Corvette Sports Car
Spirit of America--Corvette Sports Car
American movies pursue big money and big production; American cars pay attention to big things. Horsepower and large displacement, but the effect presented by the two is quite the same, that is, it is completely luxurious and elegant. Corvette, as the first sports car in the United States, has been around for 50 years and half a century since its birth in 1953, with its powerful power, outstanding performance, dazzling style and comfortable rides. The driving experience has conquered countless demanding sports car enthusiasts. Today, the Corvette has become a flag for American sports cars.
After World War II, the British Jaguar XK120 and MG TD sports cars successively entered the United States. This was undoubtedly a new thing for the free and unrestrained Americans, and its influence was beyond people's imagination. imagination. Rich people such as movie star Clark Gable will choose Jaguar, while ordinary people will favor MG sports cars.
GM’s legendary design master Harley Earl (1893-1969) saw the potential market for this new model in the United States. Unlike today's large and complex GM management model, GM's decisions in the 1950s were made by a few people. Earl is one of them. In 1951, Earl's son Jerry (Jerry) was very obsessed with Jaguar sports cars when he was in college. Earl then spent a lot of effort studying this European machine. After several visits to Europe, Earle decided that the United States also needed a two-seat high-speed sedan (sports car). In 1951, Earle organized the General Design Department to produce a large two-seater concept car called the Saber, but Earle soon discovered that a real sports car needs to have an elegant appearance. So he separated a group from GM's design department and they were responsible for the appearance design of the two-seater sports car. The two-seater sports car was named Project Opel at the time.
In order to have a beautiful shape, Earl used fiberglass materials in the Opel plan, which is easier to process complex shapes. In 1952, the Opel project was announced and completed, and GM's sports car was officially displayed at the 1953 New York Auto Show. It is today's famous Corvette. The original meaning of Corvette was a fast escort gunboat in Britain in the 17th century. GM chose this name to deliberately emphasize its identity as a sports car and to challenge the popular British sports cars at the time.
GM initially produced the Corvette to satisfy a very small number of distinguished customers. The first Corvette launched in 1953 only produced 300 units before being discontinued. GM once wanted to give up, but in 1954 Ford launched the Thunderbird convertible two-seat sports car at the Detroit Auto Show. GM wanted to compete with it, but the Corvette brand persisted and remained standing for half a century. . With the development of the Corvette brand, today it is classified as GM's Chevrolet Division (sports car division).
The first-generation Corvette left us with a suspense. The first sports car in American history actually used an automatic transmission. From a common sense, a sports car that emphasizes sports should use a manual transmission. The emergence of this phenomenon shows that Americans do not understand the essence of sports cars. On the other hand, it may be that Earle estimated that the market for pure sports cars was not big enough at the time, and that the market could be broadened by using an automatic transmission. Regardless, the first-generation Corvette was a success, with 300 units produced. Compared with GM's Corvette, Ford's Thunderbird sports car was more "civilian" and sold better. However, in order to compete for a larger market after 1957, the Thunderbird became a 4-seat sedan, thus gradually fading out of the sports car market. . In the following decades, the rivalry between Corvette and Dodge Viper became the main theme of American sports cars.
After J Mays assumed the position of Ford design director, he began the revitalization of the brand. The dynamic new Bronco and new Thunderbird are brought to the forefront. Faced with Ford's increasing pressure, GM was naturally not to be outdone. After the 50th anniversary celebration version of Corvette 50SE (Special Edition) was launched in 2003, it once again moved out the masterpiece sixth-generation Corvette C6 at the 2004 North American Auto Show. .
Corvette
50th Anniversary Special Edition
2003 is the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Corvette sports car. According to international practice, GM will launch it in the second half of 2002 Corvette 50th Anniversary Special Edition (50SE).
The Corvette 50SE was once intended to use a white body and red interior like the first 300 Corvettes in 1953, but it was obviously too plain and elegant; some people insisted on using it like the 1988 Corvette. The 12 concept cars use a golden body like this, but there are more people who oppose it. This color, which is popular in Las Vegas, seems too ungraceful to be used for a ceremony.
After some debate, the color of Corvette 50SE was selected as red, which has been frequently used in recent years. For the careful consideration of the celebration, the color of red was also carefully considered. The commemorative red of the 50SE is different from Porsche's bright Guards Red, nor is it the purple red that was ignored during the 40th anniversary celebration. The commemorative red of 50SE originates from Burgundy, a city in southeast France, which is the most famous red wine producing area in Europe. There is no doubt that 50SE has a wine-like smooth luster, and under the red surface is a layer of aluminum oxide covering. It is precisely because of this that 50SE has different visual impacts on us under different light intensities and angles.
The traditional Corvette logo is two flags nested crosswise within an oval. The black and white flag indicates that the car is a sports car participating in the road car competition. The bow (cross knot) on the red flag indicates that the car is manufactured by the Chevrolet Division. The trophies and flowers on the flag represent The cheers after winning the championship and the commemoration of success. The 50th anniversary car logo badge adds a 5 to the left side of the traditional car logo, and the oval in the original car logo naturally evolves into a 0. This special badge appears on the front hood, rear, fenders, center of the wheel rims, seats, carpets and headrests and is also imprinted.
