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Home > Articles > Lookout Point > 2005 C-6 Corvette
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 Every major change from C-1 through C-5 has made a substantial statement, although diminishing in originality on an exponential level since the beginning. The first (1953) Corvette was exactly like the concept car shown in 1952. Whether you loved or hated that initial effort, history will reveal it as a classic. The first really major redesign was in 1961, when the StingRay was born as a pure race car (which Bill Mitchell liked to drive to work) and it spawned the ‘63 Split-window production Corvette, an "instant classic". In 1965, a "sequel concept" called Mako Shark II, for all intents and purposes, became the ‘68 Vette, now referred to as the C-3. This was not as radical, engineering-wise, as had been hoped, but still ground-breaking in style. The same cannot be said about the C-4, though, with its "ironed out bumps" and somewhat subdued styling similar to the Chevrolet XP898 concept of 1973. A marvel of front-engined engineering, this 1984 Corvette had become a pretender to the styling throne. Even with the then impressive ZR-1 option to sweeten the package, it just wasn’t a very "exciting" car for many. Along came the 1991 C-5, and, wow, did that look promising... from a distance. The closer you examined the styling, however, the more you may have grumbled about the "little things". The rear looked like it was designed by Dr. Kamm, and the overall shape was only "really sexy" when compared to a C-4, not a Ferrari or Aston-Martin. Not that the aerodynamically efficient rear section was some kind of form-follows-function styling miracle. Some called it "bustle-butted" and thought it looked like that lean Vette body was somehow saddled with a full diaper. Others thought that it simply looked as if the job for styling the rear end had been handed over to an engineer that happened to work as a styling studio clay modeler. But efficient it must be. Recent victories in its class at the 24 Hours of LeMans gained it a lot of respect, but not enough to change the rules of beauty. Still, right now, you can go down to your local Chevy dealer and order a true sports car that will give you more bang for the buck than almost anything on the planet. There’s something to be said for that.
But tomorrow... What are we going to say in the next few years? Does the recently announced 2005 Corvette come up to snuff? It looks as if it’s the best yet in the engineering department: 400 hp with promises of even more performance in the Z06 option. Although repeated efforts to bring about a production mid-engined Vette never materialized, the styling cues from some of those wonderful mid-motored concept cars (that began appearing during the mid-sixties) made it only into various trim and fill areas of their front-engined counterparts during the last four decades. The latest "visual lift" being the 1990 CERV III front end influence on the grill section of the 2005 Vette. But is there a valid point to the subdued choices of some of the other styling features on this C-6? Don’t fool yourself by thinking the there-all-the-time headlights were executed for beauty. That’s just a join-the-crowd excuse. Not that it’s any big loss (since pop-up headlights never looked cool when they were open), but one will have to admit, some of the Corvette’s brand individualism since 1963 has been because of that "bad-assed blind" look of those front ends. Not that maintaining brand identity should be an excuse for bad taste, but any corporate practice of "Corvette by Committee" (uninspired) styling should not be touted as a valid selling point either. Whatever the case may be, you may remember that a decade ago, on a darkened street-corner, there was no way you could mistake a Viper roadster for a Vette roadster. However, the same cannot be said about the newest versions of both. It’s probably a good thing for Chevrolet that G.M. killed the Fiero before it could become a threat to the "only real sports car in the General’s arsenal". Cadillac’s "luxo-version" of the C-6 might have something to do with their styling decisions, but with Ford getting serious about producing their GT(40) "Viper-fighter", and Damlier-Chrysler threatening to trump them all with their newest mid-engined 850 hp supercar concept, the streets of Detroit could again reveal themselves as a battlefield. Ferrari and Lamborghini may still be safe in their ivory towers of megabucks, but as sure as the XLR is square, Corvette will not be alone out there in American Sportscarland. |
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