Chevrolet Corvette - Everything You Need To Know | Up to Speed

It's the American version of the European sports car and while it started out as a weak little flop and despised for its poor performance, it has become an American ICON! It was the official car of the damn astronauts. It's the automotive equivalent of stuffing a million pounds of rocket fuel into a can. But this can... it's made of fiberglass! This is

everything

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to get up to

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on the Chevy Corvette. In 1953, General Motors was a big company. As in, literally the largest company in America. But despite the large volume of cars they sold, there was a gap in their catalog: GM did not have a sports car.

Nobody in Detroit did. Until then, the idea of ​​high-performance cars was something European. Like swimsuits or hairy armpits. American cars were meant to house families... That was until GM chief designer Harley J. Earl decided it was time for America to show the Europeans a thing or two. "I'm not European. I don't plan to be European." Earl was a clever little snake and came up with the idea of ​​using a concept car, not only for R&D, but also to get publicity so the boss couldn't say no. He then called one of the designers over to him and said, "Bobbie Mac?" "Hey" "Hey, in Europe they have a little thing called a 'sports car'.

I think we

need

to show the world that Chevy can make one." McLean leveraged a lot of pre-existing Chevy guts to get the project off the ground. For the engine, he just used a standard Chevy 'Blue Flame' straight-six, although he tuned it to make 150 horsepower. Where McLean and Earl broke new ground was in the body. To keep the cost of the project down, they built a body out of a new lightweight material called...Feeberglass? Fiber? Fiberglass. For styling reasons, the new machine was built solely as a convertible. And there it was: a sports car concept, from America, that would debut at the 1953 New York Auto Show and never be seen again.

But before the as-yet-unnamed prototype arrived in New York, Chevy chief engineer Ed Cole took one look at the finished product and knew the company had to sell it. The Chevy concept car became, practically overnight, a production car. All he needed was a name. Something that screamed

speed

, power and pure coldness. Like a Navy warship that was sleeker, smaller, and faster than anything else in the fleet: in other words, a Corvette. "B-7" "Slam! You sunk my Corvette!" The Chevrolet Corvette hit dealerships in 1953. It was the first American sports car built by Americans for Americans. So, obviously, the Americans…didn't believe it.

Early Corvettes may have looked cool, but they drove like shit. Drivers found the handling numb and the "blue flame" engine unbecoming of a sports car. A sports car without any sportiness is a poor quality sports car and it didn't get anyone into the dealership. For its first two years, the Vette was something of a joke. Just like my marriage to Jessica. Hahahaha...Who's laughing now? So in 1955, Chevy ditched the straight-six and put a damn V8 in it. Turning the horsepower up to 195 and blessing the car with that distinctive growl, the Corvette suddenly came to life. In 1956, Chevy added a removable hardtop, and if all that wasn't enough, Chevy began racing the car that year as well.

Run and win. Now the Americans realized it. Now the Corvette started selling. Now, the Corvette is becoming more than just a car: it's becoming an American icon. Sounds familiar? As the Corvette slowly evolves from an alien concept to a street machine, a young immigrant from Eastern Europe makes his way through the ranks of General Motors. Zora Arkus-Duntov saw the original Corvette concept at the New York auto show and it was love at first sight. She immediately knew that his destiny was to make the Corvette the best car in the world. When he worked at GM he had already escaped the Russian revolution, he had been a gold smuggler and piloted fighter planes for the French air force.

Anything he wanted to do, he would just do it! The second generation

corvette

was more attractive and better designed than the first. Like I'm much prettier than my older brother. There were a couple of really interesting concepts before the final C2 was released: first the Stingray racing concept of 1959 and then the Mako Shark in 1961. Zora had contributed so much that he is now

know

n as "the father of the Corvette." It must be nice to have a Corvette, not at all jealous. However, there was one idea for which the brilliant designer and engineer could not get support.

Make the Corvette a mid-engine car. This would give better weight distribution and blah blah blah, we all know that NOW… but at the time, the team said, “Zora, we're not going to think about the mid-engine. That's crazy." "трахать тебя" I was trying to say "Fuck you" in Russian. Hello Putin! The 1963 Sting Ray sold almost fifty percent more units than the previous model, with more than 20,000 sold .It could also make 500 horsepower... In a fiberglass car! Holy SH... Nikes In 1968, Chevy launched the next Corvette, the C3 Blessed with a gigantic nose, just like Jessica, the. C3 would become the best and longest-lasting Corvette sales of them all began that first year, with sales approaching 30,000 units for the first time in Corvette history in 1980, fifteen years after it was launched.

