Corvette Timeline

History of Corvette Development

C4 Prototypes

Above – 1983 Spy Photo from the June, 1981 Car & Driver with a note written to me by Dave McLellan after a speech to our local Society of Automotive Engineers section.

Above – A picture from the early 1984 brochure showing proposed standard wheels that were never released. The later 1984 brochures were airbrushed to show the correct 1984 wheels. 

Above – A  couple of mid-engine concept cars.

 “In 1986 the Corvette Indy Concept (red car) was launched. At the time it was considered to serve principally as a show-case for the newly developed Ilmor/Chevrolet Indy racing engine.”

1990 CERV III (blue): 

“Coming from a long line of mid-engine Corvette prototypes, (Corporate Experimental Research Vehicle), the CERV III was the final attempt towards a mid-mounted engine. Inspiration for the car’s design came from the Corvette Indy which was released four years earlier than the CERVIII. Unlike this prototype, the Indy was more of a display model, incapable of being driven.

The CERVIII is one of the most advanced concepts ever created. Never before has so much working technology crammed into one car for performance purposes. The cost to develop a car like the CERVIII would be astronomical.”

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