1970s
Published on July 24th, 2017 |
by BajaBusta
1975: A 1977 C4 Corvette?
It was 1975, and a new Corvette should have been on the way. Not some dream car. A new production Vette. As you can see the idea car had more than a passing resemblance to the 2-rotor Corvette Aerovette prototype first seen in the 1973. Yet the next Vette clearly didn’t have a rotary engine, and although it looks like it, it wouldn’t even be mid-engined. 
What General Motors had in mind for the Corvette would make the purest weep, the accountant’s cheer, and it wouldn’t mean a darn thing to the average Corvette buyer. Chevrolet’s master plan involved simply re-skinning the existing Corvette chassis. Perhaps simple re-skinning was not the proper term, as the work involved would be rather extensive. The new body shell owed a lot to the two-rotor Corvette concept of 1973. The proportions of the two rotors body was subtly altered to fit the front engine, rear drive layout of the C3 chassis. This new Vette would retain the liftoff roof panels presently used on the coupe whereas the two-rotor was a fixed head Coupe. This type of rejuvenation was done to the car once before — the change from the C2 Corvette to the C3 model, was the same sort of restyling job.
No major changes to the interior package planned, there would be a major redesign worked out out around the existing parameters. With a slight increase in luggage space, due in part to the relocation of the fuel tank. The coupe would be a hatchback with rear window to facilitate loading.
Although little confirmed information regarding the mechanical configuration of the ne
w Corvette, it would be pretty safe to assume that, not unlike most Corvette evolutions, there was to be a few mechanical changes, save one. The one bit of information rumored with surprising regularity was that the C4 Corvette will have the option of a turbocharged 350 cid engine. Some sources at General Motors said that the Chevrolet was eyeing a turbo installation for the Corvette more than casually. Maybe now that the emissions problem was well sorted out, performance was on the road back.
By 1975 The C4 Vette was still way down the road, and due to various setbacks the introduction date was perpetually up in the air. There was no chance Chevrolet would get the Corvette in production before 1976. Fast Forward to the 1984 model year.
Tags: C3 Corvette, C4 corvette, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevy, consumer reports, Corvette, Newsday Tuesday, newsdaytuesday, Old News, Oldnews, Vette
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