Chevrolet Corvette C3

The Chevrolet Corvette C3 is a sports car produced between 1968 and 1982. It is the third and longest-running generation of Chevrolet Corvettes built and marketed by Chevrolet.

Overview

Patterned after Chevrolet's "Mako Shark II" (designed by Larry Shinoda), this generation has the distinction of being introduced to the motoring public in an unorthodox�and unintended�fashion. 1968 marked the introduction of Mattel's now-famous Hot Wheels line of 1/64-scale die cast toy cars. General Motors had tried their best to keep the appearance of the upcoming car a secret, but the release of the Hot Wheels line several weeks before the Corvette's unveiling had a certain version of particular interest to Corvette fans: the "Custom Corvette", a GM-authorized model of the 1968 Corvette. The C3 Corvette kept the bulging fenders from the C2 Corvettes and had a more aerodynamic shape than the C2. The C3 Corvette influenced the body shape of the C4, C5 and the C6 Corvettes.

In 1969, GM enlarged their small-block V8 again to 350 in3 (5.7 L) and the ZL1 option was offered, with an all aluminum 427 big-block engine listed at 430 horsepower (320 kW) but generally accepted as delivering at least one hundred horsepower (75 kW) more than that. In an interview with Gib Hufstater in 1999, the engine had an output of 710 horsepower. This option cost $4,700 (the ZL1 was a $3,010 option that consisted of an assortment of aluminum cylinder block and heads on top of the $1,032.15 L88 race option.), and only 2 were ever built. Although some rumors have it that a few people bought the ZL-1 engine separately and placed it into their own Corvettes. Although in 1968 the name Sting Ray wasn't used, it came back in 1969 as "Stingray", lasting from 1969 until 1976-1977, which brought the end of the Stingray body style. 1969 was also the year where they re-introduced the factory mounted side-pipes which came into play first in 1965. Also, the small-block 327 was dropped, making way to the 350 (5.7 L).

In 1970 the 427 big-block V8 was enlarged to 454 in3 (7.4 L)., and the Corvette got the LS5 engine which had a power output of 390 horsepower. The Corvette did not receive the LS6 engine which made 450 horsepower, but was instead given to the Chevelle.
Power peaked in the 1970 and 1971 models, with the 1970 LT-1 small-block putting out 370 hp (276 kW). In 1971, the Corvette got the LS6 454 big-block which was minorly detuned from the year before dropping the power output from 450 to 425 hp (317 kW).

In 1972, GM moved to the SAE Net measurement for power (away from the previous SAE Gross standard), which resulted in lower values expressed in reported horsepower. Along with the move to unleaded fuel which required lower compression ratios, emission controls, and catalytic converters, power continued to decline and bottomed out in 1975�the base L48 engine put out 165 hp (123 kW), and the optional L82 engine put out 205 hp (153 kW). This was the lowest power Corvette since the first year of production. Nevertheless, Car and Driver magazine found the Corvette to be the fastest accelerating American car for 1976, with a 0-60 time of 7.1 seconds. Power remained fairly steady for the rest of the C3 generation, ending in 1982 with the 200 hp (149 kW) L83 engine. In 1980, all California-spec Corvettes received the smaller 305 cubic-inch V8 due to that state's more stringent emission regulations along with an automatic transmission for just that one year, while 49-state Corvettes continued with the 350 V8 and a choice of automatic or four-speed manual transmissions.

Styling changed subtly over the generation. In 1973, the Corvette dropped the front chrome bumpers for a urethane-compound "5 mph" bumper but kept the rear chrome bumpers. In 1974, The rear chrome bumpers became urethane, too, making 1973 the last Corvette model year with any rear chrome bumpers. 1975 was the last year for the convertible, and 1978 saw the introduction of a glass bubble rear window to "freshen" the car appearance for its 25th Anniversary. Corvette production hit its peak in 1979, at 53,807. In 1980, the Corvette got an integrated aerodynamic redesign that resulted in a significant reduction in drag. 1980 was also the introduction of many weight-saving components such as thinner body panels and an aluminum Dana 44 IRS differential (instead of the previously used but arguably stronger iron GM 10 bolt IRS diff).

Special Editions

Collector Edition

The 1982 Collector Edition was the first Corvette hatchback, foreshadowing the C4 Corvette. It included a "cross-fire" TBI fuel injected engine good for 823 hp (149 kW). 6,759 Collector Edition Corvettes were produced that year, out of a total production of 25,407.

The Collector Edition also had special aluminum wheels designed to look like the bolt-on wheels of the 1967 car. A special color scheme was used inside and out along with Collector Edition badges. The Collector Edition had a "0" in the sixth digit of the VIN rather than the "8" found on standard Corvettes. This was the first Corvette to sell for more than $20,000, with a base price of $22,537.59.

Indianapolis 500 pace cars

The C3 Coupe was chosen as the pace car for the 1978 Indianapolis 500. To celebrate this choice on its 25th year of production, Chevrolet intended to produce just over 300 replica pace cars. That number was increased later due to high demand, with Chevrolet deciding to produce one replica for every Chevrolet dealer in the United States at the time, 6,502 cars in total.

The replicas were equipped with a two toned color scheme (black on top and silver on bottom with a red line circumventing the car an inch below the intersection of the other two colors) with several sticker emblems on the door and behind the rear fender wells. The pace cars were equipped with otherwise optional tinted glass t-tops and rear spoiler.

Special VINs

The VINs of the replicas differed from the standard Corvette. An example VIN is 1Z8748S420001. The 1Z87 was the code for all models, the first 4 was the engine (in this case the L-82), the last 5 digits signify the actual number the car had. The pace car last five VINs began with 9 (example 900189)

ZR1

The ZR1 option is an $1,221.00 option available exclusively with the LT-1 engine option. It was a special racing package that included the solid-lifter small-block engine, heavy-duty four-speed transmission, power brakes, aluminum radiator, and a revised suspension with special springs, shocks, stabilizer bar, and spindle-strut shafts. Since it was competition equipment, the ZR1 could not be ordered with power windows, power steering, air conditioning, a rear-window defogger, wheel covers, or a radio.

ZR-2

The ZR-2 is a 1-year option originally planned for 1970, but officially released in 1971 for $1,747.00. It included the racing equipment options in ZR1, but it is an option for the LS-6 engine. Per GM policy, 1971 Corvette engines were detuned to run on low-lead fuel, except for the LS-6 454, which was rated at 425 bhp (317 kW) on premium gas. 188 cars in the 1971 model included LS-6 engine, with 12 cars including the ZR-2 package.

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