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These are the best Chevrolet Corvette generations—according to you
Because apparently, you didn't like my initial suggestions
by Clayton Seams | 5 hours ago
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The C3 Corvette, according to internet commenters, is the worst Corvette.Clayton Seams / Driving
We knew there would be angry comments. How could there not be? We – and by that I mean me, myself and I – ranked all seven generations of America’s sports car from best to least-best, because everyone knows the Chevrolet Corvette is always the best.
There were always going to be some angry people. But we failed to realize the sheer volume of people upset by the article, and how angry the keyboard warriors were.
Not that I care about your feelings, but when presented with all this new feedback I realized I had enough information to re-rank all the Corvettes according to you, dear reader. So, the following are not my (very accurate) opinions, but those of the hive-mind.
For the record, many commenters seemed confused as to what “best” meant, pointing out a modern C5 was much faster and better-handling than a 1969 C3 with a 427 V8.
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We weren’t trying to rank them based on their speed and handling—that would be a dull list from newest to oldest, because everyone knows that newer cars are faster, better-handling, more efficient and just all-around better.
Instead, we tried rank them in terms of desirability and how they fared against other cars when new. But without further ado, here are your choices. And for the record, Reddit, I’ve personally driven the C1, C3, C4, and C6 generations, and own a C3 myself. 1. C2 (1963 to 1967)
C2-generation Corvette. Handout / Chevrolet
Nobody seemed to complain about ranking the C2 the king of Corvettes, so I must have gotten it right. GM never made a bad C2, and it was the peak of 1960s cool. The C2 gave us the famous split-window, fuel-injected small-blocks, and raging big-blocks. I’m glad we can all agree on at least one thing. The C2 is the undisputed champ. 2. C6 (2005 to 2013)
2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette Z06
Everyone seems to also agree that the C6 is really good. I had it in third place, but it’s been bumped to second place, here. According to the masses, the C6 is the best modern Corvette and I would agree—after all, the C6 of course brought us the 7.0-litre LS7 V8, the holy grail of LS engines. It was also the first Corvette since 1962 to have fixed headlights. Essentially, everything the C5 does, the C6 does better, and the values reflect that. The C6 is sweet. Moving on. 3. C1 (1953 to 1962)
The OG Corvette. It just looks so right Clayton Seams / Driving
I honestly thought people would light their torches when I placed the ancient C1 fairly high on the totem pole, but people seem to agree it’s just a nice classic car. The C1 is archaic but stylish, and even Bruce Springsteen owned one. Sure, the first two years had dumpy inline-six engines with two-speed transmissions, but the Corvette really came together later in the production run—including when it made its first foray into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 4. C7 (2014 to Present)
2018 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Coupe Carbon 65 Edition Graeme Fletcher / Driving
The C7 is a mid-pack finisher. It’s new, fast and capable, but the styling has divided fans of the storied nameplate—and the Z06 had some serious teething issues. Overall, it’s a car with some very impressive specs, but it just can’t seem to put it down on the road where it counts. The C7 is good, but sadly a little lukewarm. 5. C5 (1997 to 2005)
C5 Corvette Z06 Handout / Chevrolet
By far, the single most ridiculed point on the previous list was placing the C5 dead-last. I maintain it has the single worst interior placed in a Corvette, ever. At least the C4 was 1980s retro-cool. Still, the C5 Z06 – regardless of its wart-like hardtop – is a solid performer and one of the single best performance bargains today. One does have to wonder why a car of such calibre is so cheap, but the C5 is the first modern Corvette. It’s the one that brought the nameplate back onto the world stage, and Matt Farah loved his. But nearly everyone who complained did so because the C5 was dead-last. 6. C4 (1984 to 1996)
A C4-generation Corvette ZR-1 Brendan McAleer / Driving
Nobody was kind to the C4 in the comments, and about the nicest thing people could say about it was that it wasn’t a C3—more on that later. The C4 began life with a synthwave digital interior and some very dodgy engines, but by the end of its life, it was making 330 horsepower and had really grown into something nice. Still, it comes from an unloved era of automotive ennui—too new to be a classic, and too old to be fast. Still the C4 has its virtues: They’re great-handling cars, and if you get one with the six-speed manual, it’s fun to drive. 7. C3 (1968 to 1982)
Created with Raphaël 2.1.2
Created with Raphaël 2.1.2 Driving videographer Clayton Seams and news writer Alex Reid, futzing with whatever other part is broken on Clayton’s 1970 Corvette. Clayton Seams / Driving
In the first go-round, I placed the C3 Corvette as the number two. The C3-generation ZL1 was the fastest and most powerful classic Corvette; it finished in second place in its class at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans; and it was basically a show car come to life that was the car of choice for Apollo astronauts, but apparently none of that mattered because in 1976, GM sold a 165-horsepower C3 Corvette (in California only), and in 1980, GM made another one with 190 horsepower.
The C3 was almost unanimously disliked by commenters insisting that all C3s were porky and underpowered cars that didn’t handle well, surely because they’ve all driven them extensively. I’ll look past the fact that pretty much any C3, even from the darkest years, could run a 15-second quarter-mile and let you have the C3 as the worst Corvette ever made.
Happy now?
