Daily Slideshow: Why the Corvette is the Perfect Car for Summer Cruising
Since its inception with the C1, the Corvette has enjoyed a proud association with cool breezes and summer fun. Let's look at some of the reasons it got that way.
1. A summer favorite for good reason.
Close your eyes and imagine the perfect Corvette moment; a scene you feel embodies the Corvette spirit the way it was meant to be driven. That mental image could be a vintage model cruising along a sunny beachfront somewhere in California. It could look something like a late-night drive through the city with the top down, favorite music playing and the hot night air breezing past you. In most cases, there’s something about the Corvette that reminds us of the summer-- the same goes vice-versa. Considering the time of year, it’s worth looking at some of the reasons why the summer feels like Corvette season.
2. A sports car for the people.
GM lead designer Harley J. Earl envisioned the original Corvette as an affordable open sports car, on par with the price of a typical sedan. While new and used Corvettes alike fetch a pretty penny these days, the car’s balance of glam and attainability made it a hit with the younger generation. Such as it is, any talk of 1950s-60s youth culture and “summer cruising” a la American Graffiti-- the Corvette is one of, if not the first car that comes to mind. Fast-forward fifty years; there are few teens who could even hope to get their hands on a Corvette. Nonetheless, the car’s association with summer youth has stuck.
3. Convertible is key.
Dare we need say it... the convertible was invented to capitalize on sunny weather, which is the summer's only too happy to provide. Depending on where you live, the summertime may be the only part of the year where there's much of a respite from miserable skies. When the sun's out, it's best to take full advantage!
4.Sweet rides and hot engines.
In light of automotive efficiency regulations (which are stricter still in Europe than they are in the US) the modern-day muscle car has been going through a crisis of identity. Despite physically smaller engines these days the latest Corvettes lack for nothing in raw power. Check the 2017 Stingray, for instance, which can make an incredible top speed of 290 MPH. You may not have much opportunity to push a ‘Vette to those limits (not legally, at least!) but just the psychological boon of having that sort of power at your disposal bodes well for summer fun.
5. Drive modes for any summer trek.
There’s a lot of fun to be had with a Corvette. On the subject of top speed; if that’s something you’re into and you’ve got the coin to book a test track, the summer’s a perfect time to run some laps. Then again, a breezier trek through the countryside can scratch much the same itch. In any case, the modern Corvette offers a variety of driving modes to suit each and any planned activity. "Tour mode" is a great contender for those aforementioned countryside treks, while "sport mode" and "track mode" are there to suit more daring plans.
6. The Corvette is summertime cool.
General Motors laid the groundwork with a slick-looking automobile, but the resulting fandom is what elevated the Corvette to the point of pop cultural summer icon. The legendary status has worked up over decades in a sort of positive feedback loop; the more the Corvette is deemed a "summer car," the more it will appear in a summer context. From its references in popular media to good old-fashioned nostalgia, the Corvette brand’s got plenty to ride on. There’s even that movie Corvette Summer, starring Mark Hamill and a beaut of a C3. If it’s good enough for Luke Skywalker himself, it’s good enough for the rest of us!
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