Today, the Chevrolet Corvette is a big chapter in the history of the American automobile industry. In 1951, Harley Earl, chief designer of General Motors, for the first time dedicated leadership to his plans to create a lightweight two-seater roadster. Two years later, in June 1953, the first commercial vehicle appeared. The first Corvette came from the pen of Earl himself, and he, by the way, was the founding father of the famous fin theme in American auto design.
The open body of the C1 model turned out to be no frills - a stylish panoramic glass without panes, a predatory grille, elegant rear fenders. It was a white convertible with a red interior, 6-cylinder engine and a 2-step "automatic". The car attracted attention with its appearance, but many were disappointed with the technical side of the case and demanded a more powerful engine. Sales in the first six months barely exceeded 3,000 instead of the expected 10,000 per year. Since 1955, the model received a V8 with a capacity of 195 hp. and began to sell much better.
The first restyling was waiting for the Corvette three years later - the original rear wings went into oblivion, but there were door handles and a two-tone coloring, and then the famous four rear lights. The technical side was represented by a V-shaped "eight", first equipped with fuel injection (1957) and aluminum cylinder heads (1960), four-speed automatic and mechanical transmissions. According to legend, the design of the second generation Corvette came to mind of Bill Mitchell, a new designer of the brand, during ocean fishing - the silhouette of a shark did not let him sleep for a long time. The result was a wedge-shaped C2, remaining in history under the nickname Sting Ray.
Unusually flat, he added a brand of extravagance with the help of retractable headlights and “elevations” above the wheels, preserved in the genetic code of the car so far. Super-hot by the standards of any time, he conquered hundreds of kilometers in just 4.8 seconds thanks to a seven-liter V8. To cope with such power allowed the use of disc brakes "in a circle", dual-circuit braking system and independent rear suspension on transverse springs. Mitchelovskaya shark and a bottle of "Coca-Cola" served the good services of David Holls, the next designer who was lucky to have a hand in the look of a popular car.
Having connected the hypertrophied wheel arches with one ingenious line, very similar to the one that forms the waist of the famous bottle, He found the golden section of the Corvette - it is the third generation of cars that will forever remain in history as the most popular. He was not just the most beautiful - he was the best. C3 was produced as a convertible, coupe and festback under the same nickname Stingray, only now it was written in one word, and not separately, as before. From 1970 to 1974, the most powerful engine in all 50 years was put on the car - a 7.4-liter power unit with a capacity of 425 hp.
The charm of the eighties is difficult to define in words, but can be easily grasped in the forms of the model created by Jeria Palmer in 1983. The departure from elegance was compensated by excellent aerodynamic indicators and the introduction of fashionable lotions like ABS, traction control, composite materials and aluminum, and the solid rear window to this day is the largest ever installed on American cars. But you can't say the same about the engines: the 5.7-liter “eight” was capable of producing no more than 230 hp. The nineties returned the Corvette not so much looks as technical superiority.
What is one gearbox, which is not docked to the engine, and is located above the rear axle, allowing the car to have close to perfect weight distribution. The Head-Up Display system projecting the speedometer and tachometer data directly onto the lower part of the windshield, covered with a special layer, is worthy of mention. Before the C3 and not ashamed of the engine: 5.7-liter V8 allows the car to accelerate to "hundreds" in 4.7 seconds.
Slightly better than the C67 1967 release. The fifth-generation Chevrolet Corvette made its debut in 1997. The family included three body types: coupe, cabriolet and targa (option with a removable hard top). The car is very beautiful and aggressive.
Body, engine, chassis - everything was done using the most advanced technology. All the efforts of the designers were aimed at giving the driver as much pleasure as possible. Attracted buyers and low enough for cars of this class price. The car has excellent dynamic characteristics.
Aluminum 5.7-liter V-shaped 8-cylinder LS1 engine is capable of power 345 hp Transmission 6-speed rear-wheel drive. The car is equipped with wide stabilizing panels (wing), which help him to hold tight on dangerous sections of the road. In the configuration in 2000, there were many innovations, including (as an additional option) the light instrument panel (speedometer, tachometer and fuel level), which is projected on the windshield. It gives you the opportunity to monitor the speed, without taking your eyes off the road, which is very appropriate in a sports car. In 2001, released the Corvette Z06.
