7 Cool Corvette Facts
Daily Slideshow: Just the sound of the Corvette name induces an instant picture of perfection and class. The sleek style, smooth handling, and raw power of the Corvette is unrivaled by other American sports cars.
1. Corvettes are even fast in reverse.
The Corvette doesn't clock its fastest speed in reverse, but newer models will retreat in a hurry. The 2014 Stingray can hit up to 53 miles per hour in reverse. There's no conventional reason why you might need to go that fast in reverse, but a zombie invasion or an alien attack may warrant a speedy getaway.
2. The original Corvette logo was different.
Corvette's original logo design actually included an American flag alongside the checkered flag. Right before Chevy was about to debut the Corvette, representatives of the company came to understand that the use of the American flag for commercial branding purposes is actually illegal. Four days before the introduction of the new muscle, Chevy changed the logo to what we know today as the signature Corvette stamp.
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3. There's only one 1983 Corvette model in existence.
Chevy's 1983 brochure of cars had more than its fair share of trouble making it to market. Due to troubles with emissions compliance and retooling, Chevy skipped over 1983 and went right on to release the 1984 instead.
There were 43 pilot cars built for the 1983 design, and all but one of the vehicles was destroyed. The last car was kept in a museum. It was almost destroyed as well when a sinkhole suddenly opened up below the museum.
It's safe to say that 1983 wasn't the best year for Chevrolet's Corvette.
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4. The first Corvette only came with two options.
The 2019 Corvette Stingray comes with countless options for those who can afford such a delicious road beast. Fully loaded, you could pay more than $100,000 for a 2019 Corvette.
There was a much different story to unfold in 1953 when the first Corvette was released. Chevy's first Corvette came with only two options. Buyers could pay $91 to opt in on a heater, and you could pay an extra $145 to equip the vehicle with an AM radio.
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5. The first Corvettes didn't actually "roll" off the line.
If you're a real lover of the Corvette, then you probably know that the vehicle paved the way for the fiberglass body materials we use today. In 1953, Chevy released the first totally fiberglass Corvette, inspiring a widespread future usage of the material.
The release was not without its challenges. Instead of a smooth roll off of the assembly line, the first Corvettes had to manually be pushed from production. The fiberglass body posed puzzling issues with the electrical systems of the car, causing ignition failure.
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6. The Corvettes which could have been.
Modern car enthusiasts understand the connection between the Stingray (or Sting Ray, originally) and Corvette. The two have become synonymous with one another, but there are other Corvette "spin-offs" that almost made it to production.
The Mako Shark and Mako Shark II were designed in the early '60s, but never quite made it. There was one working model of the Mako Shark II, but there was never much momentum behind the concept.
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7. The fastest Corvette is turning 51 this year.
Most people are supremely interested in just how fast their car can go, especially when your car is a Corvette. You would think that the speed of today's Corvettes would surpass the speed of older models, but that isn't entirely true.
In fact, the fastest Corvette in history was built way back in 1968. The vehicle was recorded doing 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds. No Corvette before or since has matched the speed and pickup power of the 1968 LT-2 Corvette.
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