Introduced the C3 for the first time, Chevy decided to completely redesign the Corvette. The Corvette returned in 1984, it seemed that the C4 would finally have a mid-engine, just as Zora Arkus-Duntov had always wanted. The climate was right; mid-engined cars, and even Toyota. He was preparing his own design with the MR2. It seemed like a natural progression, but there was a problem. Americans are obsessed with the V8. I said it: America, you're obsessed with V8 engines. The only way to put the engine behind a Vette driver was to use a V6. The C4 would be the traditional design and Zora would have to continue waiting for his dream to come true.

Why couldn't Chevy figure out how to put a V8 behind a guy, but Lamborghini and Ferrari were putting V12s behind them? Just copy what they did! In 1990, Chevy seemed to believe that the Corvette had lost its focus. Chevy was tired of Lamborghini and Ferrari redefining sports cars, so they said, "Fuck it, we're doing it!" Let's make the baddest Corvette ever and call it ZR-1! It featured the LT5 engine, a 5.7-liter aluminum V8 that produced 375 hp. The LT-5 was designed with the help of Lotus and Mercury Marine. Wait. Marine mercury? They make boats. You name it, it worked.

The ZR-1 was by far the fastest Corvette on sale with a top speed of 172 miles per hour, and the most expensive as well, selling for the equivalent of $117... $117,000 in today's money. And most importantly: the C4 is also the Barbie Corvette. My sister had a Hotweel. Catherine? Boom. Thank you for lending me your wheels all those years ago. In 1997, the C5 was a complete redesign of the Corvette, the largest redesign in automotive history. Every part was updated or changed, every component improved: better handling, better weight distribution, better

everything

. Chevy then brought back the Z06 variant, a badge first used on the original Sting Ray.

If ten years ago you were dreaming of the ZR-1, this was the Vette for you. "Not for me" In 2005, the sixth generation of the Corvette was inspired by the Z06: the new basic model had a 6-liter V8 with 400 hp. But aside from a few styling changes, the C6 wasn't much different from the C5. The following year, the Z06 introduced a small-block V8, good for a colossal 505 horsepower, in a Vette! It doesn't get any better than that, right? Yes you can! In 2009, Chevy brought back the ZR1 AGAIN! This time powered by a 6.2L supercharged V8 capable of generating 638 hp! and they were really just competing with themselves.

That's because that's what you have to do! You put on the blinders and just run on horseback. Don't worry about what this guy is doing there! Look at the finish line! In 2014, the C7 Vette brought back the old Stingray name with an aggressive new face and an all-new engine. The C7 is brutal! It surprised everyone when it first came out. Like when my friend Chris came out for the first time! We were like, "What?! You have so many girls!" "Errr, they're just my friends." "Can you be friends with girls"? And we all grew a little bit that day.

The base StingRay made 465 horsepower, enough to go from 0 to 100 in 3.9 seconds. It's as fast as an Audi R8, a Porsche 911 Carrera S and a Jaguar F-Type. And they brought back the Z06 with a 650 HP supercharged V8! The 2018 model even has an onboard camera that can record your lap times with important stats like cornering forces, acceleration, and a track map. We live in the fucking future friend. "Hello, welcome to the future" And it doesn't end there. If spy photos and 'leaked' computer designs are to be believed, Chevy is working on a new mid-engine Corvette for 2019. An actual prototype has been seen doing some cold-weather testing and comparing it to a Porsche 911.

It It means that Chevy is serious about making the Corvette a true supercar contender. The best part of this rumor is what the new Corvette could be called: The C8 Zora. Here's to you Zora! The Corvette is in a category of its own. An American sports car with no one to play with at home and disrespected by its peers abroad. But he's still trying to be the best. That's all you need to know to get up to speed with the Corvette. The car has been around for about 65 years, so obviously we may have missed a few things.

What was your favorite generation of Corvette? Are you in a Corvette club? Is the Corvette a car for old people? Do you still open your neck? Do you wear jean shorts? Do you have white New Balance? Nolan does it. Why doesn't Ford have a Corvette competitor? Funny you ask, watch my son Nolan's show "Wheelhouse" where he answers that question. Also, Matt Field's Corvette FD build - very cool! We have merchandise! Shop.Donut.Media Get yourself a t-shirt, get yourself a sticker! I love you!