Corvette - Didjya Know?

Picture from Corvette America Pinterest page

A few days ago I came across a Corvette History and Trivia page located on Roger's Corvette Center website and found some fun facts related to the history of the Corvette.

So, in keeping with the historical theme of the previous blog entry regarding how the Corvette was named and how the Corvette emblem/logo came to be, I perused Roger's Corvette trivia page to post some of what I considered to be the more interesting tidbits. Kudos to Rogers (which states they are the largest Corvette dealership in Florida) for putting together such an extensive and comprehensive list of historical information.

To read the entire list of historical factoids, which is MUCH longer than the list referenced below, click on the source here: http://www.rogerscorvette.com/history.htm

The Jaguar XK120 was considered to be the inspiration for the first Corvette
The First Corvettes were literally rolled off the assembly line because the early production line was not prepared for grounding to a fiberglass body, so the first cars would not start.
1953 Corvettes came with only one exterior and interior color combo, Polo White with red interior.
To commemorate the new 265 cubic inch V-8 engine, introduced in 1955, an enlarged, gold "V" was featured in the Corvette script on the front fender panels.
1957 was the first year that a limited slip differential and fuel injection were offered.
1962 was the last of the solid rear axle Corvettes.
Only the driver side vent on the 1964 Corvette is functional.
A 36 gallon gas tank, the largest ever offered, was available as an option from 1963 to 1967.
1968 was the first year an AM/FM radio was offered.
The "Sting Ray" name was not used on the 1968 Corvette but returned in 1969, this time spelled as "Stingray", all one word.
The 1970-1972 Corvettes were the last to feature both front and rear chrome bumpers. In 1973, the front chrome bumper was replaced with a body colored flexible plastic one, and in 1974 the rear bumper followed suit.
The convertible was discontinued after the 1975 model year and would not appear again until 1986 with GM citing declining convertible sales and safety concerns for the reason why.
In 1976, the Corvette used the same steering wheel as the Vega for the Sport Steering wheel option.
For the first time, in 1980, the Corvette had a speedometer that only went up to 85 mph in accordance to Federal mandates at the time.
The 1984 Corvette had the steepest windshield rake angle of any previous American production automobile at 64 degrees.
A single transverse plastic front and rear spring first made it's appearance on the 1984 Corvette.
With the CB craze dwindling, the last year a CB radio was offered as a Corvette option was 1985. Only 16 Corvettes were so equipped.
July 2nd, 1992 marks the day when the one millionth Corvette, a white convertible, rolled off the assembly line.
The first 200 production C5 Corvettes were painted red, not the traditional white color for the first production run.
The 1997 Corvette is the first one designed from the ground up as a Corvette, with very little borrowing of parts from other cars.
The 1997 Corvette is the first Corvette to have windshield wipers that sweep in the same direction instead of opposing directions.
Active Handling became standard equipment in 2001.
The Magnetic Ride Option offered in 2003 uses a magnetic fluid which adjusts shock damping 1,000 times per second, roughly equivalent to reacting to each inch of road surface at 60 mph.
A major styling change for the C6 Corvette is non-pop up headlights... not seen on a Corvette since 1962.
2005 was the first year for keyless access and start.
Daytona Sunset Orange Metallic, a popular color choice in 2005 & 2006, was was replaced by Atomic Orange in 2007, an extra cost color choice.
2006 saw the re-introduction of high performance Z06 model, weighing only 3132 pounds with a 427 cubic inch dry sump engine producing 505 HP.
The 2009 ZR1 was the first 200+ mph production Corvette ever made.
2010 saw the return of the legendary Grand Sport model nomenclature but with less exclusivity than the 1996.
2014 marks the introduction of the seventh generation Corvette...the C7. The new LT1 6.2L V-8 base Corvette engine delivers 455 HP, 460 lb-ft torque (+5 in each with the addition of the optional Performance Exhaust System).
The big news for 2015 was the introduction of the C7 Z06 featuring a brand new 650 HP supercharged LT4 engine.
The 2017 model year marks the return of the Corvette Grand Sport, combining the styling and handling of the Z06 with the base 460 HP LT1 engine.