Corvette Generations:
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8
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 C8 Chassis
Possibly the most significant change, once you get past the new mid-engine location for the C8 Corvette, is the four coil springs used for suspending the chassis. Corvettes have always featured leaf springs starting with two in the rear for the C1 generation as was the state of automotive technology in the 1950s. For the C2 and C3, a transverse rear spring (below) was used in the rear suspension. The concept worked well and was extended to the front suspension in the C4 through C7 Corvettes. Advantages included low unsprung weight (which improves handling) and lower cost, contributing to the Corvette's excellent performance for the buck reputation. Packaging constraints prevented using the transverse leaf springs on the C8.
Above: The front (left) and rear springs. Below: Transverse rear spring on an early C3 Corvette.
Above: the left and right C8 engine radiators. The mid-engine layout on the C8 posed numerous engineering challenges, one of which is engine cooling. Some mid engine designs - notably those from Ferrari - positioned the radiators and their air intake behind the passengers and near the engine itself. The C8 designers positioned them up front. Below: The front portion of the routing for the coolant to the engine. Note the hoses run down the center of the chassis.
Follow @corvettestory
2025 Corvette
C8 ZR1
Introducing the Vette Spotter app for the iPhone.
The Vette Spotter app can identify the year of any Corvette.
All years and generations are covered, from 1953 to 2014. Over 350 photographs and detailed text are included.
2025 Corvette
C8 ZR1
Introducing the Vette Spotter app for the iPhone.
The Vette Spotter app can identify the year of any Corvette.
All years and generations are covered, from 1953 to 2014. Over 350 photographs and detailed text are included.
Comments (3)
WAITING FORMY S51 STINGRAY TO BE BUILT.
Hi Felippe:
Thank you for your comment, but I will disagree. Corvettes typically have not had a real mid-front configuration.
I to am disappointed at the lack of a manual transmission but there is some justification. Also, they were never practical and are being made with traditional Corvette materials.
~paul
It always was mid engine, never heard about mid-front? Until 2019 it was too 50-50, and now is 40-60.
I really can't see the advantage: Don't drive as a Corvette anymore, don't looks like a Corvette, don't have the practicality of a Corvette, don't use the materials of a Corvette, don't have stick shift like every single Corvette and in the Z06 version don't even sounds like a Corvette anymore.
What is this? a Ferrari 458 replica that GM made and named a "Corvette"? This is just a mistake.