O FCR,

I'm writing a book on a trip we took last year and I'm trying to quickly explain the Corvette generations to folks who aren't "part of the problem".

Here's what I have right now:

"The various Corvette generations are often designated by C1 through C6, though this a relatively recent practice — generations were previously identified differently. The generations are generally agreed to be:

C1 (1953-1962) — the first Corvettes, often called ‘solid-axles’ because they’re the only Corvettes without an independent rear suspension. These Corvettes changed vastly between 1953 and 1962, gaining V8s in 1955, and both fuel injection and 4-speed manual transmissions in 1957
C2 (1963-1967) — a complete redesign, the Sting Rays, also called ‘mid-years’, these were the first Corvettes with independent rear suspension, pop-up headlights, and (in 1965) four wheel disk brakes
C3 (1968-1982) — often called ‘sharks’, these were initially derided as merely a styling change but ended up much loved, getting the Corvette through the tenuous and low-performance mid-1970s and modernization in the late 1970s and early 1980s
C4 (1984-1996) — a complete redesign from the ‘sharks’, these were arguably the first modern Corvettes, being the first Corvettes to have anti-lock brakes, 6-speed manual transmissions, traction control, and air bags
C5 (1997-2004) — another complete redesign, designed from the ground up for exotic performance in easy-to-maintain package
C6 (2005-?) — the latest Corvettes, not quite a complete redesign like the C4 or C5, but full of enhancements and refinements"

Thoughts? I realize there's plenty of opinion here...

 

Sounds pretty good to me.

Interesting tidbit. The term "mid-year" came about during the shark era when there were only 3 different versions - they were the "middle" years.

I suppose it stuck, even though it's not in the middle anymore.

 

Yup, that sums it up pretty well. C2 owners might take issue with the term "pop up" lights. Technically, they rotate. Sharks have pop ups -- er, uh, at least they pop up when working correctly.

 

C2 have retractable electric headlights, also you might want to mention the 63 was the first year Corvette came as a Coupe, most famous the 63 Split Window....

 

That's a good catch, makes for an interesting chart of lights over time:

C1: fixed
C2: rotate
C3: pop up
C4: rotate
C5: pop up
C6: fixed
C7: ?