Car fans who are familiar with Corvette cars can find that the 50SE is based on the Z06 sports car, and its basic appearance is not much different. The 50SE has a traditional wedge-shaped design, with flip-up headlights that are usually hidden in the hood. The two air intake grilles of the engine are horizontally slender, which is very different from the "shark mouth" air intake grille designed by Earle in 1957. It can be seen that there are precise diversion settings inside the air intake. In addition to the air entering the engine to provide combustion, another part of the airflow is directed to the wheel brake discs and the airflow slots at the rear of the front fender of the body to cooperate with the engine air inlet to control this airflow. There are turn signals on both sides of the air vent and a front neon light below. The entire engine setup is slightly wavy, very similar to a Ferrari sports car.
The hard-top 56SE canopy part is very rounded, the glass is pure black, and the canopy is the same burgundy red as the body. The rear view window is so large that it looks like an airplane cockpit. The convertible version of the 50SE is a standard American style, very wide and very large, especially because there is no rear view window at the rear, and the roof of the cabin is unusually "wide". Whether hardtop or convertible, the rear of the 50SF is very straight. The connection between the horizontal plane and the two facades shows the dominance of the Americans. The rear of the car is slightly upturned, which is Earle's high tail fin style. There are two taillights on each side. , the thin strip in the middle is the brake warning light, and the four exhaust pipes are located in the center of the bottom.
The standard version of the Corvette 50SE is priced at US$50,000, and the convertible version is US$56,000. Overall, it is US$2,000 more expensive than the non-50th anniversary Corvette of the same level. But who can deny that the $2,000 is not worth it?
Corvette C6
——Spirit of America
The Spirit of America is finally back!
The sixth-generation Corvette C6, always known as the classic American sports car, made its grand debut at the 2004 North American Auto Show. Corvette said that this is a new generation, not an improved version based on the previous generation. It hopes to push Corvette's reputation to a new peak and compete with the European sports car giants.
The Corvette C6 was undoubtedly born to replace the C5 (1997-2004). As the first-generation Corvette sports car in the new century, C6 strives to find the best combination of pursuing breakthroughs and protecting tradition. The car appears compact in shape, with tense lines and full of power and passion. With such smooth lines, the C6’s drag coefficient is only 0.28.
The length of the C6 is approximately 127 mm shorter than that of the C5, but the wheelbase is longer. The body proportions have been slightly changed, and the shortened cockpit is more inclined to a neat European style. The C6 uses 18-inch wheels at the front and 19-inch wheels at the rear, making the wheel arches look very powerful. The tapered tail window is a Corvette signature, if slightly flimsy. On the front face, the exaggerated headlights of the C6 are very expressive. Together with the air intake grille, they outline a youthful and energetic face that only belongs to Corvette.
Since the C5 has been criticized for its interior, designers have made special improvements to the C6, all with the goal of luxury and comfort. In addition to the standard CD audio, car owners can also choose from DVD, XM satellite radio and On Star GM satellite systems. The C6's power system follows the C5's Z06 6-liter V8-cylinder cast aluminum engine. After adjustment, this engine can output 400 horsepower and 550 Nm of torque. The variable electromagnetic damping shock absorbers already used on the 50th Anniversary Edition of Corvette become standard equipment on the C6. The C6 will be available with two manual transmissions. In addition to the standard version, Corvette also offers a Z51 version of the transmission, which can greatly improve acceleration. In terms of automatic transmission, Corvette has not made much progress, but has slightly improved the C5's 4L60-E transmission. For cost reasons, the C6's chassis is taken from the modified Sigma rear-drive platform, which is also used by GM's Cadillac CTS. In terms of suspension, the C6 uses double wishbones combined with transverse composite leaf springs at the front and rear.
The Corvette C6 will go on sale in the third quarter of 2004 and is expected to cost US$45,000. GM will also launch a convertible version of the Corvette C6 later.
Today, "Corvette" has become one of the representatives of high-performance sports cars in the field of automotive engineering art. When it comes to the automobile dream of American youth, "Corvette" cannot be mentioned. Compared with European sports cars that are both heroic and elegant, the Corvette, which represents the American spirit, is more exaggerated, powerful, and even a bit showy.
Perhaps this is also the "taste" of America.
Trademark Tips
Corvette (CORVETTE) is the trademark of a high-end sports car produced by the Chevrolet Department of General Motors of the United States. It follows the name of a British gunboat in the 17th century, which was popular at the time. British sports car challenge.
The trademark pattern is two flags nested cross inside an oval. The black and white flag indicates that the car is a sports car participating in the road car competition; the bow tie trademark on the red flag indicates that the car is manufactured by the Chevrolet Division; the trophy and flowers on the flag represent the victory after winning the championship. A commemoration of cheers and success; "CORVETTE" on the top represents the name; "1953" on the lower left represents the birth year of the "Corvette" car. Since the day "Corvette" was born, it has been selling well all over the world for its extraordinary charm and unique style. It is a representative of American automotive engineering art.
In 1957, Earle designed the unique "shark mouth" radiator grille; in 1963, Pierre designed the split rear window, making it one of the most enviable treasures of sports car collectors. 1. In 1968, the "Coke bottle" shaped body designed by Bill, with its long hood and smooth contours and sparkling side wings, can be called an art treasure.
In the mid-1980s, in order to highlight the two flags on the Corvette trademark, the words and outer circles were removed. What is presented to us is a simple and bright new "Corvette" trademark. .