The Corvette That Lost Half Its Power and Sold Better Than Ever (C3, 1968–1982)

In 1968, the strongest Corvette engine was rated at 435 horsepower. Seven years later, the strongest you could buy was rated at 205, and the base car at 165. Yet in 1979, Chevrolet built 53,807 Corvettes, a record that still stands. This is the story of the C3 "Shark" Corvette: fifteen model years that lost the power and won anyway. From the Mako Shark II concept and the year-long delay that gave the Sting Ray its last season, to the ZL1, the LS6, the switch from gross to net horsepower, the last convertible, Zora Arkus-Duntov's retirement, the Aerovette, the 1978 Indy 500 Pace Car, and the move to Bowling Green. 🔧 WHAT KIND OF CAR OWNER ARE YOU? Take the free 60-second garage quiz and get tool picks matched to how you use your car (restorer, detailer, cruiser or track day): https://claude.ai/artifact/FHpvTVCy9X... As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. CHAPTERS 0:00 Half the power, twice the buyers 0:59 The shark from the studio 2:47 1968: loved and picked apart 4:12 Stingray, one word 5:46 The numbers fall: gross vs. net 7:35 1975: the end of two eras 9:00 Half a million 10:13 Twenty-five years and a pace car 11:29 A new home in Bowling Green 12:53 Why the shark still matters 13:43 The road goes on PHOTO CREDITS (all via Wikimedia Commons) CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0): Sicnag, Tino Rossini, Greg Gjerdingen, Jeremy (Sydney, Australia), Charles (Port Chester, New York), Steve Jurvetson, Prayitno, zombieite CC BY-SA 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0): Falcon® Photography, formulanone CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0): Kuebi (Armin Kübelbeck), Mr.choppers (also used in the thumbnail) CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0): MercurySable99, Corvesprit, Llann Wé², hugh llewelyn, Cjp24, Bene Riobó, Kevauto, Elise240SX, ZidaneHartono, Oleg Yunakov, RyanEichlerNCM CC0: Alf van Beem, John Robert McPherson, Kevincortopassi, Mustang Joe, Charles (Port Chester, New York) Public domain: Chevrolet publicity photo (1965), Bull-Doser, Rundvald, Jonrev (en.wikipedia) VIDEO CLIPS (licensed CC BY, used with credit) "1968 Corvette L79 327/350hp *LOADED*" by buyavettedotnet:    • 1968 Corvette L79 327/350hp *LOADED*   "1978 Corvette Indianapolis 500 Pace Car L82 1K Miles" by buyavettedotnet:    • 1978 Corvette Indianapolis 500 Pace Car L8...   "1982 Corvette Collector Edition" by buyavettedotnet:    • 1982 Corvette Collector Edition   SOURCES Chevrolet Corvette (C3), Wikipedia; Corvette Report, 1968–1982 C3 review; Vette Vues production figures; Corvette Blogger (1971 LS6, 1969 ZL1); CorvSport (500,000th Corvette); Sports Car Market (1978 Pace Car); Chevrolet Aerovette and Dave McLellan, Wikipedia. Horsepower before 1972 is SAE gross; from 1972 it is SAE net. Narration: licensed AI voice. Every vehicle is shown in its correct year and trim, with real, credited photos and footage. Music: original. Subscribe for the full stories of the most iconic sports cars, trucks and motorcycles:    / @concepttoicon   #ConceptToIcon #CarHistory #Corvette