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When developing the third-generation Corvette, the design became known as the Coke bottle design. It was so named because the car's profile resembled a glass Coca Cola bottle. What is not as commonly known about this design styling is that Pontiac nearly beat Chevrolet in developing a "Coke" bottle design when they introduced their 1965 Banshee, a car that would have been stiff competition for the Corvette.

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1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray ZL-1 Convertible Motorcar Studios ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
1968 L88 Corvette Front End
Corvette Of The Day: 1973 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
1975 Corvette
Low Mileage 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car Edition For Sale!© Bring A Trailer
Corvette Of The Day: 1981 Chevrolet Corvette

Buying a C3 Corvette? Read This First!

The third-generation Corvette has a sorted history full of highs-and-lows throughout its 15 year production run. Much of the evolution of this generation followed the economic and political climate of the United States in the late 1960’s and 70’s. While early model years (1968 – 1972) featured big engines producing massive horsepower, regulations would cause Chevrolet to reduce engine output ratings in later models (1973 – 1982). At the same time, these changes forced Chevrolet to improve upon their engineering standards.

The C3 Corvette Newsfeed

Awesome restorations, sacrilege restomods, cool C3 Corvettes at auction or for sale, this is your newsfeed for all things C3 Corvette.

By 1982, the Corvette had evolved into a striking vehicle, characterized by its exaggerated spoilers, wings, and side skirts. Its pronounced Coke bottle shape was a bold stylistic statement. As the final year of the third generation, the 1982 model introduced several new features, though it often remains overshadowed by...
1969 Chevrolet Corvette Race Car
John Greenwood, renowned as a master engine builder and race car driver, is credited with the creation of the “Greenwood Wide-Body” C3 race car. This distinctive vehicle combined exaggerated bodywork, a patriotic livery, and a notably powerful V8 engine, showcasing Chevrolet’s increasing dominance in international racing and maintaining the prominence...

C3 Corvette Production Summary

C3 production volume started strongly in 1968 with 28,566 cars built, with 18,630 convertibles and 9,936 coupes. Production volumes grew quickly in the second year with coupe volume overtaking convertibles with 22,129 units made while convertibles were 16,633.

C3 Corvette Technical Research

Production and sales numbers, order guides and sales brochures, we have more C3 Corvette research than you could ever want. 

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