The Chevrolet Corvette rolled out of Flint, Michigan in 1953 and has never stopped—eight generations, no domestic rivals left standing. It nearly didn't happen fiberglass body, straight-six engine, two-speed automatic, and at its Waldorf-Astoria debut, almost none of its 300 hand-assembled units sold.
The seventh-generation Corvette lands in 2014 on a new aluminum frame, representing the most significant reinvention of the model in over a decade. Its new LT1 V-8 displaces 6.2 liters and puts 455 horsepower to the ground—460 with the optional exhaust—through either a six-speed automatic or seven-speed manual; the six-speed automatic gives way to an eight-speed in 2015. A carbon-fiber hood comes standard across the lineup, and the Stingray name returns. The C7 earns a spot on our 10 Best Cars list in both 2014 and 2015 before dropping off in 2016. Our long-term opinion called it "an amazing performance bargain”.
