Chevy Corvette

The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car produced by General Motors, a parent company of Chevrolet. Initial Corvette model was designed by Harley Earl and it first hit the market in the model year 1953.

The Chevrolet Corvette has been produced in 6-generations and available body styles include hardtop coupe, targa coupe, convertible, and t-top coupe.

The awards won by the sports model include Car of the Year in 1984 and in 1998, Top Sports car in 1960, Canadian Car of the year in 2006 and North American car of the year in 2005.

The models released in various generations are referred as C1 through C6 and the next generation C7 version is expected to be released in 2012.

First Generation C1 (1953-1962)

The Chevrolet Corvette was first introduced in the final season of 1953. These models were also called as Solid Axle models. The standard engine to the model was 265 cu in V8 version. It was one of the first mass engines in history.

The Chevrolet Corvette was slightly modified in 1956. The optional features in the model include heavy duty brakes, hydraulically operated power convertible top, suspension, power windows and 4-speed manual transmission.

Second Generation C2 (1963-1967)

The second generation Chevrolet Corvette was slightly redesigned in 1963, gaining few new features and more powerful engine. It was redesigned by Larry Shinoda.

Third Generation C3 (1968-1982)

The Corvette model released in this generation was called as C3. It was one of the top selling sports cars in United States. The chassis and engine components were carried over from second generation C2 version, but with revised interior and new body styling.

The new engine to the model includes a 327 cu in 5.4 liter version that delivers 300 hp.

Fourth Generation C4 (1984-1996)

The fourth generation Chevrolet Corvette was introduced in March, 1983 as 1984 model. Due to the technology issues and engineering problems, the redesigned Chevrolet Corvette did not hit the market until 1984.

Fifth Generation C5 (1997-2004)

The Chevrolet Corvette C5 model was introduced in 1997 and it was totally redesigned, gaining more powerful engine, suspension and few added features. With the powerful engine, the SUV model achieved top speed of 171 miles per hour.

Sixth Generation C6 (2005-Present)

The sixth generation or current Chevrolet Corvette is a convertible version that received reworked suspension, new body work with exposed headlights and larger passenger compartment.

The standard engine to the C6 version is 6.2 liter V8 that produces 405 hp of power at 6000 rpm and torque of 424 lb ft at 4400 rpm. With the V8 engine, the sports car can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4.2 seconds.