This included Zora Arkus-Duntov, who is often heralded as “The Father of the Corvette.”ĭuntov penned a 1953 memo titled Thoughts Pertaining to Youth, Hot Rodders, and Chevrolet, which was addressed to the manufacturer’s director of research and development, Maurice Olley. The Turbo-Fire V8 made its initial appearance under the hood of the 1955 Corvette, at the insistence of many within GM. 327ci V8 Historyīy 1962, the Corvette had already become synonymous with small block performance. This engine would make its debut under the hood of the 1962 Corvette, further bolstering the line’s power and performance-related attributes. By the end of the Corvette’s first generation of production, America’s sports car had taken on a larger than life persona.Īs efforts turned toward bringing the C2 Corvette to market, GM’s engineering staff envisioned a larger, more robust addition to their already popular Turbo-Fire V8 lineup. At last, the Corvette started to gain traction with consumers. The decision to do so proved invaluable, as sales began to flourish. However, these less than stellar reviews were short-lived, as Chevrolet began offering the Corvette with an optional V8, only two years later.

During its earliest years of production, the Corvette was often cited by critics as being grossly underpowered, and incapable of living up to its sports car billing.

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