Tag Archives: Corvette

Fair Weather ‘Vette – Chevrolet Corvette C1

In 1953 Harley Earls EX 122 sport car concept was so well received at the 1953 GM Motorama held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City that GM executives had a makeshift assembly line installed at an old truck plant in Flint Michigan to capitalise on the interest shown in New York.

During 1953 the first year of production just 300 Corvettes were built all Polo White with red interiors, just ike this 1954 example seen at Summer Classics in Easter Compton earlier this year, the cars were virtually hand built while a new production facility was prepared in St Louis, Missouri.

One easy way to give any vehicle instant competition credibility, aside from sports stripes, is to fit stone guards for the headlights, this feature would disappear with the first C1 rebody in 1956.

One of the more interesting technical features of the Corvette was that it’s body was, indeed has been on every Corvette since, made of fiberglass.

Power for the initial ’53 and ’54 Corvettes came from a 3.9 litre / 235 cui Blue Flame in line six which was uniquely equipped with triple carburetors to boost the power to 155 hp.

Other standard Chevrolet components fitted to the Corvette included the drum brakes…

and the two speed “Powerglide” transmission which with the motor added to at best a lack luster performance that underwhelmed it’s intended market.

Along with a lack luster performance the original Corvette’s had a terrible reputation for leaking in the rain due to the poor panel fit of the fiberglass panels.

If it had not been for the arrival of Chevrolet’s fabled 195hp small block V8, the enthusiasm of the recently hired GM engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov and the appearance of a rival to the Corvette in the form of the Ford Thunderbird, Chevrolet might have let the Corvette die with less than 4000 unit’s sold, however as we shall see next week things started to improve for the original American sports car in 1956.

Thanks for joining me on this “Fair Weather ‘Vette” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Low Lead 454 – Chevrolet Stingray Corvette (C3)

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Longest running of the Chevrolet Corvette incarnations was the third generation C3 built between 1968 and 1982.

The C3 Corvette took it’s styling cues from the 1965 Mako Shark II Concept Car.

A new feature of the C3 Corvette’s was the T Top removable roof panels, an idea first patented Gordon Buehrig in 1951 for his, unsuccessful, TASCO Sports Car.

The T-Top proved so successful that production of convertible Stingray Corvettes ceased in 1975 and was not revised again until 1986.

For 1971 the engine options were base L48, performance LT1 and ZR1 using the 350 cui 5.7 litre small block and the 454cui / 7.4 litre LS5 and LS6 big block options. With the introduction of low lead fuel in 1971 the LS6 454’s power was detuned from 450 hp as used on the Chevelle SS to 425 hp. I have been unabke to determine if the car in these photo’s taken at last years Goodwood Revival is one of the 188 LS6 powered cars or one of the 5097 365 LS5 powered cars built in 1971.

The absence of “Sting Ray” name plates as used on the C2 Corvettes distinguish 1968 Corvette’s, the single word “Stingray” moniker was used from 1969 until 1976.

The futuristic door entry mechanism replaced with the hitherto ubiquitous release button and door handle combining them into a single recessed unit.

The C3 is said to be the first US car to do away with the side vent window in the door, power window’s were an option for the remaining pain of glass.

Among the 1971 options were white striped tyres at $28 or white lettered tyres at $42, 6,711 and 12,499 vehicles were delivered with these options respectively.

’71 Corvette advertising concluded that “it’s underneath what counts when it comes to performance”.

Despite strikes interrupting production 9,936 Stingray Corvette Coupé’s were manufactured in 1971.

Thanks for joining me on this “Low Lead 454” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Inspirational Fish – Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupé

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Larry Shinoda was responsible for the design of the second generation (C2) Corvette which took styling cues from the 1959 (Bill Mitchell) Stingray Concept Car.

Bill Mitchell is also credited with catching a Marko Shark which is said to have provided further inspiration for the C2’s design details.

Production of the C2 ran from 1963 to 1967 with numerous detail changes introduced during the run. This one is powered by a 360 hp 5.3 litre / 327 cui V8.

Featured here is a 1963 model distinguished by the twin horizontal air vents behind the front wheel.

The very first 1953 Corvette Logo was going to include the US flag on the left, however this plan was deemed an illegal use of the flag on a commercial product so the flag was replaced by one bearing the GM bow tie and Frances fleur-de-lyes which symbolizes peace and purity.

The bobtail on the 1963 Coupé would be reprised on the back of the 1971 Buick Riviera.

Independent rear suspension replaced the solid axles used in the original (C1) Corvettes.

The split rear screen was replaced in 1964 for a single screen.

Farther of the Corvette, program, Zora Arkus Duntov is said not to have been impressed by the split screen while his boss Bill Mitchell overruled him.

“Sting Ray” and “Stingray” logo’s were only applied to the C2 and C3 Corvettes from 1963 – 1982 except in 1968.

The most valuable Sting Ray’s are five light weight examples built in response to the Shelby Cobra project, all five are in private hands.

Thanks for joining me on this “Inspirational Fish” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Don’t Tell Enzo – Chevrolet Corvette Italia by Scaglietti

The Right One – Chevrolet Corvette

The Hot One’s Even Hotter – 1956 Chevrolet Nomad

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At the travelling 1954 General Motors Motorama motor show, attended by 1.9 million visitors, Chevrolet displayed a Corvette based concept vehicle the Nomad a 2 door estate / station wagon among Head Stylist Harley Earl’s collection of ‘Dream Cars’.

In 1955 Chevrolet launched it’s second generation Bel Air models with the strap line ‘The Hot One’. The Bel Air range included the 2 door Nomad estate / station wagon.

The second generation Bel Air and the Nomad had a three year life cycle, knowing that if the car was to sell well in the second year of production the range had to look new for 1956, even if it was not, GM upgraded the Nomad saving no expenses on styling and tooling the exterior trim, including a fresh front bumper and new full width front grill.

The ’56 Chevrolet’s Bel Air range was marketed with the new strap line ‘The Hot One’s even hotter’.

Power for the Bel Air was provided by either a 4.3 litre / 265 cui or 4.6 litre / 283 cui V8, so far as I can tell this particular Nomad, seen at Shakespeare County Raceway, has a 5.7 litre / 347 cui V8.

Chrome trim levels on the humble Nomad were comparable to contemporary high end Cadillacs.

A feature introduced on the ’56 Nomad was the concealment of the filler for the petrol tank by the chrome tail light housing on the drivers side.

With $585 premium over the standard $2025 2-door Bel Air the Nomad was the most expensive vehicle in the Bel Air range.

Production numbers show that Estate Station Wagons were not top of the Bel Air demographics list of priorities in 1956, just 7,886 Nomads were built compared to 103,000 pillarless four door hard tops and 128, 000 base 2 door model Bel Airs.

Thanks for joining me on this Nomad edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow Ferrari Friday. Don’t forget to come back now !