CORVETTE RESEARCH

Corvette Research:

Every Year, Every Number, Every Document We Can Find.

This is the research center of the site: a page for every Corvette model year from 1953 to present with its production, VIN, options, prices, specs & more. Start here, with the year you are researching or the question you're asking.

Quick Nav: How To · The Libraries · By Generation · Documents · By Model · Every Year · Libraries · The Hubs · The Models · More · FAQs

The Basics

  • What’s Here: 74 model-year research pages (1953–2027, with the 1983 that wasn’t), 8 generation hubs, 21 model pages (every Z06, ZR1, Grand Sport, Stingray, E-Ray and L88 by generation, each with a buyer’s guide), 14 research libraries including the 91-page Corvette Colors library, the model and series pages, the buyer’s guides and the engines

  • The Numbers: Production by year, body and model; VIN decoding for every year; RPO codes and order guides; factory options and prices; specifications and performance; colors and codes

  • The Documents: Free owner’s manuals, sales brochures and catalogs, and dealer playbooks (the model guides Chevrolet gave its salesmen), year by year, plus the advertising

  • The Guides: A buyer’s guide for every generation, the engines from the Blue Flame six to the LT7, the Corvettes compared, the special editions, the model guides and the history

  • The Sources: Chevrolet’s own order guides, press materials and build records, the National Corvette Museum’s production sheets, the registries and the auction results, checked against each other; where figures disagree the pages say so

  • How to Use It: Know the year? Go to its page. Have a VIN? Start with the decoder. Checking a car? The RPO codes, production numbers and buyer’s guide for its generation, in that order

  • Related: The Corvette Models section (every model, series and generation), the racing page, the photos and videos, the mods and the cars for sale

The Overview

Every Corvette ever built has a page here. The 74 model-year pages are the spine of the site: for each year from 1953 to 2027 (and the 1983 that was never sold) they carry the production total by body and model, the VIN format and ranges, the RPO codes with their prices and take rates, the base prices, the specifications and performance, the colors with their codes and counts, the documents Chevrolet issued that year, the special editions, the pictures and videos, the recalls and bulletins, and what the cars have sold for at auction. The eight generation hubs tie the years together with the story, the timeline, the engines, the racing and the market.

Around them sit the libraries, one for each kind of research, each covering every year at once: the production numbers, the VIN decoder, the RPO codes and order guides, the specifications, the colors, the owner’s manuals, the sales brochures, the dealer playbooks, the buyer’s guides, the engines, the Corvettes compared, the advertising and the history. They are the pages to use when the question is across years, how production rose and fell, how a VIN changed in 1972 and 1981, which engines came and went, and the year pages are the pages to use when the question is about one car.

This page is the map. Below: how to research a Corvette step by step, the libraries in a table, the research available for each generation, every model year in order with its production, engines and base price, and the way into the hubs, the model pages and the rest of the site.

How to Research a Corvette

The steps, in the order the specialists take them, with the page for each.

1. Start With the VIN

The vehicle identification number tells you the model year, the body style, the plant and the sequence number, and from 1972 the engine and from 1981 the restraint system; the 1953–59 numbers are short serials, the 1960–71 numbers carry the year and body in a longer code that grew to thirteen characters in 1965, and the 17-character format arrived in 1981. The VIN decoder covers every year on one page, and each year page explains that year’s format, its sequence range and what the fifth or eighth character says about the engine. A VIN that does not fit its year is the first sign of a problem.

2. Find the Car’s Own Paper

Three documents prove what a Corvette left the plant as: the tank sticker (the build sheet glued to the top of the fuel tank from 1967, listing every RPO), the Protect-O-Plate (the owner’s warranty plate, 1965–72, stamped with the engine, transmission and axle codes) and, for later cars, the window sticker and the dealer order, with the build sheet under the carpet or behind the console on the C4 and after. The year pages say which of these a given year had and where to look; the RPO library decodes what they list.

3. Decode the Options

Every Corvette option is a Regular Production Option code, from the C48 heater delete to the Z07 track package, and the codes are how the special cars are told apart: L88, Z06, ZR1, Z16, Z25, B2K. The RPO codes library lists every code for every year with its price and, where Chevrolet published it, how many cars took it; the year pages carry the same for their year with the take rates, and the order guides and dealer playbooks show how the options were sold.