These are the best Chevrolet Corvette generations—according to you
Because apparently, you didn't like my initial suggestions
by Clayton Seams | 5 hours ago
SHARE STORY
The C3 Corvette, according to internet commenters, is the worst Corvette.Clayton Seams / Driving
We knew there would be angry comments. How could there not be? We – and by that I mean me, myself and I – ranked all seven generations of America’s sports car from best to least-best, because everyone knows the Chevrolet Corvette is always the best.
There were always going to be some angry people. But we failed to realize the sheer volume of people upset by the article, and how angry the keyboard warriors were.
Not that I care about your feelings, but when presented with all this new feedback I realized I had enough information to re-rank all the Corvettes according to you, dear reader. So, the following are not my (very accurate) opinions, but those of the hive-mind.
For the record, many commenters seemed confused as to what “best” meant, pointing out a modern C5 was much faster and better-handling than a 1969 C3 with a 427 V8.
RELATED
Which Corvette is the best Corvette?
How I brought a dilapidated Corvette Stingray back to life
We weren’t trying to rank them based on their speed and handling—that would be a dull list from newest to oldest, because everyone knows that newer cars are faster, better-handling, more efficient and just all-around better.
Instead, we tried rank them in terms of desirability and how they fared against other cars when new. But without further ado, here are your choices. And for the record, Reddit, I’ve personally driven the C1, C3, C4, and C6 generations, and own a C3 myself. 1. C2 (1963 to 1967)
C2-generation Corvette. Handout / Chevrolet
Nobody seemed to complain about ranking the C2 the king of Corvettes, so I must have gotten it right. GM never made a bad C2, and it was the peak of 1960s cool. The C2 gave us the famous split-window, fuel-injected small-blocks, and raging big-blocks. I’m glad we can all agree on at least one thing. The C2 is the undisputed champ. 2. C6 (2005 to 2013)
2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette Z06
Everyone seems to also agree that the C6 is really good. I had it in third place, but it’s been bumped to second place, here. According to the masses, the C6 is the best modern Corvette and I would agree—after all, the C6 of course brought us the 7.0-litre LS7 V8, the holy grail of LS engines. It was also the first Corvette since 1962 to have fixed headlights. Essentially, everything the C5 does, the C6 does better, and the values reflect that. The C6 is sweet. Moving on. 3. C1 (1953 to 1962)
The OG Corvette. It just looks so right Clayton Seams / Driving
I honestly thought people would light their torches when I placed the ancient C1 fairly high on the totem pole, but people seem to agree it’s just a nice classic car. The C1 is archaic but stylish, and even Bruce Springsteen owned one. Sure, the first two years had dumpy inline-six engines with two-speed transmissions, but the Corvette really came together later in the production run—including when it made its first foray into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 4. C7 (2014 to Present)
2018 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Coupe Carbon 65 Edition Graeme Fletcher / Driving
The C7 is a mid-pack finisher. It’s new, fast and capable, but the styling has divided fans of the storied nameplate—and the Z06 had some serious teething issues. Overall, it’s a car with some very impressive specs, but it just can’t seem to put it down on the road where it counts. The C7 is good, but sadly a little lukewarm. 5. C5 (1997 to 2005)
C5 Corvette Z06 Handout / Chevrolet
By far, the single most ridiculed point on the previous list was placing the C5 dead-last. I maintain it has the single worst interior placed in a Corvette, ever. At least the C4 was 1980s retro-cool. Still, the C5 Z06 – regardless of its wart-like hardtop – is a solid performer and one of the single best performance bargains today. One does have to wonder why a car of such calibre is so cheap, but the C5 is the first modern Corvette. It’s the one that brought the nameplate back onto the world stage, and Matt Farah loved his. But nearly everyone who complained did so because the C5 was dead-last. 6. C4 (1984 to 1996)
A C4-generation Corvette ZR-1 Brendan McAleer / DrivingNobody was kind to the C4 in the comments, and about the nicest thing people could say about it was that it wasn’t a C3—more on that later. The C4 began life with a synthwave digital interior and some very dodgy engines, but by the end of its life, it was making 330 horsepower and had really grown into something nice. Still, it comes from an unloved era of automotive ennui—too new to be a classic, and too old to be fast. Still the C4 has its virtues: They’re great-handling cars, and if you get one with the six-speed manual, it’s fun to drive. 7. C3 (1968 to 1982)
Created with Raphaël 2.1.2
Created with Raphaël 2.1.2 Driving videographer Clayton Seams and news writer Alex Reid, futzing with whatever other part is broken on Clayton’s 1970 Corvette. Clayton Seams / Driving
In the first go-round, I placed the C3 Corvette as the number two. The C3-generation ZL1 was the fastest and most powerful classic Corvette; it finished in second place in its class at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans; and it was basically a show car come to life that was the car of choice for Apollo astronauts, but apparently none of that mattered because in 1976, GM sold a 165-horsepower C3 Corvette (in California only), and in 1980, GM made another one with 190 horsepower.
The C3 was almost unanimously disliked by commenters insisting that all C3s were porky and underpowered cars that didn’t handle well, surely because they’ve all driven them extensively. I’ll look past the fact that pretty much any C3, even from the darkest years, could run a 15-second quarter-mile and let you have the C3 as the worst Corvette ever made.
Happy now?
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