Shane F. Ingate wrote:
>
> Richard Jackson wrote:
> > [snip]....to understand the American's, just look at the
> Corvette.
>
> Although I am neither a Corvette or a Chevvy fan, I'll have to defend
> it here. The real reason being is that someone may ask about the
> Aussie mentality of producing the worlds fastest 4-door in the 1970s -
> the
> Ford GTHO, and I may have to defend that!
>
> In its earliest beginnings, the Corvette was a humble 6-cylinder.
> Designed
> for America in the 50s, when bigger was better, reflecting post-war
> affluence,
> a booming economy (look where the babies are today) and a gung-ho
> approach
> towards technocracy and world imperialism. The Corvette, crafted in
> fibreglass
> (because the cost of stamping steel into such radical curves was not
> economically feasible), reflected all that was good and sporty. True,
> the car differed tremendously from the Euro-norm of a sports car, but
> Europe is not America.
>
> The late 50s and early 60s rolled through, the Corvette gained V8s,
> and in
> the onward rush of horsepower and stoplight grand prix', big blocks
> found their
> way into the Corvette. To put things in persepective, the Corvette
> was
> relatively inexpensive, and its only real class-competitor was the
> Cobra
> (albeat a different cost-class!). Big Healeys cost much more, and
> really
> only appealed to the enthusiast who was happy to tinker with his car,
> perhaps several hundred miles from the nearest AH dealer. There
> was a mechanic on every street corner who knew Chevrolets, and
> Corvettes were
> just a wee bit more sophisticated.
>
> Granted, The Corvette rode, steered and braked like a truck, but there
> is
> no denying its very beautiful shape and the enormous strength of its
> engine.
>
> The Corvette survived the 70s fuel crisis (unlike the Mustang and
> several other LBCs), and became even more portly as the Corvette
> designers were confused both by Federal laws, the purchasing whims
> of the public, and the corporate (in)direction.
>
> With the 4th generation of the Corvette, weight was trimmed and the
> direction
> redefined. Towards the middle of its production run, around the early
> 90s,
> the Corvette took on a distict new personality; it was becoming a
> world-beater.
>
> With the latest Corvette, America has a car it can be truly proud of.
> The
> car has had an uninterrupted production cycle of over 40 years. It
> has survived some incredibly tough years and the somewhat fickle
> American consumer. It is now capable of beating the best in the
> world,
> and at a fraction of the cost. An entry-level Corvette is about the
> same price as a BMW 6-cylinder Z3. The modern Corvette sports a level
> of technical and personal sophistication equal to that of the current
> Italian and British super-cars. In anyones language, it is one hell
> of a car.
>
> And look at the other "plastic" American sports-GTs; the Viper GTS
> and Carrol Shelbys Series 1. Who could deny them? The Viper is
> certainly in the Ferrari and Aston-Martin DB7 league.
>
> But I still prefer the DeTomaso Pantera!
>
> I hope I have not offended anyone here. I am sure there are others
> more knowledgable about the Corvett that I, so please do correct me if
> I have anything wrong!
>
> One final note. I read in the paper that Larry Shinoda died
> yesterday.
> Larry was one of the main designers for the Corvette in the 60s.
> Those were the days when MEN designed cars, not computers or marketing
> people.
>
> Shane Ingate, novice historian in San Diego
Kudos for your exemplary dissertation on Vette history, Generation V
Corvettes start at $28k and go UP form there. For $40k you can get a
car that kick butt on a $70k Viper or run with the $120K+ Italian
machines, and still be competitive with $90K Porsches,
Larry Zink
1964 Spitfire4
Houston
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