4. Check the Production Numbers

How many were built that year, in that body, with that engine, in that color: the production numbers library has the totals by year and the year pages break each one down, body by body, model by model and, where the National Corvette Museum’s sheets allow, color by color and option by option. This is where a rare car is proved rare, and where the common fakes (an L88, a Z06, a Grand Sport, a pace car) are caught by their numbers.

5. Read the Specifications

Engines, output, transmissions, axles, weights, dimensions and the performance Chevrolet quoted: the specs library has every year on one page, the Corvettes-compared page lines them up, the engines page tells the story of each engine from the Blue Flame six to the twin-turbo LT7, and the year pages carry the figures for their year with the magazine tests of the day.

6. Confirm the Colors

The exterior and interior colors offered each year with their paint codes, the trim tag and where to find it, and how many cars wore each color: the colors library covers every year and the year pages the detail. A color that was not offered on a year, or a trim tag that does not match the car, is the second-easiest problem to spot.

7. Price It, Then and Now

Base prices and option prices when new are on the year pages and the RPO library; what the cars sell for today is on the year pages’ market sections, the buyer’s guides and the for-sale and auction coverage, which records results week by week. The anniversary, pace-car, Z06, ZR1, Grand Sport and L88 pages carry the auction records for the special cars.

8. Get the Documents

The owner’s manual for the year, the sales brochure Chevrolet printed and the dealer playbook that trained the salesmen on the car are free on the site, year by year, in the three document libraries; the advertising page has the ads and commercials. They settle what was standard, what was optional and what Chevrolet claimed.

9. Read the Buyer’s Guide

Each generation has a buyer’s guide: what to look for, what goes wrong, which years and options to want, what to pay. Read it before the car, and the recall and technical service bulletin pages for the year after it.

10. Then the Story

The generation hub and the history page put the car in its time, the model pages (Z06, ZR1, Grand Sport, L88, the special editions, the pace cars, the concepts, the race cars) put it beside its relatives, and the full model list puts it in the line of 74 years. The research is the numbers; the hubs are why they matter.

MORE: THE VIN DECODER / THE RPO CODES / THE PRODUCTION NUMBERS / THE BUYER’S GUIDES

Blue 1990 Corvette C4 ZR-1
Corvette Of The Day: 2020 Mid-Engine Corvette Stingray

The Research Libraries

Fourteen libraries, each covering every year at once. Use them when the question runs across years; use the year pages when it is about one car.

MORE: THE CORVETTE MODELS SECTION / THE GENERATION HUBS

LIBRARY WHAT IT HOLDS COVERS
Production Numbers Every year’s production total, with bodies, models and the records; the generation totals; the NCM sheets and the VIN counts for the current years 1953–2027
VIN Decoder The VIN format for every year, character by character: model year, body, engine, plant, restraint, sequence; the ranges by year 1953–2027
RPO Codes and Order Guides Every Regular Production Option by year with price and production where known; the order guides 1953–2027
Specifications and Performance Engines, transmissions, axles, weights, dimensions, the performance Chevrolet quoted and the magazines measured 1953–2027
Colors The Corvette Colors library: 77 factory colors with their own pages (codes, years, production, pictures, paint codes), 12 color families, colors by year, and every year’s chart with counts 1953–2027
MSRP by Year Every base price from 1953 to 2027 in the dollars of the day and today’s, model by model 1953–2027
Owner’s Manuals The owner’s manual for every year, free to read and download 1953–2027
Sales Brochures and Catalogs The brochures and catalogs Chevrolet printed for every year 1953–2027
Dealer Playbooks The dealer model guides that trained the salesmen: features, options, competitors, selling points by year
Buyer’s Guides What to look for, what goes wrong, what to pay, for each generation C1–C8
Engines Every Corvette engine from the Blue Flame six to the LT7 and the LS6: specs, years, the cars they powered 1953–2027
Corvettes Compared Power, torque, acceleration and top speed for every model, side by side 1953–2027
Advertising The print ads, posters and commercials by year 1953–2027
The History The complete history of the Corvette: eight generations, the people, the plants, the firsts, the production 1953–2027

Research by Generation: The Numbers

Each generation’s VIN, production, RPO, options, pricing, specs and colors pages, and its hub. The generation hub (first column) has the story, timeline, engines, racing and market; the research pages have the figures.

