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What began as a mere performance package back in 1963, the Corvette Z06 has morphed into a thoroughbred racer for track day warriors and street-loving hooligans alike. After the seventh generation Corvette Stingray debuted this time last year—arguably becoming the best Vette in the brand’s storied history—anticipation for the next track-focused Corvette has been at an all-time high
America’s Sensational Sport Car! Creating a sensation everywhere!
The new First Generation Corvette boasted a 160 hp extra-high compression Blue-Flame engine, teamed with the new Powerglide automatic transmission. No V8 for the Corvette, yet!
Introduced in 1965, the Quadrajet is the only four-barrel carburetor that performed well during the 1960s, through tighter emissions in the 1970s, and lent itself to electronic feedback in the 1980s. The Quadrajet takes advantage of its “spreadbore” design to offer very good fuel economy and outstanding performance. Spreadbore means that it has small primary bores and much larger secondary bores. Most versions have 1-3/8” diameter primaries (very few had 1-7/16” primaries) and all have giant 2-¼” secondaries. During normal driving, the engine operates off the small primaries. Following the laws of physics, the higher the velocity of air through the venturis, the more efficiently you can meter fuel. With the small primaries in this carb you can take a 5,000 pound Cadillac or Olds 98 and achieve 16-17 mpg, which is not bad at all considering the heft of the vehicle. When the driver gets in a hurry however, the huge secondaries open and you can pretty much watch the gas gauge move. The “air valve” type secondary had two controlling features.
The C7 Corvette was introduced in the Fall of 2013, as a 2014 model. It’s the seventh generation Corvette and the first to bear the Corvette Stingray name since the 1976 third generation model. Body styles include both Coupe and Convertible.
The C7 Corvette’s LT1 engine brings several technologies new to the engine line, such as direct injection, Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) and continuously variable valve timing. Transmission choices include a 7-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
For 58 of its 60 years, the Chevrolet Corvette has been powered by the legendary Chevrolet V8 engine. Technological advancements have increased output threefold – from 195 hp in 1955 to 638 hp today – as well as reliability, refinement and efficiency.
However, the fundamental architecture of the Chevrolet “small block” remains the same today as it was in 1955: a 90-degree V8 with overhead valves actuated by pushrods, and a 4.4-inch on-center bore spacing.
The L88 Corvette is a car that, for the most part, hid in the shadows. But it actually cast a big shadow on the American muscle car scene as well. Oh, if you were keeping a close ear to the ground, you knew about it. But if you didn’t pay attention, it came and went in a flash. The reason for its existence was that Zora Arkus-Duntov, the chief Corvette engineer, was chagrined that Ford got all this publicity for winning the 24 Hours of LeMans. Yet he knew that Chevrolet had a durable engine in the 427 and yearned to make it available for racing. But he had one problem - Chevrolet, officially, was not in racing.
Buyer Beware:
Nasty con men have been known to machine off the original RPO non-L88 numbers and re-stamp new ones. Your best bet is to find a reference source that shows if the RPO code matches the casting number. We’d also highly recommend investing in an NCRS Specification Guide covering the model years you’re interested in. The rarest and most valuable item to document a Corvette is the car’s build sheet, which was applied to the gas tank during assembly. It’s not easy to get at, but obviously worth searching for if it means authenticating the car.
My name is David Way. I’m a retired auto shop owner who is Corvette crazy! I've loved Corvettes since I was a young man and saw the movie Corvette Summer. If you’re familiar with that movie, Mark Hamill had a wildly customized Corvette, and it always brings back old Corvette memories for me. I've had so many Corvettes throughout my life that I’ve lost count. I loved them all and had a blast working on them and driving them!
Take a leisurely drive down US Highway 1 on Florida’s east coast and you’ll pass through the small town of Titusville. For dozens of miles, this highway makes its way along the shores of the Indian River. If you look across the river at Titusville you’ll spot the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) – one of the largest structures on the Cape; home of NASA. For years Cape Canaveral was the center for rockets, space travel and astronauts!
Some towns have superstar athletes. In the Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach area, we have superstar astronauts. One of the most famous of those was Neil Armstrong. After all, Neil was the first man to walk on the moon – who could forget, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
This 1997 C5 Corvette sleeps by day and terrorizes by night
A first glance at this C5 gives most people the impression of “Cool, another C5 with wheels and exhaust tips. Another C5 ’Vette.”
Taking a closer look, you notice the Nitto Drag Radials sizing up at a whopping 305/45/R18. That’s over a foot of rubber on the ground. Once the car is started, it sounds like it has a bad alternator– screeching and whining… then roaring to life.
