The Chevrolet Corvette.
Yes, it’s an American icon, arguably more recognizable worldwide than any television or movie celebrity. Its name is synonymous with General Motors performance (How many times have you heard someone claim to have a “Corvette cam” or a “Corvette engine” in their car?), but is also associated with cheap plastic interiors, dismal performance numbers during the dark ages of the late 70s and early to mid 80s (Two words that will make any gearhead shudder: “Crossfire Injection”), and mid-life crisis early warning signs.
Ignoring any statistics, real or imaginary, about the average age of the typical Corvette owner or the percentage of automatic-equipped base model cars to ZR1s and Z06s, does the Corvette deserve its place on the podium as America’s best sports car?
In recent years the Corvette has shaken off many detractors with increasingly supercar-like performance numbers and better build quality (Most of the terrible interior plastic has been removed with the C7 from what I can tell), but is this enough to make up for the bad taste left by the ’75-82 C3 (Yes, I understand that the 1979 Corvette is the best-selling Corvette of all time. 1979 was also the peak year for illicit drug consumption in the United States. I rest my case.) and mid-90s Pace Car special editions?
Before we allow you to start the rock throwing, let’s set some simple ground rules on what makes an American “sports car”:
– Sold by an American-based company (Big Three or other)
– Four wheels
– Three pedals
– Two seats
Personally, I’m partial to the Dodge Viper: Meets all of the criteria above, never offered with less than four hundred horsepower or (Until this upcoming 2014 model) any electronic nannies in the form of traction or stability control. Heck, some models didn’t even offer ABS! Any car that will happily put you into the nearest tree if you show the slightest lack of driving prowess is about as American as it gets in my book.
Time to weigh in: Is the Corvette really the best sports car that America has ever produced?
Is the C7 America’s ‘ best ‘ sports car ? By default … seeing as how there’s nothing else on offer ( the Viper being a badge engineered and de-contented Mercedes SLS ) .. I guess grudgingly the answer would be yes
But is the Corvette ‘ historically ‘ overall America’s best sports car ?
NO !
That honor would have to fall on either the Shelby Cobra … Daytona Coupe .. or even better the Ford GT40
For all of Chevrolets posturing and posing .. the simple fact is without the multitude of rulebook by’s and breaks and exemptions afforded to them the Corvette in international competition would of never stood a chance … whereas the Shelby’s and the GT40’s had to go head to head .. no breaks … no bys … and in fact with disadvantages in order to take the prize away from the Eurosnobs which they did with style !
As to the C7 .. the numbers … are decent … the looks … abysmal and immature . A Camaro with a Vette nose grafted on and a bunch of cheap @$&ed carbon fiber doo dads glued on to give it that Track Day / Boy Racer Wanna Be look and the pretense of being aero
This is by far the most useless bit of drivel I have read in a long time.
How in the world is the Viper a badge-engineered Mercedes SLS?
The Viper is built on the same platform as the last Viper, which was its own unique platform and has been since 1993. This is seen by some as a downfall.
The new SLS is basically a stolen concept version of what the new Viper could have been. ( It was not necessarily finalized before the Daimler thieves got their hands on it, so I’m sure they did some design work to it.)
NOTHING about the Viper is badge engineered from the SLS. NOTHING.
Your whole comment just reeks of ultra-Ford-fanboy-ism. And it is really stinking up the place.
Sure, the GT40 and Shelby Cobra and Daytona were good cars, but the reasons you use to write off the Vette and Viper and downright laughable.
Yeah, he’s on something. The Viper being a “badge engineered” SLS? I’ve heard the reverse, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.
Going to go with the Viper. And if the feds didn’t mandate traction control and other nannies for any car after 2012, it probably still wouldn’t have it (or so I tell myself).
Thought that comment was going to be a main comment, not a sub comment…
In my book, it’s Shelby Mustang.
The stingray was a goodun
I’m gonna say yes, but I wish there was more Competition.
Yeah, there aren’t many others in the running. The only other that hasn’t been either a tiny production run or a not especially fast parts bin special has been the Viper. And Vipers are great sports cars, too. But the GT40 gets special mention for beating Enzo Ferrari so badly in LeMans that Ferrari never came back.
I don’t really consider the Viper American anymore, so the Corvette wins. I’d like to pick something else, but what is there that fits your criterion?
I should say that I read the question as to pertain to currently produced sports cars, not the best sports car of all time.
It all depends on how you look at it, I say.
I’m inclined to go with the Viper because it has consistently represented goofy amounts of power out of a massive engine with little compromise for bad driving or anything else.
I think the Vette makes a solid run for it as well. Its longevity helps and hinders it in that area, as its longevity pegs it as America’s longest true sports car, but it also has some seriously awful performers amongst its model run.
The Mustang doesn’t really fit for me, mostly because for large periods of its life it was barely a sports car, if one at all.
The GT-40 qualifies, although it was priced so far out of the hands of most normal people that I’m not sure it can take the title.
Overall, I think this is just an opinion thing, so like I said, my opinion rests with the Viper.
It helps I’m a Mopar guy. 😀
As a Corvette guy I have owned several, and still do. Even new they were junk with bad fit and finish, but we put up with it because they are Corvettes. We love them. Don’t really know why but we do. Bottom line is….who cares ? They will all get you speeding tickets or kill you so buy what you like. They are all nice cars. Except for the new C7 Corvette. That is one ugly Mo Fo !
C7 shouldn’ta gotten away from the round tail lights. Continuity shattered….
It’s a loaded question. What other american made two seater has been in the last decade? The VIper is the closest. Never made in any real numbers. Came and went twice. So, that leaves just the Corvette. Even if it sucked, it still leaves only the Corvette.
Duesenberg roadster.
Stutz Super Bearcat.
Tesla roadster — it’s even got round taillights that you can show to the C7 as you beat it in a race.
It may be good but it sure is fugly looking.
Vettes are awesome cars, I love them. But I would still take a 1968 AMC AMX over one.