The Legendary Corvettes

The legendary production line of sports cars which was epic from the very beginning

"Well a corvette... don't get me started on these things. I don't need to explain what kind of a car it is you already know. Its the ultimate car for a guy who loves racing and muscle cars. You might find other cars probably better that these but you will never get the feel nor the power that a corvette engine can give. She is a real beast. The sound of the engine is so pure which you will never get from another car."

Corvette is a sports car designed and produced by Chevrolet. It was a division of General Motors. The very first corvette that was produced in 1953. It was the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette C1. It was designed by Harley Earl and was a convertible. They names it after a a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship called a corvette. If you are interested in more info about corvettes visit www.corvettemuseum.org

1953 Chevrolet Corvette C1 (First Generation)

The very first car in 1953 itself had a unique design and a very powerful engine the interior design was very clean and decent and it was a unique design. Even now when you see the car you will fall in love with it the moment you see it.

Alright enough with the fancy interior exterior stuff lets take a look under the hood

Well this car has a V8 engine... yeah you heard me right it actually had a V8 engine which was kind of new thing in 1953. so lets see the car's specs:

Vehicle Specifications: Convertible 

Wheelbase, inches: 102.0

Length, inches: 167.0

Width, inches: 72.2 

Track, inches: front: 57.0 rear: 59.0

Height, inches: 51.3 

Curb Weight, pounds: 2,850

Engine Specifications 

Type: ohv I-6

Displacement, liters/cu inch: 3.85/235.5 

Bore x stroke, inches: 3.56 x 3.95

Fuel Management: 3 Carter sidedraft

Horsepower @ rpm: 150 @ 4200

Torque @ rpm, pound-foot: 223 @ 2400

Performance

Acceleration: 150 hp, 2-sp automatic

0-60 mph, sec: 11.0 

0-100 mph, sec: 41.0 

1/4-mile, sec: 17.9

Wow that one hell of a car and all this was in 1953. well lets move on to the next epic corvette in the line.

1958 Chevrolet Corvette

This is the 1958 Corvette which has some modification and a few new things in it. First of all the talking about the design, the car changed into a big full-size car as you can see the front lights have changed, this model has 4 head lamps. It's bit better than the 1953 model in exterior design point of view. The car was originally a convertible but you can also get the optional Hardtop too.

Actually the suspension have also have developed. lets see some of the differences under the hood.

Exterior Dimensions:

    Total Length: 177.2 in.
    Total width: 72.8 in.
    Height at kerb weight: 52.0 in.
    Wheelbase: 102.0 in.
    Front Track: 57 in.
    Rear Track: 59 in.

Kerb Weight:

    3050 lb

Transmission:

    4 Speed Manual:
        1st: 2.20:1
        2nd: 1.66:1
        3rd: 1.31:1
        4th: 1:1
        Reverse: 2.25:1


    250 bhp V8 Engine:
        Capacity: 283 cubic inches
        Type: Conventional, watercooled four stroke, reciprocating piston type with 8 cylinders in Vee configuration
        Configuration: Front mounted, longitudinal, upright
        Head: Pushrod and rocker actuated ohv with two valves per cylinder
        Fuel System: fuel injection
        Bore and Stroke: 3.875 x 3.0 in.
        Power: 250 bhp @ 5000rpm
        Torque: 305 lb-ft @ 3800rpm
        Compression Ratio: 9.5:1
        Other engines available 230 bhp, 245 bhp, 270 bhp and 290 bhp
    Ignition and Electrical:
        Coil and distributor
    Suspension:
        Front: Independent, A-arms, coil springs
        Rear: Rigid axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs
    Steering:
        Rack and pinion, ratio 21:1 standard, 16.3:1 optional
        Turning circle: 39 feet
    Brakes:
        Front: Hydraulic 11 in. Drum
        Rear: Hydraulic 11 in. Drum
    Wheels:
        Steel disc wheels with safety rims 15 x 5K
    Tyres:
        6.70 x 15 in.
        Tyre pressure: 24/24 psi
    Performance (250 bhp V8):
        Standing Quarter Mile: 15.6 secs.
        Speed at end: 92.4 mph
        Top Speed: 115 mph


Performance

Speed           Time

0-30 mph       3.2 secs.
0-40 mph       4.4 secs.
0-50 mph       6.3 secs.
0-60 mph       7.6 secs.
0-70 mph       9.8 secs.
0-80 mph     12.3 secs.
0-90 mph     15.2 secs.
0-100 mph   18.5 secs.


Obviously is car had a bad-ass engine 270 or 290bhp was a pretty good power for a car in 1958. Lets look at the interior of the car

Well its she's a beauty isn't she? It looks sporty and classic. I'd say this is a masterpiece of interior designing!

1959 Sting Ray racer-concept 

 

Actually this was a concept car but it is also designed for racing. This car was a very fascinating figure in the late 1950 s. It was designed by Bill Mitchell. This is one of the most expensive Corvettes out there even today. This vehicle is very rare and even if you find one it's going to be really expensive. This is one of the most loved and admired concept Corvettes of all time.

Specifications:

1959 Stingray Racer

•     Frame:Space frame
•     Body: Fiberglass
•     Engine location: Front
•     Drive type: Rear wheel
•     Weight: 2,200 lb (1,000 kg)
•     Engine configuration: V
•     Cylinders: 8
•     Aspiration/Induction: Normal
•     Displacement: 283.00 in³ | 4638 cc
•     Valvetrain: OHV
•     Power: 315 hp (235 kW) @ 6200 rpm
•     Torque: 295.00 ft·lbf (400 N·m) @ 4700 rpm
•     Power-to-weight ratio: 7.0 lb/hp
•     Power-to-volume ratio: 68.5 bhp/L
•     Bore: 3.87 in | 98.3 mm
•     Stroke: 3.00 in | 76.2 mm
•     Compression Ratio: 11.0:1'

 

1963 Chevrolet Corvette C2 (Second generation)

63 Corvette was and legendary classic muscle and this is still around because of the unique design and the bad-ass looks of it. Its a real beauty and a beast. 

Original Car:

Modified versions:

Interior:

I actually didn't want to write much about this car because its better have a look at it than just read stuff.

Specifications:

Suspension
front: Independent; upper and lower A-arms, coil springs, antiroll bar, tubular hydraulic shock absorbers
rear: Fixed differential, U-jointed half shafts, lateral struts, radius rods, transverse leaf spring, tubular hydraulic shock absorbers, antiroll bar w/big block engines

Wheels/Tires
6.70x15

Brakes
front: 11-inch drum
rear: 11-inch drum

Transmission
3-speed manual (std)
4-speed manual (opt)
2-speed Powerglide (opt)

Standard axle ratio
3.70:1

Engine:

Torque @ rpm, pound-foot    350 @ 2800    360 @ 3200    344 @ 4000    352 @ 4000

Proformance:

Acceleration                   300 hp, 4-sp manual.
0-60 mph, sec                       6.1
0-100 mph, sec                  14.5
1/4-mile, sec @ mph         14.5 @ 100

By the looks and the technical specifications this car is a real beast. 352bhp was a huge number in early 1960s. These cars were real hardcore American muscle cars back in the day. So love it live it and hopefully buy one someday!

I hope you guys enjoyed the review and I'm looking forward to post more and much more interesting car reviews soon. Leave a comment below and let me know what cars that you guys like me to do a review on. Happy racing guys c ya soon.