MORE: THE GENERATION HUBS

Research by Generation: The Documents and the Guides

Each generation’s manuals, brochures, playbooks, recalls, technical service bulletins, buyer’s guide and the full technical-research tag.

MORE: ALL THE MANUALS / ALL THE BROCHURES / ALL THE PLAYBOOKS

GENERATION OWNER’S MANUALS BROCHURES PLAYBOOKS RECALLS TSBS BUYER’S GUIDE ALL TECHNICAL
C1 Corvette Owner’s manuals Brochures — Recalls TSBs Buyer’s guide All technical
C2 Corvette Owner’s manuals Brochures — Recalls TSBs Buyer’s guide All technical
C3 Corvette Owner’s manuals Brochures — Recalls TSBs Buyer’s guide All technical
C4 Corvette Owner’s manuals Brochures — Recalls TSBs Buyer’s guide All technical
C5 Corvette Owner’s manuals Brochures — Recalls TSBs Buyer’s guide All technical
C6 Corvette Owner’s manuals Brochures — Recalls TSBs Buyer’s guide All technical
C7 Corvette Owner’s manuals Brochures Playbooks Recalls TSBs Buyer’s guide All technical
C8 Corvette Owner’s manuals Brochures Playbooks Recalls TSBs Buyer’s guide All technical

Research by Model: Every Model Line by Generation

One page per model line per generation — every model year in its own section, the specs and numbers, the colors, what one costs now and a buyer’s guide (which year, what to pay, how to verify one, what goes wrong). The first column is the model-line guide across every generation.

MORE: THE Z06 GUIDE / THE ZR1 GUIDE / THE GRAND SPORT GUIDE / THE L88 GUIDE

MODEL LINE C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8
Sting Ray / Stingray 1963–67 1969–76 — — — 2014–19 2020–27
Grand Sport — — 1996 — 2010–13 2017–19 2027
Z06 — — — 2001–04 2006–13 2015–19 2023–27
E-Ray — — — — — — 2024–26
ZR1 — 1970–72 1990–95 — 2009–13 2019 2025–27
ZR1X — — — — — — 2026–27
L88 1967 1968–69 — — — — —

Every Corvette Model Year: The Research Pages

All 74 model years (and the 1983 that was skipped) with their generation, production, engines and base price, each linked to its research page.

