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The Chevrolet Corvette, a Sports car legend and an automobile Classic for ever, has somehow survived inflated insurance rates; all types of inane and meaningless safety legislation and engine pollution add ons. The Chevrolet Corvette has been universally accepted as the measure of a high-performance sports auto. Vehicles are cyclical, new model of vehicles appear and vanish and yet the Corvette lives on. No auto has been able to cover as many aspects of the hi-performance sport as the Corvette. The flexibility of this superb car has appealed to all age groups and has kept the ownership of a Corvette, a most prestigious thing.

The Corvette has gone through many changes in its lifetime, including every custom and hot rod trend going. It is a miracle the Corvette has remained a true high performance sports automobile and did not mature into a two plus two sedan as did Ford’s Thunderbird. The Corvette was in the on the beginnings of the fast car era. In the mid 50’s folk wanted fast cars, and by 1957 the Corvette was leading the pack. Hot rodding owes a giant debt to the Corvette; it was in charge of just about all higher performance parts ever to come from Chevrolet. 4 speed transmissions, dual quad intake manifolds and hot solid lifter camshafts.

One of the big contributions to the Corvette’s success story was the variety of options that were offered. Ever since 1956, there had been the choice of the standard of high performance automatic transmission. Each vehicle might be tailored into a semi competitive race car of a good day to day commuter by just picking the right options. The Corvette could play either role very well.

Performance was the trend in latter 1950’s and early 1960’s. One of the most important controversies of the day was which was faster – a Corvette with twin 4 barrel carbohydrates or one with fuel injection.

Corvette owners were purchasing the high-performance versions and putting them to good use at weekend drags and the amateur road events. There were metallic brake and sway bar options for the sporty set. And though the suspensions system was a conglomeration of early passenger car parts, the low center of gravity and near equal weight distribution made these autos handle well. The 50/50 weight distribution did not hurt the drag racers one bit either, and they won more than their share.

When 1963 occurred, it brought with it a genuine change in the Corvette. The new body style called the “Sting Ray” was unavailable in a fastback version commonly referred to as a “coupe” and in the conventional roadster version with a removable hardtop. The Sting Ray had much neater lines than its forefathers and even featured retractable headlights. With the change in body style, the suspension was vastly improved with a new independent rear suspension assembly and updated steering gear. It still had the performance of the older vehicles, including the Rochester fuel injected 327 cubic inch engine, rated at 360 horsepower.

The Chevrolet Corvette is definitely an Yankee Sportscar Classic.

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