7 Rare Factory Options You Probably Don't Know About
The Corvette's history is ripe with rare and unique options, many of which you may have never even heard of. Here are the most interesting and unique options ever fitted to Chevrolet's venerable sports car.
1. The Big Block That Nobody Wanted (or Knew About)
1970 was a banner year for the Corvette, with some of the most powerful engines ever offered up for grabs. You could purchase your 'Vette with everything from a 300 horsepower 350 to a 454 with 465 ponies under the hood. Also available was a 450 hp version of the big block, but a total of zero were produced. Why, you may ask? Because nobody ordered one. Total production of the 1970 Corvette was pretty low thanks to a labor dispute, but no model is as rare as the one that was never built.
2. Who Wants a Six Cylinder Corvette Anyway?
As we all know, the Corvette started life as a lightweight sports car with only one engine offering. Not the V8 that we consider synonymous with these fiberglass legends, but rather a six cylinder. Needless to say, public reception for the under powered engine wasn't exactly overwhelming. So in 1955, Chevrolet shoehorned a proper V8 under the hood, and it became the only model year in the car's history when you could get either it or a V6. Fittingly, only seven people opted for the smaller motor out of 3,640 cars produced that year.
3. A Special Camshaft for a Special Car
The 1956 Corvette is, these days, a pretty rare find in itself. Even rarer is one that has option codes 449 and 469. Checking these boxes when ordering your '56 meant that you got a special high-lift Duntov camshaft and 2x4 carbs, respectively, which raised output to 240 horsepower. Only 111 cars were built with those options, probably due to their cost — a total of $360.50 that represented a whopping 10 percent of the Corvette's base price that model year.
4. Racing Suspensions Weren't Big in the 50's
These days, everybody wants a taut, sports suspension under their Corvette. But back in the 50's, it wasn't exactly a popular option. In 1957, Chevrolet offered the RPO 684 Heavy Duty Racing Suspension, but a mere 51 people bothered to order it. Even more surprising is that none of those 51 people opted to order the RPO 679 Positraction, which came with stout 4:56:1 gears.
5. The Mystery of the Unknown Paint Color
There are quite a few color options that are rare on many different generations of Corvette, but perhaps none is rarer than the one we don't know about. In 1958, Chevrolet produced four Corvettes that were painted in a non-production, unrecorded, and unknown color. One of the four was painted only in primer, making it the rarest of the rare.
6. The Rarest Wheels Ever Produced
1963 saw the dawn of a new era for Corvette, one with styling radically different from its predecessor and light years beyond the competition. Originally produced in 1959 as a race car, the very first Sting Ray was available with Cast Aluminum knock-off wheels, yet only 12 people ordered their cars with them. These wheels represent one of the most desirable ever produced by any manufacturer to this day.
7. Tank Technology Lands on the Corvette
In 1962, Chevrolet offered Positive Crankshaft Ventilation (PCV) as an option on the Corvette for a mere $5.40, on California bound cars only. A technology originally developed for tanks, PCV allowed them to ford deep water without having to worry about any getting in the crankshaft and destroying the engine. It also became the first true emissions device fitted to cars when it was discovered to reduce hydrocarbon output.
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