Corvette generations, ranked in terms of appearance.

"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/20/2014 at 19:48 • Filed to: Curvaits

C2, early C1, early C3, late C1, early C4 (I tried to be unbiased), C7 (very pretty, but not... "Corvette" enough to rank higher), C5, late C4 (not unattractive, just not enough of its own identity), late C3 (described as a dildo by any reputable magazine, unoriginal and uninspired but still classic), C6 (meh all round to me, but damned pretty for a last place finisher!). The point is, there have only been uninteresting and half-assed styling efforts, but never truly poor ones. I really don't hate any of the cars, and my opinion is quite humble, no intended offense, please don't kill me, etc. Only coupe body styles taken into account.

DISCUSSION (38)

KatzManDu > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 19:52

There are really 4x C1, 53-55 (I6, rear fins), 56-57 (I6, V8, no fins, new side coves, new grille) 58-60 (V8, double headlights/new grille, more chrome, new side coves) 61-62 (new grille, new ass-end, different side coves.)

As an ex-58 owner I'm biased.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 19:54

67 427 > all the others.

Kinja'd!!!

mcseanerson > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 19:54

Oh man, I don't want to hurt your feelings but..... I think C4 is the ugliest. Sorry.

Anon > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 19:57

I highly disagree with the c4 personally, I've always thought it was the worse looking one. By hey, that's my opinion. My list would go like this, from best to worse. c7, c2, c1, c6, c3, c5, c4.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > mcseanerson
06/20/2014 at 19:59

I used to think they were ugly, too. And for unsatisfied people who sat around all day doing nothing noteworthy and decided they needed a thing that says "Corvette". I then became an example the latter and saw a clean, manual, early California C4 and decided to do my duty.

Saracen > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
06/20/2014 at 20:00

dat split window

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Anon
06/20/2014 at 20:01

Well, hey, that's, like, your opinion, man. But I can see where you're coming from haha

Saracen > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 20:01

Best looking of all the best looking Vettes:

Kinja'd!!!

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Saracen
06/20/2014 at 20:02

Very nice, but needs much more fender flare.

mcseanerson > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 20:05

That sounds like how I came around on third gen F-bodies. Used to hate them because I never saw a clean one. I will say I have seen some very fast C4s so I know they can be quick.

PS9 > Saracen
06/20/2014 at 20:06

1000/10 Would dragon

mcseanerson > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 20:07

can you share a picture of what you would call a sexy C4, maybe start infecting the rest of us?

PS9 > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
06/20/2014 at 20:08

Kinja'd!!!

Cannot unhear the Cruis'n USA theme when I see that car.

Manuél Ferrari > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 20:09

I don't hate how the C4 looks either.

I think when you see a clean and unmolested one in person these days it has a kind of charm to it. It's kind of clean and small looking.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > mcseanerson
06/20/2014 at 20:53

Kinja'd!!!

I wrote out a massive paragraph about C4s and how I bought one on impulse because I was so bored with everything and it didnt help at all and how it made me a cliche, but Kinja made quick work of deleting that so fuck it... here are some pictures of OK looking C4s because I really don't think any C4s are truly sexy or classy like a car I would've bought in a better mindset.

Kinja'd!!!

(My car with a mechanic friend checking it out with me)

Jayhawk Jake > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 20:54

I'm weird because I really don't like the C2.

My current list appearance wise is C1, C3, C7, C6, C5, C4, C2.

I like them all so I hate ranking them though. 4-6 are all basically tied to me anyways, and I'd rather own a C2 than a C3 performance wise, but it doesn't do it for me aesthetically

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Jayhawk Jake
06/20/2014 at 20:56

I used to feel the exact same way! I think that early C4s are slightly better looking than late ones, while C5s look a tad bit better than late C4s and a little better than C6s. Funny, though... that's the exact list I would've come up with a couple of years ago.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Manuél Ferrari
06/20/2014 at 21:06

This is true. Perhaps understyled, but everything was done in the name do aerodynamics. The size is nice when driving, too.

Agrajag > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 21:41

C2,C3,C4,C7,C1,C6,C5

hike > Manuél Ferrari
06/20/2014 at 21:47

It's surprisingly small. One day I'll post apost a picture of one being dwarfed by a mazda6. Anyways, I personally th8bk the c4 is better looking than anything since, but I'm really biased.

Manuél Ferrari > hike
06/20/2014 at 21:58

They are so cool!

The small size makes them awesome. They are good sports cars.

What year is your car?

