Generation Gap: Which Corvette is the best Corvette?

Article content

For only the eighth time since 1953, we are getting a new generation of Corvette. The C8 Corvette will eschew the front-engined V8 tradition that has been in place since 1955. The writing is on the wall for the C7 that served us for five years and with that in mind, it’s time to take a look at all the generations of Corvettes and how good they really were. The Corvette story has heroes like the fire-breathing L88 427 big-blocks, losers like the asphyxiated 165-hp smog motors, and everything in between. What we’re going to do is rank all seven Corvette generations from best to worst. I’m sure many of you will disagree and that’s A-okay. Get your angry-comment typing fingers ready!

Article content

1. 1963-1967 C2

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Generation Gap: Which Corvette is the best Corvette? Back to video

The C2 Sting Ray is the coolest car ever made. It was styled like nothing ever seen before, bacon-wrapped in V8 horsepower, and used world-class suspension to be the most complete sports car of the period. From 1963 to 1967, not much could touch a Corvette. The 1963 model brought us the one-year-only split-window design and big blocks were added to the option list in 1965. The C2 was a film star, fashion statement, race winner, and dream car. The C2 was when the Corvette got serious and people noticed. If the C2 had an achilles heel, it was the brakes; the C2 debuted with antiquated drum brakes, but four-wheel four-piston disc-brakes rectified that in 1965.  

2. 1968-1982 C3

The C3 is cool. The initiated will tell you that they all made 150 hp, but outside of California, most kept output above 200-hp, which was pretty good for the time. And the C3 isn’t #2 for the malaise versions anyways. It’s because the pre-smog versions from 1968 to 1972 were so darn good. The C3 had strong finishes at Le Mans, finishing on the podium among Ferrari Daytonas and Porsche 911s. It was also the car of choice for Jimi Hendrix and Apollo astronauts. The most powerful classic Corvette ever made was the 1969 ZL1 427 model. They only made two of them and later independent dyno tests reveal that true horsepower was around 510. The latter years of the C3’s 14-year run would see the big blocks go away and horsepower dwindle, but the sex appeal remained. Don’t believe me? It’s why Chevy decided to name their new C7 the “Stingray”. (The C2 was Sting Ray, two words)

Article content

3. 2006-2013 C6

The C6 was the Corvette that got everything right. Everything, that is, except the seats. The base car had 400 hp, the 505-hp Z06 was an exhilarating madman to drive, and the 638-hp ZR1 took on the world’s supercar elites. For the first time since 1963, the Corvette had fixed headlights, though the signature quad tail lights remained round. People may not remember, but in 2006 500 hp was a really big deal, so the Z06 was the bargain of the century in its day. The Ferrari F430 didn’t even crack 500 and Ford’s GT made 550. When it came out, some wondered if the styling was a bit too soft. But park one next to the C7 and the C6 has aged gracefully. It’s just a great car.

4. 1953-1962 C1

The car that started it all. Sure the first Corvettes were pretty terrible with their languid stovebolt sixes and two-speed automatic transmissions. But by 1957, you could order the Corvette with a fuel-injected V8 and a four-speed. The wizard-like Zora Arkus-Duntov was starting to exert his influence over the Corvette program even in the early ’50s. The C1 grew up to be an icon of the 1950s. It was fast, stylish, and very American. By the end of its run in 1962, the chassis had grown quite old and rivals like the E-Type had surpassed it. We drove a 1959 version for a road test and were impressed by how well it drove. The Corvette beginning was a good one.

Article content

5. 2014-Present C7

The C7 might be another supercar-slayer, but it was just never as well resolved a design as the C6 was. And people noticed. Overheating issues plagued the early Z06 models and despite winning every comparison on paper, few C7s could translate that into a win in the real world. It is worth noting that the C7 was the first Corvette to have a seven-speed manual transmission and the first to have seats made for actual humans. The C7 represents the end of the road for the front-engined layout and possibly, the last manual-transmission Corvette to be made. It will be interesting to see how the C8 stacks up to it.

6. 1984-1996 C4

Chevrolet had fifteen whole years to develop the C4. Not that it would show, if you looked at a 1984 model. The C4 debuted with janky “Crossfire Injection” and a hilariously bad Doug Nash 4+3-speed manual transmission. The C4 would slowly evolve and lose nearly all of its crappiness by the end but it wasn’t all bad. The early C4s had an amazing digital dashboard and the later LT-1 cars had 330 hp and a six-speed manual. There was also the adventurous quad-cam ZR-1 that did battle with the Viper when new. But overall, the C4 has not aged well, though it is finding some possibly ironic love from the Radwood crowd.

7. 1997-2005 C5

It’s the 996 of Corvettes. Born in the same age as the bubble-Taurus and wearing the absolute worst interior of any Corvette, the C5 was not a high-water mark. Sure the Z06 was fast but every single one came in the awkward hardtop roof style. The C5 was the last Corvette to have pop-up headlights and even though they remain terrific performance bargains today, it doesn’t make them cool. If all you care about is horsepower per dollar, the C5 is a winner. But in every other way, it’s a loser.