7 Coolest Corvette Concept Cars
When you're talking about outrageous, beautiful, and seriously cool concept cars, it's hard to beat these Corvettes.
1. 1954 Corvette Nomad
Fresh off the Corvette's debut in 1953, Chevrolet was thinking about building an entire lineup of the fiberglass sports car. That included a two-door Nomad station wagon and a Corvair version. The Nomad was designed by Carl Renner, and the result was rather stunning. The Nomad was 13 inches longer than a regular Corvette, and it received additional trim and grooves cut in the roof to add visual appeal. And while the idea of a Corvette station wagon may seem crazy, it's hard to argue with the way this one turned out.
>>Join the conversation about the Coolest Corvette Concept Cars right here in the Corvette Forum!
2. 1954 Corvette Corvair
The Corvette Corvair was designed and produced alongside the Nomad, and both were featured at the 1954 GM Autorama. Essentially a fastback version of the early Corvette, the Corvair was another stunning exercise in design. The roof swept back to a recessed license plate area that looks like a jet's exhaust. Fender outlets and bulged vents on the hood were designed for functional cooling. It's thought that two Corvette Corvairs were produced. But unfortunately, neither it nor the Nomad ever made it to production.
>>Join the conversation about the Coolest Corvette Concept Cars right here in the Corvette Forum!
3. The Mako Sharks
Oftentimes, design features of concept cars never trickle down to production vehicles. But that wasn't the case with either the Mako Shark or the Mako Shark II. The original Mako Shark, introduced in 1961, heavily influenced the styling of the 1963 Corvette, and the Mako Shark II featured styling that trickled down to the 1968 model. Both were aggressively designed, and both featured a unique faded paint scheme that mimics the colors of a shark. And both were undeniably cool and ahead of their time.
>>Join the conversation about the Coolest Corvette Concept Cars right here in the Corvette Forum!
4. 1967 Astro I
Unlike the Mako Sharks, the Astro I features styling that never influenced production Corvettes. And that's a real shame because it was way ahead of its time. The Astro I looks like a car that could still be produced today and fit right in with the world's best-looking supercars. With a flow back roof that swung back in lieu of doors, it might be a hard sell, however. But there's no denying that the Astro I influenced the styling of many other cars throughout the years, and it still looks amazing today.
>>Join the conversation about the Coolest Corvette Concept Cars right here in the Corvette Forum!
5. 1968 XP-880 Astro II
The Astro II, along with the CERV II that preceded it, were both mid-engine Corvette prototypes. Both were great looking and interesting cars and both featured full time four wheel drive as well. When the Astro II bowed at the 1968 New York Auto Show, many thought that GM was getting ready to build it as an answer to Ford's mid-engine Pantera. Ultimately, none of these ideas came to be and we're still waiting for a mid-engine Corvette today.
>>Join the conversation about the Coolest Corvette Concept Cars right here in the Corvette Forum!
6. 1973 4-Rotor
Yet another Corvette concept car to feature a mid-engine design was the 4-Rotor. But this time, the Corvette combined futuristic styling with gullwing doors and a Wankle rotary engine for power. Unlike the Wankles, you see in Mazda's RX cars, however, this one was huge - 585 cubic inches. When Chevy scrapped the rotary idea, the 4-Rotor received a V8 transplant and was subsequently renamed the Aerovette.
>>Join the conversation about the Coolest Corvette Concept Cars right here in the Corvette Forum!
7. 1990 CERV III
Debuting at the 1990 Detroit Auto Show, the CERV III was based on the equally awesome Corvette Indy concept car. But it cranked things up a few notches, with the result being a car that was 20 years ahead of its time. With supercar styling and a carbon/kevlar body, it's a real looker. But the CERV III also brought serious performance. With a twin-turbocharged, 5.7-liter V8 producing 650 horsepower, it was capable of 225 miles per hour. Those are numbers that still hold up with the best supercars of today.
>>Join the conversation about the Coolest Corvette Concept Cars right here in the Corvette Forum!
For help with your Corvette's maintenance and service, check out the how-to section of CorvetteForum.com