C3= Shark Why?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,575
Likes: 1
From: Tuttle OK
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
it came from a concept car that ours ended up looking very much like...the mako shark...
edited for the spelling *****...
edited for the spelling *****...
Last edited by Avette4me; Feb 22, 2005 at 06:08 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,575
Likes: 1
From: Tuttle OK
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Originally Posted by bozzman3
OK,I thought only C3s were considered stingrays?
they tried to get rid of the "stingray" label in '68...
people pissed and moaned..
they put it back for a while..
they took it off again (77?)...
shark still applies to all C3's...
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 244
Likes: 2
From: Starksboro Vermont
I really hate the term C3. Growing up they were always referred to as Sharks. When the '84 came it it was simply called the "New" Vette. GM did some creative history revision to help the C5 owners find a connectioon to the older cars. So they henceforth began calling the "solid Axle" cars C1, The "Mid-years" C2 and the "Sharks" C3, and so on. Personnally, I like the romantic names better than the alphanumerics. We need to come up with names for the late model cars. C4's could be the Digi dash cars, the Birdcage cars or the clamshells. I think the C5's should be called the LeMans cars cause of you know what. Obviously, the C6 could be the Exposed headlight cars or simply the new corvette until the next gen comes along. Sure marketers like the alphanumerics and we'll probably never get rid of tehm. But it would be nice to try!!!
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 782
Likes: 0
From: Elizabeth New Jersey
Originally Posted by vwcorvette
I really hate the term C3. Growing up they were always referred to as Sharks. When the '84 came it it was simply called the "New" Vette. GM did some creative history revision to help the C5 owners find a connectioon to the older cars. So they henceforth began calling the "solid Axle" cars C1, The "Mid-years" C2 and the "Sharks" C3, and so on. Personnally, I like the romantic names better than the alphanumerics. We need to come up with names for the late model cars. C4's could be the Digi dash cars, the Birdcage cars or the clamshells. I think the C5's should be called the LeMans cars cause of you know what. Obviously, the C6 could be the Exposed headlight cars or simply the new corvette until the next gen comes along. Sure marketers like the alphanumerics and we'll probably never get rid of tehm. But it would be nice to try!!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 8,295
Likes: 30
From: one night in Bangkok you are never lonely
Originally Posted by vwcorvette
I really hate the term C3. Growing up they were always referred to as Sharks. When the '84 came it it was simply called the "New" Vette. GM did some creative history revision to help the C5 owners find a connectioon to the older cars. So they henceforth began calling the "solid Axle" cars C1, The "Mid-years" C2 and the "Sharks" C3, and so on. Personnally, I like the romantic names better than the alphanumerics. We need to come up with names for the late model cars. C4's could be the Digi dash cars, the Birdcage cars or the clamshells. I think the C5's should be called the LeMans cars cause of you know what. Obviously, the C6 could be the Exposed headlight cars or simply the new corvette until the next gen comes along. Sure marketers like the alphanumerics and we'll probably never get rid of tehm. But it would be nice to try!!!
Me too
Pro
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 712
Likes: 4
From: caraquet N.B Canada
I never liked that C3 name also.The shark has a more agressive name. Solid axle, mid years and shark were nice.The '84-'96 had the new corvette name and when they came up with the '97 they call it the C5. insted of calling all the other C's vette we should call them like we use to. C5 it's the '97 to '04 that it that all. GM dont just lack of imagination on creativity but in names too. Since the shark model they never came up with a vette that really knock your socks off like the shark did in '68. And so there names.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 829
Likes: 2
From: Scottdale Pa
Originally Posted by vwcorvette
I really hate the term C3. Growing up they were always referred to as Sharks. When the '84 came it it was simply called the "New" Vette. GM did some creative history revision to help the C5 owners find a connectioon to the older cars. So they henceforth began calling the "solid Axle" cars C1, The "Mid-years" C2 and the "Sharks" C3, and so on. Personnally, I like the romantic names better than the alphanumerics. We need to come up with names for the late model cars. C4's could be the Digi dash cars, the Birdcage cars or the clamshells. I think the C5's should be called the LeMans cars cause of you know what. Obviously, the C6 could be the Exposed headlight cars or simply the new corvette until the next gen comes along. Sure marketers like the alphanumerics and we'll probably never get rid of tehm. But it would be nice to try!!!
That is DEEP !!!!
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
From: Waunakee WI
Rays are a type of flattened fish and are closely related to sharks. Rays evolved from sharks. Rays belong to the group of fishes called Elasmobranchii, which also includes the sharks, skates, and ratfish. The Elasmobranchii are all fish that have no bones, only cartilage.
Wow who would have thought science classes I took would have a use in the real world Ok so I copied it from a website. I did know they were related though so my teachers/prof. must have taught me something. 
Wow who would have thought science classes I took would have a use in the real world
Ok so I copied it from a website. I did know they were related though so my teachers/prof. must have taught me something.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,216
Likes: 4
From: Smile, it's just the internet.
House cats are related to tigers, but I'd never use aspects of one to describe the other. I recognize the scientific relationship, but it seems a little obtuse to be a viable explanation for the moniker. Perhaps it was just cool sounding and they didn't realize a stingray wan't a REAL shark, but just it's slow, defenseless, floppy cousin???
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,575
Likes: 1
From: Tuttle OK
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Originally Posted by CGGorman
Perhaps it was just cool sounding and they didn't realize a stingray wan't a REAL shark, but just it's slow, defenseless, floppy cousin???
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
It's all marketing...the prototype/show cars were the Mako Shark I and II, but Sting Ray/Stingray just sounds cool from an advertising standpoint. For the Mako Shark I, the styling cues were taken from a shark Bill Mitchell caught while deep-sea fishing (and there is a funny story about how the paint guys repainted the mounted shark when Mitchell was out of the office, as they couldn't get the car's paint to match the shark well enough).
I have no problem with the C1-C6 designations...they're an easy shorthand when comparing different groups of cars. The only issue I have at all is that it's off by 1 - the C6 should be the C7. If all the solid-axle cars are grouped together under the C1 designation, the mid-year and shark cars should be grouped together, too, as the chassis was relatively unchanged from 63-82 (the way I understand it - I've never had the good fortune to crawl around under a mid-year).
I have no problem with the C1-C6 designations...they're an easy shorthand when comparing different groups of cars. The only issue I have at all is that it's off by 1 - the C6 should be the C7. If all the solid-axle cars are grouped together under the C1 designation, the mid-year and shark cars should be grouped together, too, as the chassis was relatively unchanged from 63-82 (the way I understand it - I've never had the good fortune to crawl around under a mid-year).
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,672
Likes: 6
From: Nevada City California
Before the C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 nonsense. We use to refer to the different Corvette groups as subcategories such as '53-'55, '56'57, '58-'60, '61'62, '63'64, '65'66, '67, '68'69, '70-'72, '73, '74-'77, '78,'79, '80-'82 ........and so on.