The model received its name in honor of the talented designer Zora Arcus-Dante, who in 1963 offered the Corvette Sting Ray a sports package Z06 RPO (Regular Production Option - professional production order), which turns the serial version into a racing car. The same idea is inherent in the Corvette Z06, this version is fundamentally different from the previous Corvette: and externally, and a new, more powerful and easier engine. The car was equipped with a 6-speed gearbox, a specially tuned FE4 suspension, a titanium exhaust system and Goodyear wide-profile tires. The main highlight of the Z06 is the LS6 V8 engine with a power of 385 hp.
With him, the car reaches a speed of 100 km / h in less than 4.6 seconds. Not all cars that ventured to be called sports can boast such a result. LS6 pistons are made of high-strength aluminum alloy and in the section are barrel-shaped, almost invisible to the naked eye.
The new alloy increases the durability of parts, the form reduces internal noise. And more nuance: aluminum cylinder heads are molded with a smaller, than was done before, the volume of the combustion chambers. The compression ratio has increased from 10.1: 1 to 10.5: 1, the efficiency of fuel combustion has improved and, as a result, power has increased. The main increase in horsepower is the share of the new camshaft with a modified fist geometry, which increased valve lift from 12.7 to 13.3 millimeters.
The valves have stiffer springs that better cope with the increased load. However, an additional portion of air coming into the combustion chambers, is nothing without an equivalent increase in the amount of fuel, so the gasoline supply in the new injection system was raised by almost ten percent: from 3.3 g / s to 3.6 g / s. In addition to increasing power and improving fuel economy, engineers have upgraded other areas. The new cast thin-walled intake manifold is lighter than the former, welded from steel pipes, and oddly enough, much more durable. The driveshaft is now made of a special aluminum alloy and has a diameter increased from 55 to 63 mm.
All cardan shafts are reinforced and have an increased resource. The design of the clutch was refined under the increased torque, and the effort on the pedal even decreased. The new M12 Getrag six-speed transmission allows you to shift gears in a more aggressive style - so so that the tachometer needle is always in the zone of optimal revolutions. This ensures better acceleration and the most efficient use of engine potential, especially at high speeds. Sensations from the work of the CP are only the most positive ones: transfers are switched on easily and clearly both up and down, pleasing with the coordinated work of all its mechanisms.
A special sensor that controls the temperature of the oil was added to the box. He will have a very good time for fans of extreme driving - he will warn you in time about possible damage to the gearbox. Information about this and other malfunctions is displayed on a special display associated with the central diagnostic unit, the Driver Information Center. For example, if the gearbox is overheated, "trans over temp" will appear on the display, which will remain on until the temperature returns to normal. By the way, the electronics are also involved in the Z06 accelerator drive: the gas pedal is connected to the sensor, the signal from which goes to the injection control unit.
The system was called "drive-by-wire" - "drive over the wire." To make the engine easier to "breathe" and in order to reduce mass, a new titanium exhaust system was developed for the Corvette Z06. The design of the muffler itself has changed. A distinctive feature of the new Z06 are exhaust pipes with a diameter of 3.5 inches. The exhaust system is set to a more aggressive growl than that of the standard Corvette C5, and the effect it makes is indelible. The suspension of the Z06 is unique, specially tuned.
Its feature is very rigid springs and powerful anti-roll bars, which prevent the slightest roll. Work suspension controls (without driver intervention) Active Handling - electronic stability control. With the help of multiple sensors, the system calculates the desired trajectory and holds the car on it, automatically braking one or more wheels.
The device can be turned off for 5 seconds using a special button, because in the hands of an experienced driver a small stock is sometimes even desirable for faster turning. The Z06 rack-type steering is fast and sensitive, with excellent feedback. Thanks to the amplifier, turning the steering wheel from the lock to the stop is only 2.46 turns. Ventilated disc brakes with ABS are the same as on the standard Corvette C5: front and rear with a diameter of 12.6 inches. New 8-beam aluminum wheels, painted with light gray metallic, the most spectacular ever installed on the Corvette.
