Corvette History

Did You C This? Corvette Generations Not Always Designated With a “C”

The old saying "you learn something new everyday" applies here

Douglas Barton··
Last updated:

As the revolutionary eighth-generation Corvette brings in new first-time owners, this may be a revelation to many, while there are some “old-timers” reading this right now screaming at their screen, “How could you not know this?!?” The “C” designation for generations just seems so commonplace now that it’s hard to believe (at least for me) that they didn’t always exist. I literally had no idea, but I did not get into the lifestyle until the late 90s (with the purchase of my first at 31, a C5).

This revelation came to light for me in a recent discussion at the Corvette Forum, when “2003 Corvette Z06” was confused about the “C” configurations of the Corvettes and asked:

“Why didn’t the C1 Corvette change to the C2 in 1958? Obviously, 1958 was a total redesign from the first 1953 to 1957.”

Before even getting into the “C” designations, this led to an interesting sidebar discussion, first with “Duck916” commenting:

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