When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
It's a little obscure today Jim, but when the EX-122 (experimental Corvette) was first shown at the 1953 Motorama, designer Robert Bartholomew had been tasked with creating the car's new emblem. He chose the checkered flag crossed with the U.S. flag to show America's first foray into the European dominated sports car world. Someone in GM's legal dept. found that under the U.S. Flag Code of 1942, the flag could not be used for advertising purposes, so the design had to be changed quickly. Bartholomew went back to the drawing board. He chose the fleur de lis in homage to Loius Chevrolet's French background and, as Louis and his brothers were all auto manufacturers and race car drivers, the three bars were added to represent all the Chevrolet brothers, Loius, Gaston and Arthur.
Apparently as years went on, others in GM's design department either did not know or bother to include this important Chevrolet heritage. Some later years have either no fleur de lis (C4), a fleur de lis with no bars (C6 & C8) or a fleur de lis with only one bar (C5 & C7). I guess they just didn't do their homework. As a C3 owner you should be proud to know that the C1, C2 & C3's are the only ones that got it right. Cheers, Greg
(Trim tags have been known to contain typos on color.)
On '70-'72s, if you remove the side egg-crates you may see factory overspray. On all years look under the door sill-plates, pull off the body rocker covers, remove the headlight bezels...
Basically any place that may have been masked rather than the part removed during a respray. When the factory painted the cars, it was just a body with no frame or interior so they didn't mask much of anything.
Yeah me too! If I ever decide to throw down the Big Bucks for a paint job, it would be that color right there. It already has the medium saddle leather interior so it would look great.
It's a little obscure today Jim, but when the EX-122 (experimental Corvette) was first shown at the 1953 Motorama, designer Robert Bartholomew had been tasked with creating the car's new emblem. He chose the checkered flag crossed with the U.S. flag to show America's first foray into the European dominated sports car world. Someone in GM's legal dept. found that under the U.S. Flag Code of 1942, the flag could not be used for advertising purposes, so the design had to be changed quickly. Bartholomew went back to the drawing board. He chose the fleur de lis in homage to Loius Chevrolet's French background and, as Louis and his brothers were all auto manufacturers and race car drivers, the three bars were added to represent all the Chevrolet brothers, Loius, Gaston and Arthur.
Apparently as years went on, others in GM's design department either did not know or bother to include this important Chevrolet heritage. Some later years have either no fleur de lis (C4), a fleur de lis with no bars (C6 & C8) or a fleur de lis with only one bar (C5 & C7). I guess they just didn't do their homework. As a C3 owner you should be proud to know that the C1, C2 & C3's are the only ones that got it right. Cheers, Greg
[QUOTE=Greg;1605469215]It's a little obscure today Jim, but when the EX-122 (experimental Corvette) was first shown at the 1953 Motorama, designer Robert Bartholomew had been tasked with creating the car's new emblem. He chose the checkered flag crossed with the U.S. flag to show America's first foray into the European dominated sports car world. Someone in GM's legal dept. found that under the U.S. Flag Code of 1942, the flag could not be used for advertising purposes, so the design had to be changed quickly. Bartholomew went back to the drawing board. He chose the fleur de lis in homage to Loius Chevrolet's French background and, as Louis and his brothers were all auto manufacturers and race car drivers, the three bars were added to represent all the Chevrolet brothers, Loius, Gaston and Arthur.
Apparently as years went on, others in GM's design department either did not know or bother to include this important Chevrolet heritage. Some later years have either no fleur de lis (C4), a fleur de lis with no bars (C6 & C8) or a fleur de lis with only one bar (C5 & C7). I guess they just didn't do their homework. As a C3 owner you should be proud to know that the C1, C2 & C3's are the only ones that got it right. Cheers, Greg
As always, Greg, you are a wealth of knowledge. Learned something new about the logo today - thank you! I was aware of the U.S. flag / 1953 Motorama unveiling issue in New York and the last minute change to the fleur de lis but this is the first time I learned about the significance of the three lines representing Louis, Gaston, and Arthur Chevrolet.
I've read a few different things on the coolant overflow reservoir on my 73 about levels. Is there any scenario where the tank should be showing a coolant level under normal operating conditions? i read somewhere that the proper level is the hot marker when the engine is running normal temperature? Any help out there on the matter? Thanks. Jim
If you remove the door panels, the carpet or the sill plate, there is usually overspray, or as mentioned about, the side vents / egg crates.
I did a similar post a week or so ago on this.
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.
