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How The Corvette Changed The Sports Car Industry Forever |
By:
Gregg Hall |
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Harley Earl was an automobile design expert at Chevrolet who
noticed the influx of small European sports cars into the United
States after World War II. He knew there was a market for a
two-seat roadster and convinced Chevrolet to introduce their own
version: The Chevrolet Corvette.
In 1953, the first Corvette's were unveiled. The cars were
unique in their construction. Instead of the steel bodies common
for the time, the Corvette was actually built from a much
lighter material--fiberglass. This innovation, combined with its
Earl-designed appearance, however, was still not enough to make
the car an overnight success.
At the time, Chevrolet was known for producing inexpensive, but
unexciting vehicles. The Corvette, despite its sex styling and
innovative construction was "just another Chevy" at heart, and
lacked the performance sports car enthusiasts craved. The
original Corvettes featured a less-that-impressive V6, a
two-speed automatic transmission, and a brake system taken
directly from the regular Chevy line. In essence, the original
Corvette was a sports car in appearance alone. Sales lagged and
there was even talk of discontinuing Earl's pet project after a
few years.
Sales were simply too low. Although the fiberglass design wowed
potential buyers and critics within the sports car industry and
the appearance of the Corvette was beyond reproach, the car
simply lacked the kind of performance those searching for a true
sports car expected to find.
Then came Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Russian émigré and engineer who
found a home at Chevrolet, and a project in the Corvette. In
1955, Chevrolet introduced its first V8 engine. Arkus-Duntov
redesigned the V8 especially for the Corvette and placed the
bigger, more powerful motor into the small-bodied car. He also
replaced the old two-speed "powerglide" automatic with a 3-speed
manual transmission. Suddenly the Corvette was no longer just a
pretty face. The Corvette became a legitimate competitor for the
other major U.S. sports car, Ford's Thunderbird, and its
popularity soared dramatically. Arkus-Duntov is often considered
the father of the Corvette due to his line-saving alterations.
Over fifty years later, Corvette remains a leading name is
sports cars and is currently offering its sixth generation of
products, including a rumored high performance model known as
the Blue Demon.
The Corvette is now known as the "poor man's super car" and is
noted for its relative affordability and impressive reliability
records.
But before there was a Blue Demon, a Z06, or any of the Corvette
C classes that sports car enthusiasts love today, there was
Harley Earl and a cute design with a V6 they called the
Corvette. Chevrolet embraced the idea of a truly American sports
car, and with the help of a Russian émigré, built one of the
most popular and lasting sports car labels in the world.
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Article Source: http://www.friendsofvista.org/articles/article28079.html |
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