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > hike
06/20/2014 at 22:03

Hike, you live the C4 life?

hike > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 22:57

I grew up with the C4 life. Very grateful.

hike > Manuél Ferrari
06/20/2014 at 22:58

Mine is an 87, Black with red interior. About 45k miles (too few if ya ask me), pretty much all original. I'll post some pics after Hunt Valley HP next weekend. I'm gonna try to park next to something newer to show how insanely small it is.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > hike
06/20/2014 at 23:04

Oh man, low miles black over red sounds drool worthy. I need new interior door panels for mine, and I think seafoam or something like it wuld really help the engine now that it's at 133k mi. Being a California car 1-family owned with the 4+3 rebuilt, it's not bad at all. I've only driven about 25 of those miles so far. My dad's NC is a good deal taller, and the C4 doesn't exactly come close to the ground with the exception of the front air dam!

hike > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 23:06

Need some more miles! How is the 4+3? My dad bought it new with the auto because he said it was so terrible. And Mine needs new door panels as well. The black trim at the top of the door is just so fragile.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > hike
06/20/2014 at 23:23

Tell me about it... I really need to get the thing road legal! The 4+3 is a mix of good and bad, but I think the bad (long clutch pedal travel, shifter travel, and complicated design) is made up for by the cool quirkiness of the gearbox. Sure, it's not worth a damn on a race track, but it's a Super T10 with three overdrive gears making it effectively a 7 speed. I would only ever use 4 over, but it'll save you on gas when you don't want to hear the engine scream its way to 4000 RPM without the driver having to do anything. The OD unit is not unreliable; it's a three speed Powerglide, which means ATF and a transmission filter on a regular basis. When you tap the button for shorter gearing, put the clutch in as if you're shifting. By doing those two things, you have a reliable, neat transmission. I bought all of the fluids for both transmissions today to change gear oil and ATF, but no one stocked the AT filter or believed me when I explained the Doug Nash. It's not great, but I never heard anyone who operated and maintained it properly speak badly of it. I had to fix the power door locks on the driver's side door (first thing I did on the car) and took the door apart. Suffice it to say, I have some little chunks of my door lying around! I'll have to fix that this summer. I'd love a tan or red interior—they were really nice by 80s GM standards, especially compared to my beautiful faded black and gray rubber everywhere! The seats are definitely a high point of the interior, and I'm thinking about getting a black Nardi steering wheel to replace my worn stock that doesn't have any padding whatsoever...

hike > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/20/2014 at 23:25

I love the red interior, it really is fabulous. The transmission is pretty unique in it as well, that's for sure. What does yours need to be road legal?

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > hike
06/20/2014 at 23:40

Insurance and tags. It couldn't be any easier and I could just insure it through Hagerty for a low price, but I'm driving my dad's old POS they call the "Sebring" and I'm trying to get it sold and make the C4 as nice as possible. There's really no hurry, but I'm waiting for a K&N air filter along with an AT filter from Mid America Motorworks. I'll probably cut the filter lid since that apparently helps an L98 breathe better. I'll do the extensive (ha) sea foam process to make the engine run smoother and cleaner once it's on the road and make a long trip to who-knows-where after all is done. What I love about an L98 is that it gives me so much room for improvement but for comparatively little money. I'll take care of the 4+3, but when something big goes it will surely be swapped in favor of a 6 speed. Runners, intake, headers, exhaust, and a shorter final drive ratio probably won't come into play until next year, though I hope it takes longer for me to become dissatisfied with all of the low-end torque provided by the stock system.

Manuél Ferrari > hike
06/21/2014 at 00:23

Very coo!!!!

Can't wait to see pics

hike > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/21/2014 at 07:39

Very cool. Looking forward to some Oppo updates.

shop-teacher > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/21/2014 at 10:49

I agree with your top 4, but I think the late C4 looks better than the early C4, I think the C6 looks better than the C5, and I think the C7 deserves 5th place (I wasn't digging it at first, but its really grown on me).

Overall, I like them all too.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > shop-teacher
06/21/2014 at 13:10

I came close to doing C7 over early C4, but someday the early C4 will be a classic in its own right because of its serious character, functional and clean (but still interesting) styling, and the innovations and advancements it brought to the table. I don't really care so much for the ZR1/later C4 styling, but it's purely a matter of opinion. As for the C7, it's fantastic looking but I think that once the newness rubs off people might think less of it for being such a departure and a too much of a mix of corporate design integration and a normal corvette shape.

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/21/2014 at 14:05

C2, C1, C3, C6, C5,C4

shop-teacher > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/21/2014 at 20:36

Fair points. I think the C7 is a future classic because of it's departure from the normal Corvette shape. Remember, there was a time when those round taillights were also a corporate design integration, pretty much every Chevy had them for a while.

Shifty > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/22/2014 at 12:57

[URL= http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r185/Sh… [/IMG][/URL]

Because 'Murica....

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Shifty
06/22/2014 at 13:23

Yes! So much 'Murica in that picture.

ZiptieMcBumper > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
06/23/2014 at 21:16

#1 - C2

#2 - C7

#3 - C3

#4 - C6

#5 - C1

#6 - C4

#7 - C5