Another feature of the Z06 is the wide-profile Goodyear Eagle F1 SC tires (265/40 R17 at the front and 295 / 35R18 at the rear). There is no reserve, instead - a cylinder with a mixture of compressed air and sealant. Having pumped this mixture into the punctured tire, you can continue the movement - it securely seals the punctures up to five millimeters in diameter. The basis of the Z06 is a standard spatial frame made of high strength steel.
All body panels are stamped fiberglass. Exotic hull lines are combined with high wheel arches and a wide rear part. Z06 differs from the usual C5 wire mesh inserts in the air intakes on both sides of the front bumper and side air intakes located behind the doors at the bottom of the body. Brake calipers painted red. The glasses are made thinner, but the impact resistance remains the same.
Reducing weight by 36 pounds and increasing power by forty horsepower, in general, changing the ratio of these parameters, expanded the capabilities of the Z06. Inside the car attracts the attention of the dashboard with the company logo. The tachometer is marked up to a promising seven thousand revolutions, and the speedometer is up to two hundred miles per hour. The small dials of the voltmeter, fuel gauges, oil pressure, water temperature are very well located, and readings from them are perfectly readable. The display of the Driver Information Center is located in the center console. Plump chetyrehspitsevy steering wheel, leather-covered, is adjustable by angle.
Perforated pedals made of polished aluminum. Already in the standard version, the Z06 has remote door opening, climate control, a powerful Bose audio system with a CD player and eight speakers, central locking of windows and doors, and cruise control. Comfortable seats, covered with high-quality leather, with an emblem embroidered on the headrests, are endowed with eight position adjustments and provide excellent lateral support.
Interior Z06, made in red and black colors. The new Chevrolet Corvette has front and rear safety zones, side rails in each door, airbags for the driver and front passenger, three-point belts, energy absorbing steering column and front panel. At the Detroit auto show in 2004, Chevrolet introduced the sixth generation of the Corvette family of vehicles. The new car can certainly be called the evolutionary continuation of its predecessors. Nothing dramatic either in appearance or in technical parameters has practically changed. The design has become more modern, although it repeats almost completely the 5th generation.
Perhaps the most fundamental change is the absence of retractable headlights; they were replaced by “ordinary” xenon lamps under a transparent cap. The car has become a bit shorter compared to its predecessor, although the wheelbase has become larger. Chevrolet Corvette in front shod in 18-inch and 19-inch rear wheels. Under the hood is a modernized V-shaped "eight", with a capacity of 400 hp, aggregated with a 6-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission.
In Detroit, the public was presented with a coupe, gig debut in Geneva. Corvette Convertible received a new roof, which was developed taking into account the fact that in the unfolded form to achieve the lowest coefficient of aerodynamic drag. The result is impressive - only 0.28. The tent itself is made of Twillfast five-layer material that provides increased wear resistance and noise absorption. A choice of three colors awning - black, gray and beige.
The body was designed with the view that the handling and comfort of the open and closed versions did not differ. Technically, the convertible is no different from the coupe - the same 400-horsepower V8 (torque - 540 Nm), the same gearboxes - the six-speed Tremec G56 or the four-speed “automatic” HydraMatic. Alternatively, the MagnaRide electronically controlled suspension is available. By the way for the sixth generation Corvette traditionally developed a new emblem. The fifth generation had a circle on the nameplate, which served as a substrate for the emblem flags, and now the nameplate flags lie directly on the body.
A year later, according to tradition, the “charged” version with the Z index followed simply the Corvette. Externally, the standard version of the Z06 differs in swollen wings, a ventilation slot in the bonnet and air inlets to cool the rear brakes. Under the hood of the Corvette Z06 engine capacity of 7 liters. It develops 512 hp. and, according to unconfirmed data, it accelerates the car to 100 km / h in 3.8 seconds. The maximum speed of the “charged” Corvette is electronically limited at 320 km / h.
The rear wheels of the Corvette Z06 are shod with tires of dimension 345/30 R19. For confident braking are responsible brake mechanisms of the world famous company Brembo. Six-piston calipers are installed in the front, four-piston calipers in the rear. They are clearly visible through the new alloy wheels, made specifically for the new Corvette modification.
Today, this legendary car can be called one of the symbols of America. For more than half a century of history, the Corvette has achieved unprecedented popularity.
