The redesign of the 1968 Corvette was modeled after Chevy's 1965 concept car, the "Mako Shark II". The Coupe was made to feel like a convertible with removable T-tops and back window. 28,655 were manufactured of the first year of the third generation of Corvettes.
The quarter of a millionth Corvette was manufactured in 1969. It was a Gold Convertible. Chevy produced 32,762 Corvettes in 1969, with more Coupes manufactured than Convertibles for the first time in Corvette history.
1970 was the debut of a couple of Corvette icons, the LT1 motor and the ZR1 factory-racing package. Production was down to 17,316 due to a labor dispute in 1969.
Not much changed cosmetically from the 1970 to the 1971 Corvette. Production was up a few thousand to 21,801.
Once again, 1972 didn't see many changes for the exterior over the past two years. The LT1 and ZR1 packages would take a hiatus until the 90's. Good news, the theft-deterrent was now standard equipment from the factory. About three quarters of the 27,004 Corvettes in 1972 were Coupes.
The 1973 Corvette was the only year to have a rubber bumper on the front and a chrome bumper on the rear. The rubber 5mph bumper was now mandated by federal law. Less than 5,000 of the 30,464 produced in 1973 were convertibles.
The chrome rear bumper was replaced in 1974 with what some refer to as a "plastic blob". Due to manufacturing issues, the new bumper had to be constructed in two pieces. The 1974 Corvette is the only year with the "split rear-end". 37,502 Corvettes were produced in 1974.
1975 was the last year Chevrolet produced convertible Corvettes until 1986. Customers could only get the 350 cubic inch V8 in 1975, though various horsepower ratings were available. This is also the first year that km/h appeared on the speedometer. Production rose slightly to 38,465.
In 1976, the hood was modified to pull more air over the radiator. A funny aside is that this is the only year that the Corvette had something in common with the Vega; the steering wheel. 46,558 Corvettes were manufactured in the Bicentennial year of the USA.
The 500,000th Corvette was built in 1977. Power steering and brakes were finally standard equipment this year. Any Corvette enthusiast worth their salt could probably tell you that 1977 was the year that the engine color changed from orange to blue. Orange had been used since the Corvette's inception. Production was just under 50,000 units.
This is the 25th Anniversary of the Corvette. I remember building a model of a 1978 Corvette that was painted as the picture above. 6,502 of the 46,776 cars produced were made in the Indy Pace Car theme paint job. That was one for each of the Chevy dealerships at the time.
In 1979, the most Corvettes had ever been sold in one year, 53,807. AM/FM radios were now standard equipment.
The bolt-on spoiler was replaced with the spoiler being integrated into the rear bumper piece in 1980. California Corvette owners had to settle for a smaller V8 (305 cubic inches) with an automatic transmission. Production numbers are scaled back to 40,614.
1981 saw the closing of the St. Louis plant, while the new Bowling Green, Kentucky plant produced its first Corvettes. A total of 40, 606 Corvettes were built in 1981.
1982 was the final year of the C3 Corvette. All Corvettes produced this year were automatics. A special Collector's Edition was created with the rear glass opening like a hatchback. A moment of silence as it was the last year for the optional in-dash 8-track player. Production numbers drop to 25,407.
