1962 Corvette Part 2

The trend towards a more subdued Corvette styling continued with the 1962 model. The grill was black anodized (above), with gold anodized and painted black also available.

Another change for 1962: The 283 cubic inch engine was no more. The bore was enlarged to 4.00" and the stroke went to 3.25" resulting in a displacement of 327 cubic inches. The dual four bbl. carburetors were no longer available.

The white portion of the whitewall tires were narrower.

An interesting and rare option for the 1962 Corvette: A 24 gallon fuel tank. Code: 488; $118.40. 65 Corvettes (0.45%) were so equipped. It was limited to hardtop only (no soft top) cars due to space limitations.

The two hood bumps, called "Wind Splits" by the designers and first seen on the 1957 Corvette, continued to the 1962 model year.

The End of an Era

The 1962 Corvette was the last of the "C1" generation which are popularly and fondly known as the "Straight Axle" Corvettes since they were the only generation to use a live rear axle. Another change: a generator as an electrical charging system would be replaced by alternators, which everyone agrees is an improvement. A conventional trunk would not be part of the Corvette story until the 1998 convertible. Also disappearing: exposed headlights, which would reappear 43 years later when the 2005 C6 Corvette was introduced.

The first Corvettes progressed significantly during their ten model years. Although they floundered some in the beginning, they did find a path and stuck to it thanks to the guidance of stylists Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell, engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov and executive Ed Cole. They won popularity on both road and drag racing circuits, with Chevrolet replacing Ford as the car to have in the hearts and minds of enthusiasts.

The best however, was yet to come.