MORE: PRODUCTION NUMBERS / THE FULL MODEL LIST

YEAR GEN BUILT ENGINES BASE PRICE
1953 C1 Corvette 300 235 ci Blue Flame six, 150 hp $3,498 Research page
1954 C1 Corvette 3,640 235 ci Blue Flame six, 155 hp $2,774 Research page
1955 C1 Corvette 700 265 ci V-8 / “Blue Flame” six $2,909 Research page
1956 C1 Corvette 3,467 265 ci V-8, 210 hp $3,120 Research page
1957 C1 Corvette 6,339 283 ci V-8, 220 to 283 hp $3,176.32 Research page
1958 C1 Corvette 9,168 283 ci V-8, 230 to 290 hp $3,591 Research page
1959 C1 Corvette 9,670 283 ci V-8, 230 to 290 hp $3,875 Research page
1960 C1 Corvette 10,261 283 ci V-8, 230 to 315 hp $3,875 Research page
1961 C1 Corvette 10,939 283 ci V-8, 230 to 315 hp $3,934 Research page
1962 C1 Corvette 14,531 327 ci V-8, 250 to 360 hp $4,038 Research page
1963 C2 Corvette 21,513 327 ci V-8, 250 to 360 hp $4,257 Research page
1964 C2 Corvette 22,229 327 ci V-8, 250 to 375 hp $4,252 Research page
1965 C2 Corvette 23,564 327 ci V-8, 250 to 375 hp $4,321 Research page
1966 C2 Corvette 27,720 327 ci V-8, 300 or 350 hp $4,295 Research page
1967 C2 Corvette 22,940 327 ci V-8, 300 or 350 hp $4,388.75 Research page
1968 C3 Corvette 28,566 327 ci V-8, 300 or 350 hp $4,663 Research page
1969 C3 Corvette 38,762 350 ci V-8, 300 or 350 hp $4,781 Research page
1970 C3 Corvette 17,316 350 ci V-8, 300 or 350 hp, or 370 hp solid-lifter LT-1 $5,192 Research page
1971 C3 Corvette 21,801 350 ci V-8, 270 hp, or 330 hp solid-lifter LT-1 $5,496 Research page
1972 C3 Corvette 27,004 350 ci V-8, 200 hp net, or 255 hp net solid-lifter LT-1 $5,533 Research page
1973 C3 Corvette 30,464 350 ci V-8, 190 hp or 250 hp $5,561.50 Research page
1974 C3 Corvette 37,502 350 ci V-8, 195 hp or 250 hp $6,001.50 Research page
1975 C3 Corvette 38,465 350 ci V-8 only: 165 hp or 205 hp $6,810.10 Research page
1976 C3 Corvette 46,558 350 ci V-8 only: 180 hp or 210 hp $7,604.85 Research page
1977 C3 Corvette 49,213 350 ci V-8 only: 180 hp or 210 hp $8,647.65 Research page
1978 C3 Corvette 46,776 350 ci V-8 only: 185 hp or 220 hp $9,351 Research page
1979 C3 Corvette 53,807 350 ci V-8 only: 195 hp or 225 hp, both up 5 hp on new open-flow mufflers $10,220.23 Research page
1980 C3 Corvette 40,614 350 ci V-8: 190 hp or 230 hp $13,140.24 Research page
1981 C3 Corvette 40,606 One engine for every state: 350 ci L81, 190 hp, with Computer Command Control, magnesium valve… $16,258.52 Research page
1982 C3 Corvette 25,407 350 ci L83 with Cross-Fire Injection, 200 hp: the first fuel-injected Corvette since 1965 and… $18,290.07 Research page
1983 C4 Corvette none sold (43 pilot cars) The year that was skipped; one survives at the National Corvette Museum — The story
1984 C4 Corvette 51,547 350 ci L83 with Cross-Fire Injection, 205 hp: the 1982 engine carried over, the only engine $21,800 Research page
1985 C4 Corvette 39,729 350 ci L98 with Tuned-Port Injection, 230 hp: the first year of the TPI small-block $24,403 Research page
1986 C4 Corvette 35,109 350 ci L98 with Tuned-Port Injection: 230 hp with cast-iron heads, 235 hp with the new… $27,027 Research page
1987 C4 Corvette 30,632 350 ci L98 with Tuned-Port Injection and new roller lifters, 240 hp $27,999 Research page
1988 C4 Corvette 22,789 350 ci L98 with Tuned-Port Injection and new aluminum heads, 240 hp $29,489 Research page
1989 C4 Corvette 26,412 350 ci L98 with Tuned-Port Injection and new Multec injectors, 245 hp in coupes with the… $31,545 Research page
1990 C4 Corvette 23,646 350 ci L98 with speed-density Tuned-Port Injection, 245 hp $31,979 Research page
1991 C4 Corvette 20,639 350 ci L98 with speed-density Tuned-Port Injection, 245 hp, its last year $32,455 Research page
