Corvette turns 62 a few days ago

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Well: Here's my all original 26 year old example. I keep wondering if I should get a newer on e but this one does everything I'd ask from a sports car. 62,000 original miles and still going strong.
Jim
 
I had a '65 and then a '70. They started as a concept car in '52-'53 called a Corvair. '53-'54's had a six cyl until Chevy came up with the 265 V8 in'55. My buddy ordered a 427 '69 coupe with side pipes and the factory that built them went on strike. Took him 9 months to take delivery and he had it 2 weeks before in a drunken episode he ran it into a house.
They ran the exhaust pipes in the drive shaft tunnel to enable the car to sit low to the ground. Most Corvettes prior to '63 didn't have A.C. and most were ordered w/o air since it was a 25 hp drag. That combination made the interior an oven on hot day.
 
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The Corvette and I share the same birth year, 1953.

The first Corvettes were built in Flint, Michigan which isn't far from me. It had an oak frame so many didn't survive so well. There is a museum in Flint that has a 1953 Corvette displayed in front of an old A&W root beer stand. It is in perfect condition and is on loan to the museum.
When I was a kid I tried to convince my Dad to buy me one for my 16th birthday but never happened. I remember back then you could buy old Corvettes cheap here.
 
JcMack said:
I had a '65 and then a '70. They started as a concept car in '52-'53 called a Corvair. '53-'54's had a six cyl until Chevy came up with the 265 V8 in'55. My buddy ordered a 427 '69 coupe with side pipes and the factory that built them went on strike. Took him 9 months to take delivery and he had it 2 weeks before in a drunken episode he ran it into a house.
They ran the exhaust pipes in the drive shaft tunnel to enable the car to sit low to the ground. Most Corvettes prior to '63 didn't have A.C. and most were ordered w/o air since it was a 25 hp drag. That combination made the interior an oven on hot day.
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Most all big blocks tended to run hot so that was the reason you saw the headlights up on warm/hot days to let more air into the engine area.

My buddy owned a speed shop garage in the 60s and I worked PT for him when needed and that gave me a chance to get to know just about every hot car that was out there way back when!:D
 
Brian41 said:
The Corvette and I share the same birth year, 1953.

The first Corvettes were built in Flint, Michigan which isn't far from me. It had an oak frame so many didn't survive so well. There is a museum in Flint that has a 1953 Corvette displayed in front of an old A&W root beer stand. It is in perfect condition and is on loan to the museum.
When I was a kid I tried to convince my Dad to buy me one for my 16th birthday but never happened. I remember back then you could buy old Corvettes cheap here.
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Oak Frame? Sure your not thinking of a few of the early BRITISH cars?
 
Brian41 said:
It had an oak frame so many didn't survive so well.
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That sounds like a mixup in the legends.

The 1953 had a fairly conventional steel frame.
4.20_intro_1953-Corvette-chassis.jpg


The 1997 C5 Corvette's floor was constructed using two layers of an aircraft type composite material wrapped around a balsa wood core.
The Corvette Story: 1997 Corvette
 
The British Morgan had an oak frame, I believe the early MG TD and TF may have had wood frames as well.
Corvettes never did. :cool:

I have a black 1986 Roadster ;)
 
They're a great car and an American icon. The 2015 Z06 Stingray is a pleasure to drive. Happy Birthday, Corvette!
 
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The Corvette frame was the same from 1953 to 1962. It was very close to the 1950 Chevrolet passenger frame with a lot of steering and braking components being identical. It never was oak. Obviously the Corvette steadily advanced in performance and comfort over the years but from the late 1990's, the car has achieved very high levels in these areas. While the first generation (1953 to 1962) always draw a crowd, they are a primitive ride by today's standards and most of us older folks have moved into the 2000 and up years for the cars we drive. I've not driven the C7 (2014 and up) but friends say it is another step up from previous models.
 
Geno44 said:
The Corvette frame was the same from 1953 to 1962. It was very close to the 1950 Chevrolet passenger frame with a lot of steering and braking components being identical. It never was oak. Obviously the Corvette steadily advanced in performance and comfort over the years but from the late 1990's, the car has achieved very high levels in these areas. While the first generation (1953 to 1962) always draw a crowd, they are a primitive ride by today's standards and most of us older folks have moved into the 2000 and up years for the cars we drive. I've not driven the C7 (2014 and up) but friends say it is another step up from previous models.
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I bought a 15 convertible (AKA -Vert) and it has many major improvements over previous models (will have to change my avatar pic one of these days) Without a doubt I’m a curmudgeon so I will state that as far as I’m concerned the C7 is way overloaded with electronics and nanny features. If I had it to do over again I would have keep my 07 Z06 and not bought this computer with wheels.:mad:
 
I've always wanted a Corvette, but the way things are I'll have to stick with my matchbox car versions since that's all I can afford.
 
I like the original to 67 and the current body. Everything else I cannot stand.
But I'm glad its been around so long.
 
FirebirdV8,,,,
I've always wanted a Corvette, but the way things are I'll have to stick with my matchbox car versions since that's all I can afford
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Look into the Greenlight version of collectable miniatures they are far better and better detailed than Matchbox! I have a bunch of them and I buy them at KidsRUs. ;)
 
I've got a '99 coupe with 72,000 miles that I love. Starting with the C5 generation in '97, I think that the Corvette became a world class sports car, although I DO agree about the C7 being a giant computer. If I can sell my 26,000 mile 2003 Mustang GT, I'd like to find a nice C3 or C4, excluding the "Cross Fire Injectio" '82 and '84 models. My gf and I love our 'vette, and enjoy doing events with our local club and others.
 
I had a 1977 Corvette...L82 with a 4-speed. Silver with black leather interior. T-tops. I put Hooker headers and side pipes on it. Installed Cibié lights for headlights, which in '77 were about the equivalent of aircraft landing lights! It's a wonder I didn't kill myself in that car. I know for sure I have one faded color photograph of it somewhere...I'll have to look for it. If I had known then what I know now, that car would still be sitting out behind my house.
 
The C4s are sleepers right now as were the C3s for many years. I doubt it will be long before collectors discover that the pool of really nice C4s is rapidly shrinking. IMO prices can do nothing else but go up on these!
 
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