C3 on Larry Shinodan suunnittelemaan Chevrolet ”Mako Shark” -muotoilututkielmaan pohjautuva Corvetten kolmas sukupolvi, jota valmistettiin coupemallina vuosina 1968 – 1982 ja roadster-avomallina vuoteen 1975.
Corvette C3 kehitettiin Larry Shinodan suunnitteleman Mako Shark II: n jälkeen. Bill Mitchellin toimesta toteutettu Mako II oli aloitettu alkuvuodesta 1964. Kun keskimoottorinen muoto hylättiin, Shinoda / Mitchell-auto lähetettiin Chevrolet Styling -ohjelmaan David Hollin alaisuuteen, jossa Harry Hagan studio mukautti sen nykyiseen Stingray-tuotantomuotoon. Tuloksena alaosa muistuttui paljon Mako II:sta, hieman ”pehmennettynä”. Konseptin nimi muutettiin myöhemmin Manta Rayksi. Pysty takalasi jäi Duntov-ryhmän suunnittelemasta konseptimallista. Alusta lähtien oli tarkoitus, että takalasi ja katon yläosat voidaan poistaa.
”Shark” on erilainen kuin mihin oli totuttu. GM oli yrittänyt parhaiten pitää tulevan auton ulkonäön salassa, mutta Mattelin Hot Wheels -julkaisun vapauttaminen useita viikkoa ennen C3: n paljastamista oli Corvette-faneille erityisen kiinnostava versio: ”1968 Custom Corvette”.
| Moottori | Vuosi | Teho |
|---|---|---|
| 305 cu in (5.0 l) ”Calif. Only” LG4 V8 | 1980 | 180 hp (134 kW; 182 PS) net |
| 327 cu in (5.4 l) Small-Block V8 | 1968 | 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS) |
| 1968 | 350 hp (261 kW; 355 PS) | |
| 350 cu in (5.7 l) Small-Block V8 | 1969–1970 | 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS) |
| 1969–1970 | 350 hp (261 kW; 355 PS) | |
| 1970 | 370 hp (276 kW; 375 PS) | |
| 1971 | 270 hp (201 kW; 274 PS) 210 hp net | |
| 1971 | 330 hp (246 kW; 335 PS) | |
| 1972 | 200 hp (149 kW; 203 PS) | |
| 1972 | 255 hp (190 kW; 259 PS) | |
| 1973 | 190 hp (142 kW; 193 PS) | |
| 1973–1974 | 250 hp (186 kW; 253 PS) | |
| 1974 | 195 hp (145 kW; 198 PS) | |
| 1975 | 165 hp (123 kW; 167 PS) | |
| 1975 | 205 hp (153 kW; 208 PS) | |
| 1976–1977 | 180 hp (134 kW; 182 PS) | |
| 1976–1977 | 210 hp (157 kW; 213 PS) | |
| 1978 | 185 hp (138 kW; 188 PS) | |
| 1978 | 220 hp (164 kW; 223 PS) | |
| 1979 | 195 hp (145 kW; 198 PS) | |
| 1979 | 225 hp (168 kW; 228 PS) | |
| 1980–1981 | 190 hp (142 kW; 193 PS) | |
| 1980 | 230 hp (172 kW; 233 PS) | |
| 1982 | 200 hp (149 kW; 203 PS) | |
| 427 cu in (7.0 l) Big-Block V8 | 1968–1969 | 390 hp (291 kW; 395 PS) |
| 427 cu in (7.0 l) Big-Block Tri-Power V8 | 1968–1969 | 400 hp (298 kW; 406 PS) |
| 1968–1969 | 435 hp (324 kW; 441 PS) | |
| 427 cu in (7.0 l) ZL1 aluminum V8 | 1969 | 430 hp (321 kW; 436 PS) gross, 376 hp (280 kW; 381 PS) net[46] |
| 454 cu in (7.4 l) Big-Block V8 | 1970 | 360 hp (268 kW; 365 PS) gross; LS5 280 hp (209 kW; 284 PS) net |
| 1970 | 450 hp (336 kW; 456 PS) | |
| 1971 | 365 hp (272 kW; 370 PS) gross, LS5 285 hp (213 kW; 289 PS) net | |
| 1971 | 425 hp (317 kW; 431 PS)) gross; LS6 | |
| 1972 | 270 hp (201 kW; 274 PS) net; LS5 + ~30 for air | |
| 1973 | 275 hp (205 kW; 279 PS) net; LS4 no air available | |
| 1974 | 270 hp (201 kW; 274 PS) net; LS4 no air available |
| Vuosi | Määrä | Hinta | Huomiot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 28,566 | $4,663 | New body and T-top removable roof panels, new interior, engines carried over, three-speed Turbo Hydra-matic replaces two-speed Powerglide as automatic transmission option |
| 1969 | 38,462 | $4,780 | First year of the 350 in³ Small-Block in the Corvette; longer model year extended to December, 1969 due to delay in introduction of 1970 model; ”Stingray” front fender nameplates added, new interior door panels and inserts, 15-inch black-vinyl steering wheel (replaced 16-inch wood-rim wheel), 8-inch wide wheels (up from 7-inch), only year for factory optional side pipes |
