Happy 70th Birthday, Corvette! We Look Back at Some of the Biggest Moments in Corvette History
First completed on June 30, 1953, in Michigan the Corvette celebrates its 70th birthday today as one of the most iconic cars ever made.
The big seven zero. Every Corvette die hard knows that June 30 is a special day in Corvette history. But June 30, 2023 is even more special. It is the 70th birthday of the American sports car. Can you believe it has been that long already? In 1953 the average house cost $8,200. A gallon of gas was 22 cents. And the brand new for 1953 Corvette was $3,498. Well, those prices are long gone. But the Corvette is still here. In fact, a case can be made that the 2023 Corvettes are the best ever. You may not agree with that, but you must concede that to stick around this long the Corvette has generally been a terrific car that introduced a number of innovations along the way.
Of course, no car is perfect and there is no one on earth that has celebrated a 70th birthday that can honestly say they have never made any mistakes. The Corvette has had a few missteps as well. In honor of this milestone date, we are going to look back at some of the key highlights and a few lowlights in the life of the Corvette. Celebrating the American spots car as we head into the Independence Day holiday weekend. Does it get more American than that? Grab yourself a beer and a hot dog and enjoy this look back at Corvette history.
Highlight #1 – Corvette Number One
We had to start here, right? On June 30, 1953 in Flint, Michigan the very first production Corvette rolled off the assembly line. A star was born. All three hundred of the first year Corvettes were built by hand, and all were Polo White with Sportsman Red bucket seats. With a six-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission these were not the most sporting of Corvette models, but it was the start of something special.
Lowlight #1 – 1953 and 1954 Corvettes
The first Corvettes were historically important. But they were also expensive, not very sporty, and were sales flops. Was the new Corvette supposed to be a sports car? Or was it supposed to be a boulevard cruiser? The potential customers were not sure. GM almost killed the entire Corvette experiment but did not want to give in to the recently introduced (and hot selling) Ford Thunderbird. So the Corvette stuck around but with significant changes to come.
Highlight #2 – 1955 GM Small Block V8
Now GM was getting serious about making the Corvette a true sports car. A 265 cubic inch small block V8 was dropped under the hood. Power jumped from 155 horsepower in 1954 to 195 horsepower with the new V8 in 1955. 0 to 60 times tumbled from 11.2 seconds to 8.7 seconds. A case can be made that the GM small block is the most important and successful engine in the history of the automobile.
Lowlight # 2 – 1975 Base Corvette
Emissions mandates strangled performance cars of this era and the Corvette was no exception. After years of producing immensely powerful cars the base C3 Corvette in 1975 made a humble 165 horsepower from its 350 ci V8. It managed to get from 0 to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds which was ok for the time. But when you consider that nearly a decade earlier a 1966 427 Corvette could hit 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds the performance of the 1975 car was disappointing.
Highlight #3 – 1957 Fuel Injection
Starting in 1957 you could order your Corvette with a fuel injection system instead of carburetors. Fuel injection might not seem like a big deal now, but it was a massive step forward in 1957. The Corvette may not have been the first car ever to introduce fuel injection. But it certainly made it more popular and introduced it to more people than ever before.
Lowlight #3 – 1983 Corvette
To celebrate the 30th birthday of the Corvette GM offered…nothing. Forget any special commemorative edition. There was no 1983 Corvette at all. The C4 generation Corvette was to be the most advanced ever. But persistent delays meant that the entire 1983 model year would be skipped. The C4 finally came out for the 1984 model year. So, maybe instead of celebrating the 70th birthday this year, we should really call it the 69th?
Highlight #4 – C2 Corvettes
Even with a short 5 model year run there is so much good with the C2 generation cars we decided to lump them all into one category. There was of course the 1963 split window. Also in 1963 was the first Corvette Z06. The 1966 big block rated at a conservative 425 horsepower. And of course, the 1967 L88. The C2 generation is full of highlights.
Lowlight #4 – 2020 Corvette Automatic Only
The C8 Corvette is an amazing performance car. It allows the Corvette to compete with (and beat) the likes of Ferrari and other exotic supercar makers. However, there was a casualty with the move to the C8 generation. The Corvette lost its manual transmission. That stings. For some, a sports car is as much about involvement as outright performance. And as good as the dual-clutch auto in the new C8 is. It can’t match the involvement of a true three-pedal car.
Highlight #5 – 2019 ZR1
GM gave the C7 a beautiful send-off with the 2019 ZR1. 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet of torque. The most powerful Corvette ever made. A top speed of 212 mph. And unlike the C8 that replaced it, the C7 ZR1 could be had with a manual transmission. This is the ultimate expression of the traditional Corvette.
Bonus Highlight – 70th Anniversary Z06
We are celebrating a 70th birthday here, so we can’t end things on a low light. And the reality is there were a lot more highlights than lowlights in Corvette history anyway. So, here is another highlight for you. The C8 Z06 is a groundbreaking Corvette. A flat-plane crank engine, carbon fiber wheels and just an incredible overall package that makes this the most track-capable Corvette of all time. Sprinkle on top some 70th Anniversary badging and other styling upgrades and this becomes one of the most capable and collectible Corvettes to ever roll off the assembly line.
We can’t wait to see what the next 70 years bring.
Images: Joe Kucinski; GM; Chevolet; Bring a Trailer
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