Chevy Corvette: 60 years of cool

The Corvette debuted as a concept car in January 1953 at the General Motors Motorama in New York, and the first production car rolled off the line June 30, 1953. Only 300 Corvettes were built that first year, mostly by hand because of difficulties in forming the fiberglass bodies, and all were Polo White with Sportsman Red interiors. Under the hood, the Corvette featured a 235-cubic-inch inline 6-cylinder engine that sent its 150 horsepower and 223 lb-ft of torque through a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. With a zero-to-60-mph time of 11 seconds, the first Corvette wasn't really a world beater.

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General Motors design chief Harley Earl tweaked the styling for 1956, adding the side coves that would define the '50s Corvettes. However, the car really came into its own in 1957, thanks to a larger engine with the 'Vette's first fuel-injection system. The 283-cubic-inch V8 now made as much as 283 horsepower, and starting midyear it was offered with a 4-speed manual transmission for the first time. In a Road & Track magazine test, a 283 "fuelie" vaulted from zero to 60 mph in just 5.7 seconds.

The Corvette SS is known more for its potential than its accomplishments. Built to race in the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Super Sport shared only its 283-cubic-inch V8 engine with the production car, and it made 24 more horsepower for a total of 307. With a 72-inch wheelbase, magnesium body panels and a tube space frame, the car — also known as the Corvette Sebring — weighed only 1,850 pounds. The car was fast in testing, but a rear suspension issue ended its day at Sebring, and its career was ended outright because of an industrywide voluntary racing ban that went into effect in 1957 in reaction to a horrific accident at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans that killed 77 people and injured many more.

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General Motors design chief Bill Mitchell loved the Corvette Super Sport race car so much that he rescued it from the crusher, reskinned it and went racing as a privateer. The wheelbase grew to 92 inches, and power improved to 315 horses in the process. Dick Thompson raced it in the Sports Car Club of America's C-Modified class in 1959 and '60 and won the championship that second year. The Stingray eventually added "Corvette" badges and went on the show circuit as a concept car in 1961. It will always be remembered as a great racer and the precursor to 1963 to 1967 Corvette styling.

The Corvette's first complete redesign came in 1963, when it became the Sting Ray. The new model added its first coupe body style — the stunning split-window design — as well as an independent rear suspension and air conditioning. The 327-cubic-inch V8 engine made as much as 360 horsepower when ordered with fuel injection. The split window lasted only one year due to complaints about visibility, but the coupe body style was here to stay, and the 1963-'67 Corvettes would go down as the most beautiful in the marque's history.

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After years of a self-imposed racing ban, Chevrolet attempted to return to competition in 1963 with the Grand Sport, a heavily modified version of the redesigned Corvette. The Grand Sport used a much stronger frame, a tubular "bird-cage" underbody structure, lighter-weight suspension components, 4-wheel disc brakes and a 377-cubic-inch V8 engine that cranked out 550 horsepower. Chevrolet intended to build 100 Grand Sports so the car would be sanctioned for racing, but only five were ever built, including two roadsters, as GM management nixed the project to honor the racing ban.

Corvettes have always represented power and performance, but Chevrolet really doubled down on power when it introduced the first big-block Corvette in 1965. The new Mark IV V8, marketed as the Turbo Jet, was a 396-cubic-inch engine that produced 425 horsepower — 50 more than the available 327-cubic-inch small-block V8. With the big-block, the Corvette could sprint from zero to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 14.1 seconds, both of which were made safer by the first 4-wheel disc brakes in Corvette history.

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After only five model years, the Corvette was redesigned again for 1968, and the so-called C3 — or "Shark" — generation would keep that same basic design until 1982. The new car introduced the partially open T-top roof, a 3-speed HydraMatic automatic transmission and more creature comforts than before, making the Corvette feel more like a grand tourer than a pure sports car. Built at the peak of muscle-car performance, the 1968 Corvette was available with as much as 430 horsepower in the L88 package, although the actual horsepower was likely much higher.

The 1970s was a dark time for performance as automakers struggled to conform to new emissions standards. That left the Corvette as the only domestic choice for those who wanted a sports car, and Chevrolet sold almost 47,000 Corvettes in 1978 and a record 53,807 in 1979. Among those '78s was the Limited Edition Indy 500 Pace Car. The first of several Indy Pace Cars, the '78 added a hefty $4,300 to the $9,500 starting price but didn't include any performance features. Still, 6,502 buyers chose it as a future collectible, and it is one of the most sought after 1970s 'Vettes today.

