Corvette: Year by Year
1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 19631964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Corvette C7 Styling Part 2
Although the C7 Corvette was a radical departure, there were still elements that were inspired by the past.
Front fender creases had been an important part of the Corvette look starting in 1963 (above left) and continued to the C3 (middle, left) and to the C6 (middle right). The tradition continued in the C7, this time with two creases (above right).
Other ground breaking details include a rear-quarter window which has not been seen on any other Corvette generation.
Corvette C7 Designer Tom Peters (left) discusses the finer points of C7 styling with Art Center College of Design students. Now that is a conversation worth listening to!
Right: Tom told the students this was his favorite way to look at the C7: Stand at the middle of the door and look across the hood.
An Italian Connection?
While still distinctly American, there are strong hints of Italian influences in the new Corvette. This is a good thing, since when it comes to making great looking automobiles, Italy has always been able to show the world how it is done.The Italian aspect of the C7s' look is not denied by those who created it. Tom Peters, the director of design for General Motors performance and top dawg regarding the shape of the C7 Corvette admitted to us that this is more than just conspiracy theorists blowing steam. He pointed out that GM and much of the American car industry has long looked towards Italy for design inspiration although it isn't always obvious.
An example: The Ferrari F12berlinetta, above and the 2014 Corvette below. The headlights and hood area, while far from being identical, do have similarities.
A side view: Above is the Ferrari 599 GTO and below is the 2014 Corvette. The creases and accents are similar but somehow the Corvette has the advantage with its simple, cleaner lines. It's great day when you can place a Corvette next to a Ferrari and decide that the Corvette is what you prefer to look at.
Center mounted exhaust was another Corvette first in 2014. All previous years featured dual exhaust mounted at the corners or the rocker panels.
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