Chevrolet Corvette: Through The Years - Part 1

      When the Corvette was first revealed in 1953 as a prototype, America fell in love and this iconic sports car was almost immediately put into production. Ever since then, the Corvette has been a legend and a constant reminder to the world that America is alive and breathing, even in it's darkest hours. Over the next few post, I will give a review of each generation, starting at the original C1 and finishing with the new, flashy C7.

Corvette C1: 1953-1962

1955 Corvette at the Henry Ford Museum

1955 Corvette

    The first 'Vette, being a Fifties car, is covered in shiny chrome, and is fitted with classic white walls tires. While at a glance, the curvacious body is gorgeous, but upon closer inspection I have a few criticisms. The headlights appear to be caged in, which along with the multitude of vertical bars in the grille and bumper, lend a prison-like appearance to the front fascia. The grille, which I've never particularly liked, always reminded me a big of an angry mouth, and doesn't fit in with the sensual bodywork. Despite these minor complaints, it is still a beautiful sports car. The chrome bumper pieces emerging from the underbelly along with the long thin strip running down the side give a '50's futuristic feel. Around back the small bullet-like taillights and trim pieces give a sporty, yet luxurious appearance.

     In 1956, the Corvette was heavily updated, fixing many of my complaints on the '53. The headlights became smaller and more circular, and made the front fin have less of a curved shape. The hideous mesh was gone, and the bumper "fangs" were significantly reduced. These changes create a more sophisticated face for the 'Vette. The chrome bar along the side disappeared, replaced by a sporty, indented oval, allowing the car to have a classic two-tone paint scheme. In the rear, the tail
lights are more slickly integrated into the swooping tail, giving a more elegant look to the Chevy.

1958 Corvette in Naples, Florida

1956 Corvette 

      1958 brought the double-headlamp, along with sporty air scoops beneath the headlights and behind the front wheels, smoothly fused into the side oval, giving the car an extremely bold face. There were also skinny chrome trim pieces extending back from the headlights over the hood and forward from the taillights across the trunk lid, an interesting and unique detail that adds a luxurious feel. While the '58 was a fair improvement over earlier versions, the 1961 'Vette changed the Corvette's image forever.
        '61 saw the introduction of the two-piece taillights, and this design element has been a staple of the Corvette ever since. The change to the taillights also created a more crisply tapered rear end, giving the Chevy a more muscular look. Up front, the grille lost the chrome "teeth," so the car had a more streamlined, sophisticated appearance.
      Over its ten years of production, constant updates meant the Corvette evolved into a mature yet aggressive sports car.

Grade
Front: '53 - B
'56 - B+
'58 - A-
'61 - A
Back: '53 - A-
'56 - A-
'58 - A
'61 - A
Overall: '53 - B+
'56 - A-
'58 - A
'61 - A

Lexus SC 430

     The Lexus SC 430 is an absolutely stunning sports car. The Lexus Sc 430 is also a design catastrophe. See, the SC brings out extremely mixed emotions in me. This contrast makes it a very strange car to review, because sometimes I just love it, while other times I just can't bare to look at it.
     The SC looks its most sexy when viewed from the curvy rear. The elegantly shaped taillights fit in snugly over the powerful, cat-like rear haunches, and flow well into the rear bumper, creating a very fluid and well put together appearance. The lower rear fascia's simplicity further strengthens the slick, stylish image, but a touch of power is visible in the two massive exhaust pipes. The cabin also integrates smoothly into the trunk lid, especially for a hard-top convertible. The cabin's height and angle with the hood and trunk create the perfect sports car silhouette, not as upright as a normal passenger vehicle, but not as squashed as a supercar. Another nice touch appears on the lower front fascia, which features bold oval lights flanked by chrome inserts, all set back in a sporty intake.
     And that's the last of the good stuff. Despite the allure of the rear end, I still had a couple of quibbles with the back. My first issue was the brake light, which felt very out of place. On most cars, the brake light is mounted inside the cabin, but because this is a convertible, that could be difficult logistically. But having it stick up just behind the rear window disrupts the flow of the car's shape. A better place to put it would have been to integrate it into the spoiler. The other problem I had was with the small circular reflector piece on the side of the bumper, which also felt out of place and unnecessary.

     But those are minor complaints when compared to the bloated headlights and gaudy grille that lead catastrophic  front end. The larger oval headlights don't feel appropriate on a car that is otherwise so sleek, and the absurd dip on the inner edge of the headlamp makes the headlight look swollen. A straight, undisturbed line would've fit in better with the crisp and expressive character lines on the hood. The other main culprit of this ruined front fascia is the grille. There is too much chrome on the grille, making it look cheap and overdone. Also, the vertical slats are set back in the chrome surround, lending a snout-like appearance to the nose of the SC.
     The Lexus SC 430 is an interesting case, with its schizophrenic design, the mostly gorgeous back and largely hideous face. While the smooth and elegant taillights and character lines lend the car a sports car look, the cheap grille and fat headlights give a contrasting unattractive, and uninspired appearance.


Grade
Front: F
Back:A-
Overall: C+