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After the C3's 15-year run — there was no 1983 Corvette — the C4 'Vette of 1984 was long overdue. The new Corvette was shorter and wider than the outgoing car, giving it a truer sports car shape. Under the fiberglass skin, the ladder frame gave way to a lighter C-shaped backbone. A bird-cage-style structure was welded to the backbone, making the C4 the first unibody Corvette. Handling was improved, but the 350-cubic-inch V8 engine made only marginal strides, with 205 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque. Inside, the look was high-tech with digital gauges. The car was certainly more modern, but the C4 isn't the most appealing generation of Corvette.

Since the 1950s, Chevrolet has considered building a midengine Corvette to better compete with Italian supercars. The Corvette Indy Concept was an effort to study just such a car. It debuted in January 1986 at the Detroit Auto Show and employed technology that would be considered advanced today. Constructed mainly of carbon fiber, it featured all-wheel drive, 4-wheel steering and an active suspension. The first engine was a 32-valve 5.7-liter V8, but it was later replaced by a 2.65-liter V8 meant for Indy Car racing. The Corvette Indy led to two similar concepts, but a midengine 'Vette never materialized.

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Chevrolet developed the ZR-1 as an attempt to compete with Italian supercars. The most sophisticated Corvette to date, the ZR-1 was powered by the high-tech LT5 V8 engine. Developed with Lotus and built by Mercury Marine, this 5.7-liter V8 featured dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. It put out 375 horses and launched the car from zero to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. Offered only as a hatchback coupe, the ZR-1 also used the Z51 handling package, larger brakes and wider rear tires. It remained in production until 1995 and would return in 2009.

After years of uninspired design and performance, the Corvette came into its own in its fifth generation. The C5 Corvette was a higher-quality car than the one it replaced, and performance was much better both in a straight line and through turns. A new all-aluminum LS1 5.7-liter V8 engine boosted output from 330 to 345 horsepower and dropped the zero-to-60 mph time from 5.1 to 4.8 seconds. The new rear transaxle improved weight balance, and the new perimeter frame chassis was stronger than in previous 'Vettes. Only a hatchback coupe was offered for 1997; the convertible returned for '98.

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The C5-R was the first officially sanctioned race car in Corvette's history. Built to compete in the American Le Mans Series' GTS class, the race car shared much in common with the street car, including the frame and engine block, but its carbon-fiber bodywork was 4 inches wider, and at 600 horsepower it cranked out 255 more ponies. In its debut, the C5-R placed third in the GT2 class at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Subsequent C5-R and C6-R race cars have won at Le Mans and claimed multiple manufacturers' championships.

Named after a racing-oriented option package from the 1960s, the Z06 debuted in 2001 as the pinnacle of Corvette performance. For 2002, the LS6 5.7-liter V8 engine added 20 horsepower, bringing the total to 405 and launching the car from zero to 60 mph in a blazing 3.9 seconds. The Z06 was offered only as a lightweight notchback coupe. Its performance was further improved by a stiffer suspension and sticky Goodyear tires designed specifically for the car. The Z06 returned as a C6 model, and it now features a 7.0-liter V8 that makes as a whopping 505 horsepower.

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Unveiled at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show, the C6 Corvette wasn't all-new but it was quite different than the C5. Despite a slightly longer wheelbase, it was 5.1 inches shorter and an inch wider. Styling, while not retro, was influenced by the 1963-'67 Corvette and the F-22A Raptor fighter jet. The structure still used the C5's uniframe design, but it was strengthened, and the central torque tube was made from aluminum. Under the hood, the new small-block V8 engine grew from 5.7 to 6.0 liters, and horsepower rose from 350 to 400 and later to as much as 436.

In 2009, Chevrolet introduced the fastest production Corvette of all time, the ZR1, a car that continues to this day. A true supercar, the ZR1 uses carbon-fiber body panels and aluminum suspension components to cut weight, and General Motors' Magnetic Ride Control adjustable suspension to improve handling. Powered by the supercharged LS9 6.2-liter V8 engine that cranks out 638 horsepower, the ZR1 sprints from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and tops out at a stratospheric 205 mph.

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Chevrolet unveiled the C7 Corvette early this year at the Detroit Auto Show, reviving the Stingray name for the first time since 1976. Corvette performance improves with each generation, and Chevrolet is employing a lot of technology to make sure the C7 follows suit. An aluminum frame and a carbon-fiber hood and roof help cut 150 pounds total, and the new LT1 6.2-liter V8 engine increases base horsepower to 450. Zero to 60 mph arrives in four seconds flat, and an available Magnetic Ride Control suspension promises to improve agility. Watch for the new Corvette this summer.

Kirk Bell has served as the associate publisher for Consumer Guide Automotive and editor of Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine. A Midwest native, Bell brings 18 years of automotive journalism experiencetoMSN,andcurrently contributes to JDPower.com and Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.