Synopses & Reviews
In 2003, Chevrolet’s Corvette celebrated its 50th birthday by barely slowing down to blow out the candles. Why dilly-dally when even better times lay ahead? Two years later, Chief Engineer David Hill’s team took what was already America’s supreme performance machine and transformed it into one of the planet’s greatest. Standard performance now qualified as downright surreal: 0–60 in 4.2 seconds and a top end of 186 miles per hour. What a long, strange trip it’s been. Nearly cancelled a few years after its birth, rumored near death or dilution more than one time since, Chevy’s fantastic, plastic two-seater is rolling on more confidently than ever, this after six distinct generations of development. Code names for those generations came into vogue during the radically redesigned 1997 Corvette’s long haul to market after Chevrolet people let it be known that this all-new platform was identified in-house by the simple “C5” designation. It was only logical to retroactively label previous generations accordingly: Original solid-axle models built from 1953 to 1962 made up the C1 group; the C2 family consisted of the classic Sting Rays of 1963 to 1967; the C3 era spanned from 1968 to 1982; and the C4 ran from 1984 to 1996. (Chevrolet skipped the 1983 model year, as fourth-generation development work ran past its deadline.) The fifth-generation Corvette was initially targeted for introduction in August 1992, just in time to help commemorate the Corvette’s 40th anniversary. But various pitfalls pushed that debut back repeatedly, first for the 1994 model year, then 1995. When all was said and done, the long-awaited C5 officially appeared in January 1997. The latest rendition, the expectedly tabbed C6, followed eight years later to take the Corvette legacy to all-new heights.
Review
Corvette Enthusiast, April 2007
“No matter what part of the Corvette scene fascinates you – history, racing, restoration, high performance driving, engineering, technological innovations, or whatever – you’ll not be disappointed in The Complete Book of Corvette. It sweeps the reader away on a magical tour of the Corvette world from its inception in 1953 to the present.”
Vette, July 2007
“If you breathe, eat and sleep Corvettes and Corvette lore, [The Complete Book of Corvette is] another must-have for your automotive library. In fact, [it] may be the most exhaustive review to date of America’s preeminent sports car.”
Road and Track, June 2007
“A massive undertaking, this...book lives up to its name by detailing all six generations of Chevrolet’s plastic fantastic”
Synopsis
Chevrolet's Corvette is the most iconic, and some would say only, sports car built in America. This lavishly illustrated work conducts readers through the Corvette’s fifty-plus years of continuous production, a rich and varied history unmatched in the automotive world. An exhaustive review of six generations of American high performance, from the first 6-cylinder ’Vette of 1953 through today's fire-breathing, world-beating C6, The Complete Book of Corvette offers an in-depth look at the prototypes and experimental models, the anniversary and pace cars, and the specialty packages for street and competition driving that have made the Corvette a living automotive legend for more than half a century. With extensive details, specs, and photographic coverage, this book is the ultimate resource on America’s sports car. Officially licensed with Chevrolet and including many never-before-published photographs from the car maker's archives.
Synopsis
Mike Mueller has worked as a freelance automotive journalist since 1991. A graduate of the University of Illinois’ journalism program, Mueller has held staff positions with Automobile Quarterly, Muscle Car Review and Mustang Monthly. A lifetime car enthusiast, Mueller has written and contributed to over 50 automotive books, contributed photos to Collectible Automobile, Esquire, Life, and Men’s Journal and has written articles for Mustang Monthly and Mustang Enthusiast. He resides in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Synopsis
This is a Corvette book like no other Corvette book. Many celebrate the most powerful and most attractive Corvette models; few list the less famous, the prototypes, and the racers. Licensed with General Motors and illustrated from GM’s design archives, The Complete Book of Corvette showcases in photos, text, and technical specifications all the models since 1953: if it happened, it is here. The Chevrolet Corvette is the most iconic—some would say only—sports car built in America. This lavishly illustrated work details the Corvette’s 50-plus years of continuous production—a rich and varied history unmatched in the automotive world. An exhaustive review of six generations of American high performance, from the first six-cylinder ’Vette of 1953 through today’s fire-breathing, world-beating C6, The Complete Book of Corvette offers an in-depth look at the prototypes and experimental models, the anniversary and pace cars, and the specialty packages for street and competition driving that have made the Corvette a living automotive legend for more than half a century. With extensive details, specifications, and photographic coverage, this book is the ultimate resource on America’s favorite sports car.
Synopsis
In 2003, Chevrolets Corvette celebrated its 50th birthday by barely slowing down to blow out the candles. Why dilly-dally when even better times lay ahead? Two years later, Chief Engineer David Hills team took what was already Americas supreme performance machine and transformed it into one of the planets greatest. Standard performance now qualified as downright surreal: 060 in 4.2 seconds and a top end of 186 miles per hour.What a long, strange trip its been. Nearly cancelled a few years after its birth, rumored near death or dilution more than one time since, Chevys fantastic, plastic two-seater is rolling on more confidently than ever, this after six distinct generations of development. Code names for those generations came into vogue during the radically redesigned 1997 Corvettes long haul to market after Chevrolet people let it be known that this all-new platform was identified in-house by the simple C5” designation. It was only logical to retroactively label previous generations accordingly: Original solid-axle models built from 1953 to 1962 made up the C1 group; the C2 family consisted of the classic Sting Rays of 1963 to 1967; the C3 era spanned from 1968 to 1982; and the C4 ran from 1984 to 1996. (Chevrolet skipped the 1983 model year, as fourth-generation development work ran past its deadline.)The fifth-generation Corvette was initially targeted for introduction in August 1992, just in time to help commemorate the Corvettes 40th anniversary. But various pitfalls pushed that debut back repeatedly, first for the 1994 model year, then 1995. When all was said and done, the long-awaited C5 officially appeared in January 1997. The latest rendition, the expectedly tabbed C6, followed eight years later to take the Corvette legacy to all-new heights.
Synopsis
This lavishly illustrated work conducts readers through the Corvettes fifty-plus years of continuous production, a rich and varied history unmatched in the automotive world.
About the Author
Automotive writer and photographer Mike Mueller has held staff positions with Automobile Quarterly, Corvette Fever, Muscle Car Review, and Mustang Monthly, among others. He has worked as a freelance motor journalist since 1991. A lifetime car enthusiast, Mueller has written and contributed to more than 50 automotive books, including Motorbooks’ The Complete Book of Corvette and The Complete Book of Mustang. He resides in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Table of Contents
ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Forever YoungChapter 1: The Solid-Axle Years: 19531962Chapter 2: Enter the Sting Ray: 19631967Chapter 3: Third Times a Charm: 19681982Chapter 4: Better Late than Never: 19841996Chapter 5: Long Live the King: ZR-1: 19901995Chapter 6: 50 Years and Counting: 19972004Chapter 7: Thoroughly Modern: 20052006AppendixIndex