The Complete Book of Corvette - Revised & Updated: Every Model Since 1953 (Complete Book Series) - Hardcover

Mueller, Mike

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760345740 ISBN 13: 9780760345740

Publisher: Motorbooks, 2014

Synopsis

The ultimate book for Corvette lovers and fans of America’s premier high-performance vehicle. Since the release of the first Corvette in 1953, Chevrolet’s flagship sports car has become a timeless part of American culture and a household name across the globe. No matter the model or year, one can instantly pick out a ’Vette—from the four chrome-ringed headlamps of the late-1950s models to the sharp edges of the 1960s Sting Ray, the signature curved wheel-well moldings on 1970s bodies, and up to the aggressive aerodynamics of the Corvette C6. But while all are undeniably beautiful machines, none approach the astonishing technology packed into Chevrolet’s latest: the seventh-generation 2014 Corvette Stingray, which marks the historic resurgence of the Stingray badge for the first time since the mid-1970s. In The Complete Book of Corvette, American automotive expert Mike Mueller details all of the generations, offering the definitive, all-encompassing volume showcasing over 60 years of Corvette history. Created in cooperation with General Motors and illustrated with 500 color and black-and-white photos from GM’s exclusive Design and Media Archives, the book highlights the development, tech specs, and visual prowess of the entire Corvette line. From that first 1953 ’Vette to the brand-new 2014 Corvette Stingray—the triumphant culmination of Chevrolet’s longstanding sports car expertise—The Complete Book of Corvette pays tribute to one of America’s proudest sports car traditions and the innovative company behind it.

About this title

Review:

The Complete Book of Corvette

Form truly followed function as each aesthetically pleasing crease and scoop played its part to make the 2014 Stingray the slickest, most slippery ’Vette yet. “Every square inch of the 2014 Corvette’s exterior is designed to enhance high-performance driving,” claimed exterior design manager Kirk Bennion. “The team delivered a great balance of low drag for efficiency and performance elements for improved stability and track capability—all in a sculpted design that excites in all the ways that a Corvette has for six decades. ”

Upgrading the cockpit was a prime goal with the 2014 Stingray. Prototypes were disguised to keep prying public eyes at bay when the car was tested on the street. Every aspect of the 2014 Stingray was designed for aesthetic beauty and high-speed performance. A preproduction Stingray coupe became the 12th Corvette to pace the Indy 500 in May 2013. The finalized Stingray design was first sculpted into a full-size clay model. 300 GM designers from around the world submitted their vision of the 2014 Stingray.

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.

2014 Corvette Stingray

• Model availability · hatchback coupe (with removable roof panel), convertible
• Construction · composite/carbon-fiber body panels, hydroformed aluminum frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components
• Wheelbase · 106.7 inches
• Length · 176.9 inches
• Width (without mirrors) · 73.90 inches
• Height · 48.8 inches (coupe), 49.5 inches (convertible)
• Track (front/rear, in inches) · 62.9/62.9
• Curb weight · 3,298 pounds (coupe), 3,362 pounds (convertible)
• Wheels · silver-painted aluminum five-spokes; 18x8.5 inches front; 19x10 inches rear
• Wheels (Z51) · silver-painted aluminum five-split spokes; 19x8.5 inches front; 20x10 inches rear
• Tires · Michelin Pilot Super Sport run-flat; P245/40ZR18 front, P285/35ZR19 rear
• Tires (Z51) · Michelin Pilot Super Sport run-flat; P245/35ZR19 front, P285/30ZR20 rear
• Brakes · power-assisted four-wheel discs with four-piston calipers and ABS
• Brake dimensions (diameter) · 12.6 inches front (13.6 inches with Z51); 13.3 inches rear
• Fuel tank · 18.5 gallons
• Suspension · short- and long-arm (SLA) double wishbone cast-aluminum control arms, transverse composite leaf springs, and stabilizer bars front and rear; monotube shock absorbers, StabiliTrak electronic stability control (Magnetic Selective Ride control with ZZ51)
• Steering · power-assisted, speed-sensitive, variable ratio rack and pinion
• Engine (LT1) · 6.2-liter (376-ci) direct-injection V-8 with overhead valves and castaluminum cylinder block and heads, 11.5:1 compression
• LT1 bore and stroke · 4.06x3.62 inches
• LT1 output · 455 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, 460 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm
• Standard transmission · Tremece TR6070 seven-speed manual with 2.66:1 low (2.97:1 low with Z51) and Active Rev Matching
• Optional transmission · Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed paddle shift automatic
• Axle ratio · 3.42: 1 (2.56:1 with automatic, 2.73:1 with Z51 automatic)

From the Inside Flap:

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.    

About this edition

• Publisher: Motorbooks
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0760345740
• ISBN 13: 9780760345740
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304