1992 C4 Corvette 20,479 New 350 ci LT1 small-block, 300 hp, with reverse-flow cooling and Mobil 1 factory fill $33,635 Research page
1993 C4 Corvette 21,590 350 ci LT1, 300 hp and now 340 lb-ft $34,595 Research page
1994 C4 Corvette 23,330 350 ci LT1, 300 hp and 340 lb-ft, now with sequential fuel injection and a stronger ignition $36,185 Research page
1995 C4 Corvette 20,742 350 ci LT1, 300 hp and 340 lb-ft, with new connecting rods, injectors and a vented Optispark $36,785 Research page
1996 C4 Corvette 21,536 350 ci LT1, 300 hp and 335 lb-ft, now with OBD-II $37,225 Research page
1997 C5 Corvette 9,752 346 ci LS1 all-aluminum small-block V-8, 345 hp and 350 lb-ft, the first of the Gen III engines $37,495 Research page
1998 C5 Corvette 31,084 346 ci LS1 all-aluminum V-8, 345 hp and 350 lb-ft, unchanged $37,495 Research page
1999 C5 Corvette 33,270 346 ci LS1 all-aluminum V-8, 345 hp and 350 lb-ft, now on 853 heads $39,171 Research page
2000 C5 Corvette 33,682 346 ci LS1 all-aluminum V-8, 345 hp and 350 lb-ft, recalibrated to California LEV standards… $39,475 Research page
2001 C5 Corvette 35,627 346 ci LS1, now 350 hp and 360/375 lb-ft $40,475 Research page
2002 C5 Corvette 35,767 346 ci LS1, 350 hp and 360/375 lb-ft $41,450 Research page
2003 C5 Corvette 35,469 346 ci LS1, 350 hp and 360/375 lb-ft $43,895 Research page
2004 C5 Corvette 34,064 346 ci LS1, 350 hp and 360/375 lb-ft $44,535 Research page
2005 C6 Corvette 37,372 364 ci LS2 V-8, 400 hp and 400 lb-ft, standard on every car $44,245 Research page
2006 C6 Corvette 34,021 364 ci LS2, 400 hp and 400 lb-ft $44,600 Research page
2007 C6 Corvette 40,561 364 ci LS2, 400 hp and 400 lb-ft $44,970 Research page
2008 C6 Corvette 35,310 376 ci LS3, 430 hp and 424 lb-ft, 436 and 428 with the NPP dual-mode exhaust $45,995 Research page
2009 C6 Corvette 16,956 376 ci LS3, 430 hp / 436 with NPP $47,895 Research page
2010 C6 Corvette 12,194 376 ci LS3, 430 hp / 436 with NPP $49,880 Research page
2011 C6 Corvette 13,596 376 ci LS3, 430 hp / 436 with NPP $49,900 Research page
2012 C6 Corvette 11,647 376 ci LS3, 430 hp / 436 with NPP $50,500 Research page
2013 C6 Corvette 13,466 376 ci LS3, 430 hp / 436 with NPP $50,575 Research page
2014 C7 Corvette 37,288 376 ci Gen V LT1 V-8, 455 hp / 460 with NPP $51,995 Research page
2015 C7 Corvette 34,240 376 ci LT1, 455 hp / 460 with NPP $54,995 Research page
2016 C7 Corvette 40,689 376 ci LT1, 455 hp / 460 with NPP $56,395 Research page
2017 C7 Corvette 32,782 376 ci LT1, 455 hp / 460 with NPP $56,445 Research page
2018 C7 Corvette 9,686 376 ci LT1, 455 hp / 460 with NPP $56,490 Research page
2019 C7 Corvette 34,822 376 ci LT1, 455 hp / 460 with NPP $56,590 Research page
2020 C8 Corvette 20,368 376 ci LT2 V-8 with dry-sump oiling, 490 hp / 465 lb-ft standard $59,995 Research page
2021 C8 Corvette 26,216 376 ci LT2 V-8 with dry-sump oiling, 490 hp / 465 lb-ft standard $59,995 Research page
2022 C8 Corvette 25,831 376 ci LT2 V-8 with dry-sump oiling and an upgraded direct-injection fuel system, 490 hp / 465… $62,195 Research page
2023 C8 Corvette 53,785 Stingray: 376 ci LT2 V-8, 490 hp / 465 lb-ft, 495 / 470 with NPP $65,595 Research page
2024 C8 Corvette 42,934 Stingray and E-Ray: 376 ci LT2 V-8, 490 hp / 465 lb-ft — the E-Ray adds a 160-hp, 125-lb-ft… $69,995 Research page
2025 C8 Corvette 25,835 Stingray and E-Ray: 376 ci LT2 V-8, 490 / 495 hp $69,995 Research page
2026 C8 Corvette about 25,184 Stingray: 376 ci LT2, 490 / 495 hp $71,995 Research page
2027 C8 Corvette in production Stingray, Grand Sport and Grand Sport X: 409 ci LS6 pushrod V-8, 535 hp / 520 lb-ft, 13.0:1,… $73,495 Research page

