A Stupid Question About C3s
Thread Starter
Bud2
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 4
From: Warrnambool Victoria
A Stupid Question About C3s
A stupid question but I can't find the answer. I've looked at a lot of history on Corvettes but I can't find the answer to the question of what does the 'C' stand for? The guys on the C2 forum suggested that it may stand for Corvette while others think it stands for chassis - when the chassis changed, the numeral changed. ie, C1 - box, C2 - ladder and so on. I don't think I've got the answer yet so maybe you can help me out. It must have had a factual beginning but what?
Bud.
Bud.
Drifting
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,353
Likes: 44
From: Calgary Alberta
It just designates the generations of Corvettes. Not related to the chassis per se (C2 and C3 Corvettes have, by and large, the same chassis...if by chassis you mean frame, etc.).
So really, you could say it just means Corvette.
So really, you could say it just means Corvette.
Last edited by Brcmpbl; Nov 6, 2013 at 08:27 PM.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
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From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
LOL... I get confused by it from time to time.. When I started.. you had Straight Axle and Mid-Years, and late models...
53-62 Straight Axle
63-67 Mid Years.. Now you know why they call them mid year... huh..
68-73 Late Model. (which by the way, were not allowed in NCRS)...
Just another tidbit of info to chew on.
53-62 Straight Axle
63-67 Mid Years.. Now you know why they call them mid year... huh..
68-73 Late Model. (which by the way, were not allowed in NCRS)...
Just another tidbit of info to chew on.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,851
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
I've never seen any reference to it this way from GM. Not to say there isn't, or that the slang was carried in the door to them either.
Never heard anyone from GM (except maybe John H.) refer to a 63-67 as a mid year either.. lol
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Racer
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 254
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From: Tampa Bay Florida
A stupid question but I can't find the answer. I've looked at a lot of history on Corvettes but I can't find the answer to the question of what does the 'C' stand for? The guys on the C2 forum suggested that it may stand for Corvette while others think it stands for chassis - when the chassis changed, the numeral changed. ie, C1 - box, C2 - ladder and so on. I don't think I've got the answer yet so maybe you can help me out. It must have had a factual beginning but what?
Bud.
Bud.
Thread Starter
Bud2
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 4
From: Warrnambool Victoria
It's still strange there isn't a source that says what the 'C' stands for.
I can see it now, at the next show, I'll have a kid come up to me and ask "This a C2?" "Yep" I'll say with conviction. Then he'll ask what's the 'C' stand for. I'll have to reply sheepishly, "I, er, nobody seems to know." "Big expert" he'll say to his buddy.
Bud.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
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From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
GM usually used Y to designate Corvette.
The "C" thing originated in the media. In the early hoopla, the new car to be introduced in 1983 became known as the C4 (Corvette - 4th generation - 100% a media tag). Prior to that, there was no actual C designation and the common terms were Classics (53-62), mid-years (63-67), and "new" (68-82). Once the media settled on C4 for the new cars, then it was easy to work backwards on the generations.
The "C" thing originated in the media. In the early hoopla, the new car to be introduced in 1983 became known as the C4 (Corvette - 4th generation - 100% a media tag). Prior to that, there was no actual C designation and the common terms were Classics (53-62), mid-years (63-67), and "new" (68-82). Once the media settled on C4 for the new cars, then it was easy to work backwards on the generations.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
It really doesn't stand for anything. It's a slang term coined by "Vette" fans used to describe the block of model year configurations between major redesigns. It's a term that was never uttered by the manufacturer until some marketing person noticed that it had become part of the Corvette BUYERS lexicon. Then in some meeting, I can imagine, part of a conversation may have gone something like this: "I've got a what if" "lets run this up the flag pole and see who bites" - "Hey dudes, here is the new nifty C5 it's the cat's pajamas, it's b**chn', you should buy one, word".
It's kind of like the dictionary these days. It used to be a list of words with definitions, now it seems to have become an attempt to define whatever word someone made up or redefined. Axe me why I think that.
It's kind of like the dictionary these days. It used to be a list of words with definitions, now it seems to have become an attempt to define whatever word someone made up or redefined. Axe me why I think that.
it is a synthetic name or designation. and just about every thing about these cars is stupid on some level so stupid questions abound. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,666
Likes: 289
From: Spring Park MN
It's the same thing that happened in the Harley world. The riders called them "Hog's", Nuckleheads, Panheads, Shovelheads, etc... Harley copy righted all the public used slang and protects it viciously to this day.