Pontiac almost beat Chevrolet to the Coke
bottle design body, with their 1965 Banshee, a two seater convertible
sports car that would have been hefty competition for the Corvette. GM
stopped it, and then Pontiac president John DeLorean later became
president of Chevrolet.
T-top does not refer to the shape of the
roof, but rather it is short for Targa Top. The original design was a pure
Targa but body flex demanded the center bar, discovered late in the
design.
Due to policy changes in Chevrolet,
Corvette was treated like all other car lines for the first time, and
quality dropped drastically. With bad publicity in most magazines, policy
was re-thought and Chevrolet quickly restored independence and quality to
Corvette within a few months, but all 1968s carry the stigma of being
"the worse quality" of all Corvettes.
All big block manifolds were redesigned to
actually sink into the lifter valley as the hood clearance was less than
in '67 and back. As such, a 1965 to 1967 big block intake manifold won't
fit in a 1968 or newer Corvette with a stock hood and air cleaner.
The exception to the above was the L-88. It
retained the high rise manifold and also received a special hood, which
was externally different this time.
Emission control equipment was installed on
the first 1968's in the fall of 1967 even though the federal law required
it only as of January 1, 1968.
1968 was the first year AM/FM stereo was
offered as an option.
1968-1972 the coupe's rearwindow was
removeable for more of a true convertible experience
The Sting Ray name was not used on the 1968
Corvette, but returned in 1969… Spelled Stingray.
Corvette had its first all aluminum engine
in 1969 as the ZL-1. It was not the first GM automobile to do so, beaten
by the Corvair in 1960 and the Buick 215 V8.
In 1969, the ignition lock was moved from
the dash to the steering column. It would remain there until 1997 when it
was returned to the dash.
The LS7 engine option, which was never
installed in the 1970 Corvette was $3000.
No Corvettes were painted Black at the
factory from 1970 to 1976.
The only outside difference between the
1971 and a 1972 Corvette is the appearance of the amber front turn signals
and vertical chroming on the egg-crate grills both on the 1972 - that's
it. Minor stuff most people miss.
1972 was the only year for Corvette
"Big Block" engines in the 1968 to 1972 range to have no horse
power sticker on the air cleaner lid.
"Pewter Silver" was only offered
as an exterior color in 1972.
The 1970 - 1972 Corvettes were the last to
feature chrome bumpers front and rear. In 1973, the front bumper changed
to body-colored flexible plastic. In 1974 the rear bumper followed suit.
In 1973, aluminum wheels were again
available as an option, but the same problem that plagued the 1963
aluminum wheels, the inability to hold air, kept these out of the hands of
customers until 1976.
The rear view mirror in the 1974 Corvette
was increased to a width of 10".
The last true dual exhaust was installed in
1974, after that, everything went through a catalytic converter.
1974 rear bumper was 2 pieces, 1975-1982
used a one piece unit.
The awesome 454ci engine was only offered
for 5 years.. 1970, 71, 72, 73, and 1974
Gymkhana Suspension was first introduced in
the 1974 Corvette.
1974 was the last year the Corvette would
be produced to run on "leaded" gasoline.
1975 first year for HEI distributor.
1975 was lowest production year for
convertibles for those years that offered both convertibles and coupes.
1976 Corvette used the same steering wheel
as a Chevrolet Vega for the "Sport Wheel" Option.
1977 last year for the notch back shark.
In 1977 crossed flags returned to the nose
and sides of the Corvette.
1977 saw the redesign of the center console
to accept standard Delco radios, the first year that Corvette didn't have
a Corvette only radio.
The '78 Pace Car was "Black and
Silver" was because it photographed well. Back then, most magazine
articles and ads were still done in Black & White!
The body in 1978 was widened in the rear
fender area. This was discovered by customizers when converting '78 and
newer coupes to convertibles after the convertible production ended in
1975.
1979 Corvette's highest production year.
By Federal mandate, the 1980 Corvette was
the first Corvette to have an 85 MPH speedometer.
1981 the first Corvette to use a computer.
The 1981 Corvette had two cooling fans to
increase engine power.
In 1981, Corvettes were produced with two
different types of paint. Lacquer was applied at the St. Louis plant, and
enamel was applied at the new Bowling Green plant.
In 1982 fuel injection reappeared in the
Corvette after a 17-year hiatus.
