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
Production variations, especially in the early years, were common. While modern production techniques and even legally binding considerations have made for very consistent production practices in recent times, it wasn't always that way. Up to the C4 Generation, it was common to use whatever was on hand, such as left over parts from the previous years production as opposed to what was expected.
Dealers sometimes played a roll, adding or changing whatever to make a sale. This means that while an owner can point to a discrepancy and swear "It came from the dealer that way" and be able to back it up with documentation, that doesn't mean that's how it was equipped when it left the factory.
Another thing that can trip you up is the wheels. They are easy to change and owners can put wheels from another year on their Corvette, sometimes out of necessity or they might just like the look of the wheel from another year or an aftermarket wheel.
Owners sometimes made modifications to update / improve their cars. A good example is the owners of 1963 split window coupes, who, when the parts became available for a non-split rear window conversion in 1964, performed the operation to obtain better rearward visibility. You'll almost never find anyone making that change now as the car's value would be reduced significantly.
How to cheat. You could just look at the VIN tag to determine the year - but what fun is that? Besides, you don't always have access to it, as early Corvettes (C1 and C2) had the VIN data located in various places. C3 and later Corvettes featured a VIN tag that was visually externally accessible to comply with Federal anti-theft regulations. Right: Simple VIN tag identifies this as a '57 via the second and third digits. All VIN numbers included the year although the location within the VIN varied.
1953, 1954
Although most of the 1954 Corvette production of 3634 units were Polo White, poor sales caused GM to offer Pennant Blue (quantity: 400), Sportsman Red (quantity: 100) and Black (4 units).
1955
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Comments (1)
The 1966 Covette script is also straight up and down, while the 1965 script is slanted right.