The Research Libraries

Every kind of research, every year at once.

The Generation Hubs

One hub per generation: the story, the timeline, every year page, the special models, the engines, the racing, the market and the research.

The Model and Series Pages

The Corvette by model and series.

The Model Pages by Generation

The 21 generation-model pages, each with its buyer’s guide.

The Rest of the Site

Pictures, videos, wallpapers, mods, the cars for sale, the racing, the lists and the news.

FAQs

How do I find out what year my Corvette is?

From the VIN. The 1953–59 cars carry a short serial beginning with the year (E53, E54…), the 1960–71 cars a longer number (thirteen characters from 1965) whose first digits give the year and body, and every Corvette from 1981 a 17-character VIN with the model year in the tenth position. The VIN decoder covers every year; the year pages give each year’s sequence range.

How do I decode a Corvette VIN?

Position by position, and the positions changed: body style and year in the early numbers, the engine code in the fifth position from 1972, the plant, the restraint system from 1981, the check digit and the sequence. The VIN decoder page walks through every year’s format with examples; the year pages explain what each character meant that year and which VIN series the special models (Z06, ZR1, Grand Sport, pace cars) used.

How many Corvettes were made in a given year?

Every year page opens with the total, broken down by body and model (coupes, convertibles, Z06s, ZR1s, Grand Sports and so on), and the production numbers library lists all 74 years on one page with the generation totals. The record year is 1979 (53,807); the smallest is 1953 (300); nothing was sold as a 1983.

What is an RPO code?

A Regular Production Option code, Chevrolet’s name for every factory option from a heater delete to a track package, printed on the order, the build sheet, the tank sticker and the window sticker. The famous Corvettes are RPOs: L88, Z06, ZR1, Z16 (the 1996 Grand Sport), Z25, B2K (Callaway). The RPO library lists every code for every year with price and production; the year pages give the take rates.

What is a tank sticker, a build sheet and a Protect-O-Plate?

The documents that prove how a Corvette was built. The tank sticker is the build sheet glued to the top of the fuel tank on 1967 and later C2/C3 cars, listing every RPO; the Protect-O-Plate is the 1965–72 owner’s warranty plate stamped with the engine, transmission and axle codes; later cars have a build sheet in the car and a window sticker. The year pages say what each year had and where to find it.

How do I know if a Corvette’s options are real?

Match the paper to the car: the RPO codes on the tank sticker, build sheet or window sticker against the parts and the casting and date codes, the VIN against the year’s format and the special models’ VIN series, the trim tag against the colors offered that year, and the production numbers against the claim. The buyer’s guides and the model pages (L88, Z06, ZR1, Grand Sport, pace cars) list the tells for the cars most often faked.

Where can I find a Corvette owner’s manual, brochure or playbook?

On the three document libraries, free for every year: the owner’s manuals, the sales brochures and catalogs, and the dealer playbooks, the model guides Chevrolet gave its salesmen. Each year page links its own documents too.

Which Corvette engine did a year have?

The engines library tells the story of every engine from the Blue Flame six to the LT7 and the 2027 LS6; the specs library and each year page list what was standard and optional that year with output, and the RPO codes give the engine options’ prices and production. The table above gives each year’s engines in one line.

What did a Corvette cost new?

The year pages carry every base price and the option prices for the year, from $3,498 in 1953 to the 2027 range of $73,495 to $248,395; the RPO library has the option prices by year. What they sell for now is on the year pages’ market sections and the for-sale coverage.

Which Corvette colors were offered each year?

The colors library lists every exterior and interior color with its code and, where Chevrolet or the NCM recorded it, how many cars wore it, year by year; the year pages carry the same for their year and explain the trim tag. A color that was not offered on a year is one of the quickest ways to catch a repaint or a misrepresented car.

Is there a page for each model, like the C6 Z06 or the C8 E-Ray?

Yes: 21 generation-model pages — every Z06, ZR1, Grand Sport, Sting Ray/Stingray, E-Ray, ZR1X and L88 by generation — each with every model year in its own section, the specs, the colors, the values and a buyer’s guide. The Research by Model table above links them; the four model-line guides (Z06, ZR1, Grand Sport, L88) run across the generations.

Is there a buyer’s guide for each generation?

Yes, one for each of the eight on the buyer’s guides page, and one for each of the 21 model pages (which year to buy, what to pay, how to verify one, the known issues). Read them with the recall and technical-service-bulletin pages for the year and the market section of the year page.

Where do the numbers come from?

Chevrolet’s own order guides, press materials and production records, the National Corvette Museum’s year-end production sheets, the registries, the VIN trackers for the current years and the auction houses’ results, checked against each other. Where sources disagree the pages say so and give both figures.