Top 10 Corvettes of All Time

The Corvette is an automotive icon, an example of just how impressive a car can be mechanically and aesthetically, yet at the same time offer an affordable (relatively speaking) price tag.

Having now driven the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, we’ve decided to look back at the entire history of the famous sports car to pick and choose our favorites, including some of the most original, significant and downright awesome Corvettes of all time.

First on our list (in 10th place mind you) is the C7. Representing a whole new era of Corvettes, it has plenty of high-tech add-ons that make the Vette more than just a regular sports car. For starters, there’s an innovative 7-speed manual transmission that can automatically blip the throttle to help you downshift. There are even separate drive modes for those who want a sports car that they can live with every day.

Of course, the new LT1 engine is well trained and full of new tricks like variable valve timing, direct injection and cylinder management. Add in other cool technology like the integrated tire-temperature monitor and the C7 will have you racing up and down the local track like a pro.

But inside, the Corvette sets itself apart even further, thanks to high-quality interior appointments, and a fancy touch-screen and LCD dash. We certainly don’t think it’s too early to call this one of the best Corvettes to date. Check out our full review of the 2014 model.

The C4 Corvette introduced an exciting and new element to the era of the Corvette. No, it wasn’t the functional hatchback trunk (besides, that came in the tail end of the C3) it was the super-awesome ZR-1 spec model.

With help from Lotus, the ZR-1 was one of the fastest cars of its time and wasn’t eclipsed by another Corvette until the next generation’s hot-shot product, the Z06. Lotus designed the new LT5 V8, which used 4 overhead camshafts and made 375 hp.While the Corvette was always a sports car, the 1990 ZR-1 really combined the racing heritage and the road-car into one unbelievable capable vehicle. With enhanced steering and braking systems, and a revised suspension the ZR-1 took the automotive world by storm. Only 6,939 C4 ZR-1s were made, and retailed for a price tag of $58,995

Back in the day, displacement was king. Displacement meant horsepower, and when you had a 7.0L V8 under the hood you basically had an entire stampede at the command of your right foot.

In 1969, a Corvette could be optioned out with a massive V8 engine which was listed at 430 hp. Many believe that horsepower rating was a bit too conservative, with rumors flying around that the engine made 100 hp more than it was listed at. In the end the ZL-1 was a serious performance machine that could terrorize the drag strip.

Exactly 28,388 Z06 vehicles were made between 2001 and 2004, and each featured the latest and greatest bits and bobs. The engine was a meaty LS6 V8 which made 405 hp and could propel the Z06 to 60 mph in under four seconds.

Also, the Z06 surprised those who bought into the stereotype that American cars can’t handle. Thanks to the second generation Active Handling traction-stability control system and a suspension system honed on the Nurburgring, the Z06 could hang with cars with twice its price tag.

Motorsports and the Corvette have a very special relationship, but it was the C5-R which put the Corvette’s racing prowess on the global scale. The car, in its trademark yellow livery, won in the GT category in a number of endurance racing events including the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the famous 24 hours of Le Mans. The C5-R also won a championship in the American Le Mans Series. Chevrolet is still a successful name in racing, currently competing with a C6 based race car, but it was the C5-R that set the team up for international success.

After the C5 Z06 took everyone’s breath away, Chevrolet made yet another high-performance Corvette, which practically offered a race-car for the street.

Using a supercharged motor, the C6 ZR-1 puts out 638 hp, the most of any production Vette. With that much power, the ZR-1 can trump almost anything. Finally customers who wanted to the awesome styling of a Corvette along with the performance of a supercar, could get it all in one awesome package.

However, like other high-performance Corvettes, power isn’t the only story to be told here. This Corvette has a very high-tech suspension set-up, which adjusts the shocks in real time, to deliver either a razor sharp ride, or a softer, more accommodating ride. While it wasn’t the first Corvette to get this new suspension, it was a key part of the car’s impressive handling characteristic. According to some tests, it’s possible to get 1.10 g of average lateral acceleration out of the ZR-1. The magnetic ride control also had a function that helped with standing starts, which made the ZR-1 a drag-strip superstar.

While traditionally Corvettes are lighter than usual vehicles thanks to the use of fiberglass and aluminum, the ZR-1 gets on a very strict diet thanks to the use of carbon fiber. Overall, the ZR-1 posts some serious super-car specs hitting 60 mph in a little over three seconds and lapping the Nurburgring race track in 7:26.4, a time quicker than many rival Japanese and Italian supercars.

Many classic car fans and Corvette enthusiasts have an iconic image of the Corvette in their mind. It’s the sleek styling, four-round tail lights and the split rear-window design which makes the ’63 Stingray so special. In reality, only one model year of Corvette ever left the factory with the low-on-visibility, high-on-style split rear window look.

The ’63 model made the Corvette a stylish icon of American auto-design with bold, sexy and inviting lines. Performance wasn’t bad either, with the car making at least 250 hp at the time, and a low-weight promising a solid handling car. But the reason this ’63 coupe is on this list is because of just how breathtaking that design is.

We would be in serious trouble if we didn’t put the original Corvette on this list. The C1, a sports-car that Americans could be proud of owning, was introduced 60 years ago in 1953, and was the tip of the iceberg when it came to American performance vehicles. Sure it only had an inline-six engine at the time, but Chevy’s unrelenting focus on making the Corvette better, turned it into the car we have today. Awesome styling, excellent performance and an attainable price tag are all staples that continue on, all the way to the year 2013, and likely for more years to come.