette followed in 1968 and was one of the longest-serving generations, lasting until 1982. The C3’s design took inspiration from the iconic Mako Shark II concept car and this generation also saw the legendary ZR1 moniker introduced for the first time. 

Corvette Stingray

Revolution rather than evolution was the calling card of the C4 Corvette (1984-96) which debuted a fresh unibody chassis, overhauled suspension, and even more performance improvements. The ZR1 also came into its own with this generation, thanks to the fitment of a high-tech dual-overhead camshaft 5.7-litre V8 and electronically adjustable suspension which transformed the Corvette into a genuine supercar. 

Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (C4)

Chevrolet’s now legendary small-block LS engines made their debut with the even sleeker fifth-generation Corvette (1997-2004), while the C6 Corvette (2005-2013) continued to cement the reputation of the flagship Z06 and ZR1 models which were even more powerful and focused. 

The C7 Corvette (2014-2019) almost saw Chevrolet fulfil its long-held dream of making its performance icon a mid-engine supercar. Ultimately, though, that dream was left to the current C8 generation, with the C7 making a splash all its own thanks to angular styling and new-generation LT engines. 

2016 Chevrolet Corvette

A new chapter was turned for the Corvette with the introduction of the eighth-generation model in 2020. After six-decades of placing the engine in front of the driver, the C8 switched to a mid-engined layout for even better weight distribution and driving dynamics. 

The pioneering firsts have kept coming, too, with models like the E-Ray, which is the first Corvette to have an electrified powertrain and all-wheel drive. The extraordinary E-Ray extracts 369kW/637Nm from its LT2 6.2-litre small block V8, plus an extra 119kW/169Nm form its front-drive electrified motor, for combined outputs of 488kW/806Nm. That’s enough to fire the electric ‘Vette from 0-100km/h in a blistering 2.9 seconds.

C8 Interior

Sitting atop the C8 pile which also includes the entry level Stingray 2LT Coupe (369kW/637Nm), is the race-ready Corvette Z06, which boasts a 5.5-litre LT6 flat-plane crank V8 that punches out a mighty 475kW/595Nm, making this the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever fitted to a production car. 

The new MY25 Corvette range including the E-Ray recently went on sale in Australia under the auspices of GMSV (General Motors Special Vehicles) with pricing ranging from $182,000 for the Stingray 2LT Coupe, $275,000 for the E-Ray, and a heady $336,000 for the Z06. 

C8 Corvette