Corvette C3, introduced late 1967, was effectively the car that would live on right into the 1980s. Like the Mako Shark II concept, it had a longer, lower profile, blunter edges, long front and rear overhangs, bulging bumpers and a low bonnet, though it kept the recessed quad headlamps and the taillights. Still offered in coupe and convertible form, the coupe came with removable 'T top' roof panels. Prices started from $4,320. No major mechanical changes occurred, however, until 1969, when a new 350cu in (5.6-litre) V8 was fitted - and the Stingray name was resurrected. In November '69, the 250,000th Corvette rolled off the production line in St Louis. 1970 brought the Turbo Jet 454cu in (7.4-litre) engine, a chrome eggcrate grille and stainless steel sill mouldings, and the option of the ZR-1 factory-installed racing package. But the smaller engines took priority as emissions and fuel economy legislation took effect, and technology such as catalytic converters, exhaust gas recirculation, electronic spark control and so on became mandatory. Unleaded fuel replaced four and five star in the States in '71, and by 1975, the Corvette's maximum power output had decreased to 205bhp (though horsepower was now measured differently, so figures are not necessarily comparable). 1975 also saw the discontinuation of the convertible, and the Stingray name was dropped in 1977.
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As GM struggled its way through the Seventies, having to adapt to the continuing oil crisis, falling profits and increasing competition from the Japanese manufacturers, the Corvette was largely left alone as Chevrolet focussed on its core mainstream product line-up. Several concept cars were mocked up, however: the radically styled Astro Vette and Astro II, and then the aerodynamic Aerovette of the late '70s, which had its V8 mid-mounted in a transverse position, with a chain-driven differential. The Aerovette was also the testbed car for GM's trials of the Wankel rotary engine, but this project was soon abandoned once the pitfalls of the rotary in this era - excessive fuel consumption and poor reliability - were discovered. The will to put a more dramatically styled, innovative Corvette into production was also lost when its three champions, Ed Cole, Bill Mitchell and Zora Arkus-Duntov, all retired in 1980.
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Minor updates included the 'fastback' coupe body (1978), new spoilers and a lighter-weight body (1980) and revised rear suspension with a fibreglass-reinforced monoleaf rear spring (1981); production was moved to Chevrolet's new Bowling Green, Kentucky plant in June 1981, and production that year stood at over 40,000 (coupe only). The Corvette was now priced from $16,259. Prices rose to $18,290 the following year - when a hatchback design with tailgate was introduced - but sales fell to just over 25,400. The C3 was well past its sell-by date.
