Coupe	Convertible	Total
9,366	18,630	21,513
Base Price
$4,663.00	$4,320.00

C3 Corvette - 1968 to 1977 - Part 1 In the automotive world, there are only a couple of cars that the general motoring public instantly recognizes. First and foremost would be the VW Beetle. Who wouldn't know one of these cars as it was produced from the late thirties and into the seventies. The Edsel comes to mind with the distinctive "horse-collar" front end appearance. Most improtantly, another is the 1968 thru 1982 Corvette. Partly because of the length of production, but mostly becaust of the distinct styling, these cars wouldn't be confused with any other car in the parking lot. The 1968 Corvette began a generation long run of cars which began life as terrors on the street and ended a relatively docile rein. The new car was all-new on the out- and inside, but the underlying chassis had roots to the stellar 1963 edition.

The exterior was the most stylistic creation yet, inspired by the Mako Shark II show car, much as the Stingray Racer had influenced it's predecessor. The front and rear fenders were peaked, lending a race car look to the exterior. You sat low in a '68, peeking up over the fenders as you looked down the low, low hood. Headlamps popped up out of the silhouette, like four menacing eyeballs piercing through the darkness. While stylish when retracted, the headlamps were placed high enough to provide great lighting when opened. A thin chrome front bumper encircled the front of the car, offering more protection than the split arrangement of the C2 cars. The side gills were much less aquatic looking than the outgoing '67, and could now be dressed in brightwork, should the owner desire. The C3 introduced a "coke bottle" or "wasp waisted" style, with both the front fenders and rear quarter panels being more bolbulous than the doors. The doors are the subject of great debate as to open them, one had to squeeze the upper exterior latch while pushing the lock button (as on most conventional cars) at the same time. A novel approach to be different, but most unnecessary. There were three hoods offered, the basic flat hood for 327 equipped models, the "big block" hood for the 390, 400, and 435hp variations of the 427 ci engines, which had a domed shape and a pair of false radiator vents, and then there was a third hood, one with a higher bulge, but his was limited to the 116 L-88 (claimed at 430hp) Corvettes. The split rear bumper was carried over from the C2, however other than the four tail lamp arrangement, that was the only similarity. The glassed rear boat tail look was replaced with a flying buttress with it's deeply set rear window. At the extreme rear, a semi "kamm" tail lowered drag and was topped by an subtle integrated rear spoiler. A great new feature on coupes was the removable roof panels, more commonly referred to as "T-tops". The new roof panels when combined with the removable rear window, allowed owners to experience a near convertible ambience while retaining the security of a coupe. When removed, the panels were stored in bags to keep them from rattling into one another when occupying the cargo area. Unlike the C2 cars, the cargo area in the coupes was barely roomier than the convertibles. Upon opening the doors, Corvette owners were treated to a highly exotic interior. The seats were now narrow buckets, again available with optional head restraints. Ahead of the driver was a deep set speedometer and tachometer, with the ammeter, temperature, fuel, and oil pressure gages being placed in the central part of the instrument panel. The climate controls were more conventional and placed in the forward part of a busier center console. The shifter was changed markedly, as it now rested at about a 40-degree angle when in first or third (or park on automatics), while being at almost 90-degrees in 2nd/4th (drive). A high tech feature added to the console was the lighting monitor where fiber optic cables transmitted light from head, tail, and brake lamps, to keep the driver informed as to the status of these systems. Powerteams for '68 were similar to 1967's with a 300hp 327 being standard, with engine options being a 350hp version of the 327, and 390, 400, 430, and 435hp versions of the big block 427 available at extra cost. The 400 and 435hp variations were equipped with three two-barrel carburetors, dubbed tri-power. The 390hp and the 430hp versions were different as night and day despite having a common four-barrel arrangement (but not common carbs). The 390 could be considered a docile engine, while the 430 horsepower engine was a race engine in a street car. Dubbed L88, this engine was underrated in horsepower and was not really streetable, The low horsepower rating and lack of creature comforts did what Chevy intended; kept only the real diehards from ordering the package. How many? How about 116 cars.

Engine Codes					Color Codes
RPO	Cu. In.	Horsepower	Fuel System	Trans	Block Code	Code	Color
Base	327	300	4-bbl	Manual	HE	900	Tuxedo Black
Base	327	300	4-bbl	Auto	HO	972	Polar White
L79	327	350	4-bbl	Manual	HT	974	Rally Red
L79	327	350	4-bbl	Manual w/ac, p steer	HO	976	LeMans Blue
L36	427	390	4-bbl	Manual	IL	978	International Blue
L36	427	390	4-bbl	Auto	IQ	983	British Green
L68	427	400	3 x 2-bbl	Manual	IM	984	Safari Yellow
L68	427	400	3 x 2-bbl	Auto	IO	986	Silverstone Silver
L71	427	435	3 x 2-bbl	Manual	IR	988	Cordovan Maroon
L71	427	435	3 x 2-bbl-Alum Heads	Manual	IU	982	Corvette Bronze
L88	427	430	4-bbl	Manual	IT

1968 - Mako Shark anyone?
1969 - Goodbye L88, Hello ZL1
1970 - Solid Lifters and Small Blocks
1971 - Who needs Hi-Test?
1972 - End of the Line, LT-1
1973 - Last of the Chrome
1974 - Big-Blocks last Hurrah
1975 - The Last Corvette Convertible
1976 - YJ8, Aluminum wheels
1977 - Wait 'til next year

"CorvettePage.com is not affiliated with, Associated with, or Sponsored by General Motors or the Chevrolet Motor Division."