When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09, '14-'15-'16-'17-'18
When Were Corvette Generations First Named C1, C2, etc?
Just wondering when Corvettes were first designated by the C1 - C6 label. Did those of you who drove a '64 Vette back in '64, for example, call it a "C2?"
I understand they distinguish one generation from another, but just wonder when that started...
For the most part, C5 was the code name that the Corvette design team used while secretly working on the 1997 Corvette. As it leaked out, the name stuck and people started using it. If it was used before that, I don't recall it.
__________________ Dave Salvatore General Sales Manager Ciocca Corvette - Atlantic City, NJ
America's Corvette Dealership
email - dsalvatore@cioccadealerships.com
Showroom - 609-344-2100. Ext 1022
Text - 856-535-0407
For the most part, C5 was the code name that the Corvette design team used while secretly working on the 1997 Corvette. As it leaked out, the name stuck and people started using it. If it was used before that, I don't recall it.
That agrees with the Corvette Black Book. It also says the 1984-1996 models became "C4" retroactively.
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09, '14-'15-'16-'17-'18
Thanks, Dave. BTW, that's a great looking bunch of Corvettes you have there in your photo. Have any extras that you want demonstrated up in the Pacific Northwest? I'll be glad to drive one of them for you and I won't charge you anything..
That agrees with the Corvette Black Book. It also says the 1984-1996 models became "C4" retroactively.
The early cars were always called 'solid axle' cars after the '63 was introduced. The '63-'67 cars were called Sting Rays until the '68 was out. Then the '63-'67 cars became 'mid-years' (in between the solid axle and 'Mako Shark' cars). When the name 'Stingray' (one word) was applied to the '69, the mid-year naming became more important.
All of this stuck until the '97 was called C5 in the early press materials.
Thanks, Dave. BTW, that's a great looking bunch of Corvettes you have there in your photo. Have any extras that you want demonstrated up in the Pacific Northwest? I'll be glad to drive one of them for you and I won't charge you anything..
No problem! When did you want to pick it up? I'll just need a deposit of about $51,000 payable to...
I've always heard that the "C" stood for "chassis" as in 5th chassis or C5, but that doesn't fit since the chassis of the mid years and sharks were the same.
I've always heard that the "C" stood for "chassis" as in 5th chassis or C5, but that doesn't fit since the chassis of the mid years and sharks were the same.
For the most part, C5 was the code name that the Corvette design team used while secretly working on the 1997 Corvette. As it leaked out, the name stuck and people started using it. If it was used before that, I don't recall it.
The Complete Book Of Corvette by Richard Langworth published in 1987.
On page 224 "In many ways, the 1982 Collector Edition was the best of the fifth-generation Corvettes."
I brought up the question of Corvette Generation naming on the C5 forum and was directed to this thread. This is the earliest public information that I could find for the Cx type designation:
I brought up the question of Corvette Generation naming on the C5 forum and was directed to this thread. This is the earliest public information that I could find for the Cx type designation:
Some of that information is incorrect. According to The Corvette Black Book, the 97 coupe is 1 inch longer than the 96 coupe and 3 inches wider. The same for the convertibles.
11-22-2004, 05:47 PM
When Were Corvette Generations First Named C1, C2, etc?