| 1970 | 17,316 | $5,192 | First year for the LT-1 Small-Block and 454 in³ Big-Block; three-speed manual transmission dropped and four-speed manual became standard with Turbo Hydra-matic available as no-cost option with all engines except LT-1 350; posi-traction made standard equipment; introduced along with all-new second-generation Chevrolet Camaro on Feb. 26, 1970, new egg-grate metal front grills and fender grills, lower molded fender flares, new hi-back seats & interior trim, new custom interior option includes:leather seat trim, cut-pile carpeting, lower-carpeted door panels & wood-grain accents. |
| 1971 | 21,801 | $5,496 | Significant horsepower drops due to reduced compression ratios to meet GM corporate edict requiring all engines to run low-octane unleaded gasoline; horsepower ratings based on both ”gross” and ”net” figures with the former based on engine hooked to dynometer while ”net” ratings based on horsepower as installed in vehicle with accessories and emission controls installed. |
| 1972 | 27,004 | $5,533 | Horsepower ratings now advertised in SAE net figures, last year for LT-1 engine, front & rear chrome bumpers & removable rear window, last year for windshield wiper door. |
| 1973 | 30,464 | $5,561 | 5 mph front bumper system with urethane cover, pot-metal front grills (black with silver edges), chrome rear bumpers unchanged, new design front fender ducts, first year for radial tires (standard equipment), rubber body mounts, new hood with rear air induction & under-hood insulation, new front-end (round) emblem. |
| 1974 | 37,502 | $6,001 | 5 mph rear bumper system with urethane cover to match last year’s front bumper, new recessed tail lamps and down-turned tail-pipes. 1974 is the only year with two piece rear bumper cover with center-split. No gas lid emblem was used. Aluminum front grills (all-black), new dual exhaust resonators, revised radiator cooling and interior a/c ducts, integrated seat /shoulder belts in Coupe. Last year for true dual exhaust, last year for big-block engine in a Corvette. |
| 1975 | 38,645 | $6,810 | First year of Catalytic converter & single-exhaust, black (painted) bumper pads front & rear, redesigned inner-bumper systems & one-piece rear bumper cover, plastic front grills (all-black), amber parking lamp lenses (replaced clear lenses on 73-74) new emblems, last year of C3 convertible. |
| 1976 | 46,558 | $7,604 | First-year for steel floor-panels, cold-air induction dropped, new aluminum alloy wheels option, new one-piece rear ”Corvette” nameplate (replaces letters), last year of ”Stingray” fender nameplates. |
| 1977 | 49,213 | $8,647 | Black exterior available (last year-1969), new design ”Corvette flags” front end & fender emblems. New interior console and gauges, universal GM radios. |
| 1978 | 46,776 | $9,750 | New fastback rear window, Silver Anniversary and Indy 500 Pace Car special editions; Pace-car included sport seats & spoilers-front & rear, limited option-glass t-tops; redesigned interior, dash and instruments. |
| 1979 | 53,807 | $10,220 | Sport seats (from previous year pace-car); front & rear spoilers optional, glass t-tops optional; New interior comfort features; highest Corvette sales year to date. |
| 1980 | 40,614 | $13,140 | Lightened materials, new hood, front end with molded spoilers, rear bumper cover with molded spoiler and new tail lamps, Federal government required 85 mph (137 km/h) speedometer; California cars powered by 305 V8 and automatic transmission for this year only, last year for L-82 engine – (n/a with manual transmission) |
| 1981 | 40,606 | $16,258 | Production is transferred from St. Louis to new Bowling Green plant; 350 V8 returns in California cars, last year for manual transmission. |
| 1982 | 25,407 | $18,290 | New cross-fire fuel-injected L83, New automatic overdrive transmission; Collectors Edition features exclusive hatch rear window – is one fourth of production. |
| Yhteensä | 542,741 |