Five Generations
Update: Yes, there are now six generations of Corvettes. The C6 made its debut as a 2004 model, and has received high marks all around. However, I have elected to leave this page as I originally wrote it back in 2002.
The first Corvette rolled off of the assembly lines back in 1953. It was then, as today, a two seater front engine rear-wheel drive sportscar. While other cars (the Ford Thunderbird or even the Mustang come to mind) have lost their way and metamorphasized into different types of cars, the Corvette has always been a two seater front engine rear-wheel drive sports car. There’s something to be said for consistency.
That being said, there have been changes over the years. The original style was used from 1953 through 1962. The V8 was first offered as an option ($135) in 1955. (Keep in mind that the base car price was about $3,000). These early models are now sometimes called a C1, or first generation Corvette. There were 300 Corvettes built in 1953, all of them white with a red interior.
The second generation (C2) was built from 1963 to 1967. One of the most interesting models was the 1963 “Split Window”. It was so named because the rear coupe window was split down the middle with a portion of the frame. Public outcry was so loud that General Moters dropped that style immediately. As a result, there are not many Split Window coupes still in existence today. This generation is also called the “Mako Shark” due to the gills on the side of the car and the shape of the body.
The third generation, or C3, was named after another animal, the Sting Ray. The pointed nose and sweeping styling of this model rolled off of the assembly lines from 1968 to 1982. This could be the most popular Corvette ever. GM built over 50,000 of the 1979 model year for the high-water mark of the popularity for this car. Unfortunately, this model also saw the demise of the convertible; the last one was made in 1975.
In 1978 the 25th anniversary model was produced with a special silver / black paint scheme. This was also the first year that the Corvette functioned as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500, an honor that it was to repeat several times.
The C4 had the longest run of any of the body styles, starting in 1984 and running to 1996. This was due in part to two things. The first was that the technology used in the car was advanced enough that there was not a lot of need for improvement. The other was that toward the end of the body style GM was not even sure that there would be a C5 Corvette.
The story of the C5 is well documented in the required read, “All Corvettes Are Red”. If you frequent Corvette discussion boards and ever see the abbreviation ACAR, this is the book that they are talking about. Interestingly enough, the “C” nomenclature did not really come into play until the C5 was produced. Before then a Corvette was a solid axle, a shark, a sting ray, and so on. The C5 started production in 1997 and continues through today. The 1998 model again provided pace car duties for the Indy 500 and reintroduced the convertible body style to the C5 family.
If you look at the two images included on this page, you will see styling cues in the C5 that were taken from the C1. The “waterfall” of the open roadster is repeated in the convertibles of today. The scalloped sides of the original are present in the C5, although the C5 does not emphasize them with a different color. There are other cues that carry forward the tradition, if you know where to look.
Oh, and remember the first V8 engine back in 1955? That one generated 195 horsepower. The engine used in the base model C5 generates 350 HP! The Z06 bumps that up to 385! So even with the styling cues from yesterday, the performance is all about today.