8 Corvette Factoids You May Not Know

1. It Almost Didn't Make It

When the Corvette was just a baby in 1954 there were far more cars than prospective owners and they languished on lots. The public was just not impressed with the engines and the fact that the windows lacked the ability to roll-up. GM seriously pondering on killing the Corvette when the saving grace came about in the form of the Thunderbird announcement. GM did not want to see the headlines of the Thunderbird being responsible for the death of the Corvette and doubled down with the car to make it a success with upgraded performance parts.

2. ZO WHAT?!

The Z06 started life on the C2 platform as a culmination of parts that on an RPO (regular production order), and was bought by those who wanted a hi-po version to take to the track for racing. These Z06s were the brainchild of Arkus-Duntov who decided to pair the fuel-injected 327 hp V8 with upgraded brakes, suspension, and in some instances a larger fuel tank. 

3. Do You Have Anything with More Kick?

The Corvette originally came with an anemic engine that wasn't quite up to muster with what speed freaks would think of today. This under-performing engine that originally powered the Corvette was the Blue Flame in-line six cylinder that sat in 1953 and 1954 models. Then in 1955, the first V8, which was a small block, was mated to Corvette and the rest as they say, is history.  

4. Comrade Arkus-Duntov

Legendary GM engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov who is responsible for many high-performance Corvette models wasn't born in our great land of America. The soil he calls home was quite the opposite having spent his childhood in Russia, despite having been born in Belgium. George Will stated that Arkus-Duntov "was born to be an American" and this is reflected in Duntov's ashes interred at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.  

5. Skip a Couple Turns and Come Back

The Z06 is the harder edged, lighter, hardtop body style of the Corvette that is all business and loved my enthusiasts worldwide. However, there was no such option for the C3 and the C4 Corvettes! The moniker along with go fast parts made its return with the C5. This C5 beat with the heart of an LS6 small-block that ran at 385 hp, but could out perform the ZR-1 in every test except top speed. 

6. Take Your Time

Well the C4 was late to its own party back in the early eighties much to enthusiasts dismay. What happened at GM was a complete re-design of the car to kick things off in a new direction for the C4. On top of that, there were also quality-control issues and supply problems that complicated production dates further. So in 1983, which would have been the 30th anniversary, there was no new Corvette on the market. It returned to showrooms wearing all new skin in 1984, but there were numerous issues and a very uncomfortable ride.  

7. Forgotten Little Brother

GM subsidiary, Adam Opel had hit a rut with designing for a  new little sports car it had cooking up. So Bob Lutz, being the good owner he was, sent over famed stylist Clare MacKichan to help out with things. By helping out I mean made a little Sting Ray to ride under the Opel GT badging. It had a 1.9-liter engine and the hood was two-thirds the size of a 1968 Corvette. 

8. C6 Split Window

The C6 borrows a lot of styling cues from the original Sting Ray. Included in those stylings for the C6 was the modern interpretation of the split window for the Corvette. It was ditched later in the process due to the same reason that it only lasted one year on the original Sting Ray. GM was concerned about the window being a distraction from the rest of the car and the lines. 

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