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1961 Corvette

Success doesn’t come easy. That was certainly true during Corvettes early years. Chastised by sports car purists, Chevrolet’s entry was looked upon as a contradiction of sorts. Stylish it was, but the combination of an anemic six-cylinder engine hooked to a two-speed automatic transmission had enthusiasts scratching their heads and buyers staying away in droves.

Over the next several years, improvements styling and performance increased sales volume. By 1957, the availability of fuel injection and a four-speed transmission took Corvette to a new level of performance (and respect.) By 1960, sales exceeded 10,000 units.

While the new Sting Ray was only two years away, Chevrolet engineers weren’t about to stop polishing their first generation masterpiece. Case in point was the 1961 Corvette. Although similar to previous years, several key styling changes were immediately noticeable. Much of the new look derived from the XP700, a special 1958 Corvette designed and built for Bill Mitchell, GM’s newly anointed styling chief. A crisp horizontal feature line ran from the leading edge of the rear wheel opening to a slightly angular tail panel in which twin circular tail lamps were inset. Tail pipes were rerouted from exiting within the rear bumper to just behind the rear wheel requiring a redesign of the bumper.

Corvette’s front end appearance was cleaned up. Its shark tooth grille, a mainstay since 1953, was replaced with a simple mesh unit. Just above the grille, the word ‘C O R V E T T E’ was spelled out in block letters. Little was changed from the side view with the exception of revised front fender scripts.

Interior changes were more than immediately met the eye. The most significant change was under the carpet where floor pan revisions decreased driveshaft hump size by 20%, increasing foot room. As usual, seat cover and door pad patterns were redesigned slightly. Dual sun visors, park brake warning lamp and courtesy lights, formerly optional, were now standard equipment.

Chevrolet’s trustworthy 283 cubic-inch small block continued to power the Corvette albeit with a few horsepower revisions. The base engine remained the hydraulic cammed, 230 horsepower V8 that provided a civilized driving experience that required little mechanical upkeep. Two available dual-quad options pumped out either 245 or 270 horsepower. Top dog for 1961 was RPO 354, the 315 horsepower fuelie small block carried over from 1960 sans the troublesome aluminum heads. Shortly after start of production, engine cooling was improved via a new lightweight aluminum cross-flow radiator, the relocation of the fan closer to the radiator and an optional temperature-sensitive viscous fan. Nineteen sixty-one was also the first year an all aluminum four-speed transmission became available.

The Corvette was arguably the best handling car on the road, yet chassis engineers had a few tricks up their sleeves to further improve handling. At a cost of $333.60 customers could order RPO 687 that offered quicker steering, metallic brake linings with vented backing plates, finned brake drums and heavy-duty shocks. Those needing added fuel capacity could order RPO 1625 that replaced the 16 gallon fuel tank with a 24 gallon fuel tank. While it allowed for long range driving, it position just behind the seat backs eliminated the soft top and required customers to order the optional hardtop.

The C1 Corvette would soldier on for one more year selling over sixty nine thousand units during its ten year run. Today, the first generation Corvette is highly sought after, occasionally fetching six figures at auctions.

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