| The Chevrolet Corvette, a Sportscar legend and a | | | | commuter by just selecting the right options. The |
| Auto Classic for ever, has somehow survived inflated | | | | Corvette could play either role very well. |
| insurance rates; all types of inane and meaningless | | | | Performance was the trend in the late 1950's and |
| safety legislation and engine pollution add ons. The | | | | early 1960's. One of the biggest controversies of the |
| Chevrolet Corvette has been universally accepted as | | | | day was which was faster - a Corvette with dual |
| the measure of a high performance sports car. Cars | | | | four barrel carbs or one with fuel injection. Corvette |
| come and go, new model of cars emerge and | | | | owners were buying the high performance versions |
| disappear and yet the Corvette lives on. No car has | | | | and putting them to good use at weekend drags and |
| been able to cover as many aspects of the high | | | | the novice road events. There were metallic brake |
| performance sport as the Corvette. The versatility | | | | and sway bar options for the sporty set. And |
| of this fantastic automobile has appealed to all age | | | | although the suspensions system was a |
| groups and has kept the ownership of a Corvette, a | | | | conglomeration of early passenger car parts, the low |
| most prestigious thing. The Corvette has gone | | | | center of gravity and near equal weight distribution |
| through many changes in its lifetime, including every | | | | made these cars handle well. The 50/50 weight |
| custom and hot rod trend going. It has a miracle that | | | | distribution did not hurt the drag racers one bit either, |
| the Corvette has remained a true high performance | | | | and they won more than their share. When 1963 |
| sports car and did not mature into a two plus two | | | | happened, it brought with it a real change in the |
| sedan as did Ford's Thunderbird. The Corvette was in | | | | Corvette. The new body style called the "Sting Ray" |
| the on the beginnings of the fast car era. In the mid | | | | was unavailable in a fastback version commonly |
| 50's people wanted fast cars, and by 1957 the | | | | referred to as a "coupe" and in the traditional |
| Corvette was leading the pack. Hot rodding owes a | | | | roadster version with a removable hardtop. The Sting |
| big debt to the Corvette; it was responsible for | | | | Ray had much cleaner lines than its predecessors and |
| almost all of the higher performance parts ever to | | | | even featured retractable headlights. With the change |
| come from Chevrolet. Four speed transmissions, dual | | | | in body style, the suspension was vastly improved |
| quad intake manifolds and hot solid lifter camshafts. | | | | with a new independent rear suspension assembly |
| One of the big contributions to the Corvette's | | | | and updated steering gear. It still had the |
| success story was the variety of options that were | | | | performance of the older cars, including the |
| offered. Ever since 1956, there had been the choice | | | | Rochester fuel injected 327 cubic inch engine, rated |
| of a standard of high performance automatic | | | | at 360 horsepower. The Chevrolet Corvette is |
| transmission. Each car could be tailored into a semi | | | | certainly an American Sportscar Classic. |
| competitive race car of a good day to day | | | | |