C-3 Corvettes

The third generation Corvettes was produced from 1968- to 1982. The body and interior design for C-3 Corvettes are a dramatic departure from previous Corvettes and feature futuristic curves, wide flared fenders and a long sloping hood. This design was popular and remains so today. This is especially true for the C-3 Corvette with metal bumpers built between 1968 and 1973. In the initial years of production, large displacement, big block engines were available continuing the Corvette tradition of performance. By the mid 1970’s and for the rest of this generation only one engine (the small block with 350 cubic inches of displacement) was offered. To comply with an increasing array of smog requirements, performance was compromised to the point that there was nothing special about the Corvette engine. For the last year of production in 1982, Corvette offered its first fuel injection system. From 1968 to 1980 Corvettes were produced in St. Louis, Missouri. Beginning in 1981 Corvettes were built in the Bowling Green, Kentucky plant which had state of the art robot assembly technology. As a result, the build quality for 1981 to 1982 Corvettes is significantly better than that for the Corvettes built in St. Louis.

Pictured below are examples of the third generation Corvette.