Car and Driver didn’t hold back in its 1980 Corvette review—and the tone was anything but kind. In fact, this “grumpy” road test captures the frustration of the malaise era, when emissions rules choked performance and expectations still ran high. So, what did they get right—and what did they miss? Download the original PDF and judge for yourself.
Greetings, Scott Teeters here. Last year I started writing and creating graphics for the new online Corvette magazine, “Corvsport”. My latest Corvsport project...
Late in 1979, just after the 1980 Corvette came out, Fred and Jean started looking for a dealer in south Florida that would give them a deal on two Corvettes. Because Corvettes were in demand, many dealers were marking up their Corvettes, but Sark Chevrolet Center, in North Miami Beach, Florida was willing to make a deal. Fred and Jean got $1,000 off the MSRP, a pretty good deal, all things considered.
Rather than chasing raw horsepower, Mike and Linda Waal built their 1980 Corvette into a refined Grand Touring machine. This real-world C3 project shows how comfort, drivability, and reliability defined the ultimate long-distance Corvette.
Mike Waal from Maryland builds a Super Sano 1980 Corvette so that he and his wife Linda can “See the USA in their Chevrolet, CORVETTE!”...
I’ve worked as a designer at Tyco Toys and Mattel Mt. Laurel in the R&D department. The ONLY way that bone headed ideas ever get past the verbal stage is if an executive makes the suggestion. Then you have to build one just to show the Mensa Society genius that it’s a dorky idea. A prototype 4-seater Sting ray was cobbled together and the story goes that an executive got stuck in the back seat and needed a lot of help to get out! I never heard of what happened to the prototype, but it probably went straight to the crusher where it belonged. Fortunately, that seemed to get Chevrolet off the four-seater Corvette forever.
The 1985 C4 Corvette gained the power thanks to the new electronic fuel-injected 350 L98 engine and refinement the new C4 needed. See how it dominated Showroom Stock racing, then compare real auction prices for 1985–1987 coupes.
The redesigned 1978 Corvette stunned enthusiasts with its sleek fastback rear window, refined GT character, and stunning 25th Anniversary styling. Discover why Motor Trend praised Chevrolet’s biggest Corvette update in a decade, then download the original road test PDF and experience the excitement exactly as readers did in 1977.
