Corvette Sting Ray History

Corvette Sting Ray History – the C1’s

The first generation of Corvettes began in 1953 when the first Corvette was introduced, and ended with the 1962 Corvette. The C1 Corvettes have been nicknamed "Straight Axle" Corvettes since they contain a very simple and straightforward suspension system. The first three models had characteristic rocket tail lights, while the 1956 and 1957 models can be easily identified by the Cove. The 1953-1955 models definitely had a certain “rocket theme” over them. The 1956 and1957 Corvettes is still extremely bellowed cars, partly due to their playful design with plenty of chrome. In 1958, quad headlight treatment was introduced and this style was used for all the new models of the first generation Corvettes. The 1961 and 1962 year models borrowed a rear that would later be used in the second generation Corvettes.

Corvette Sting Ray History – the C2’s

The second generation Corvettes form an extremely important part of the Corvette Sting Ray history. This era was when the name Corvette Sting Ray was used for the first time and the early Corvette Sting Ray cars are still among the most sought after cars on the planet. The C2 generation is very short, it began with the 1963 Corvette and ended with the 1967 Corvette. These cars are commonly referred to as the mid-year Corvettes in Corvette Sting Ray history.
The C2 generation was designed by Larry Shinoda and styled by Bill Mitchel. The C2 Corvettes were the first ones to use independent rear suspension, a fact which clearly distinguishes them form the old straight-axle corvettes of the C1 generation.

Corvette Sting Ray History – the C3’s

This part of Corvette Sting Ray history lasted much longer than the previous generations, from 1968 to 1982.  The chassis was the same as in the C2 Corvettes, but the body style was completely new. This new style can be seen in the cars of the C4, C5 and C6 generations as well. The cars created during the early part of this era in Corvette Sting Ray history is commonly referred to as the “chrome bumper Corvettes”. Chrome bumpers were used from 1968 to 1972 and give the cars a distinctive style. By the mid 70’s, emission laws and safety regulations had forced car manufacturers to focus on other things than style, drivability and performance. Unfortunately, the technical innovations were still quite crude and Corvette had to sacrifice performance to measure up to the new requirements.

Corvette Sting Ray History – the C4’s