The Last Of The C3's
The 3rd generation of the Corvette is the longest running generation to date, spanning 15 full years of production. The first production year of the 3rd generation, or C3 Corvette introduced many new features along with its new body style. The C3 came in both a convertible and a coupe for its first year, but the coupe offered an industry first - a removable T-top roof. This was the first US production car to feature T-tops. Not only was the roof removable on the coupe, but the rear window as well. This really gave owners the freedom to drive their Corvettes how they wanted. If you wanted an open-air Corvette experience, you could have it in your convertible or your coupe.
This Corvette was definitely not short on options, boasting six engines to choose from with horsepower ratings ranging from 300-435. This year also featured new transmission options, including a manual three-speed standard transmission, an optional four-speed manual transmission, and an optional three-speed automatic transmission - an upgrade from the previous two-speed automatic.
While this Corvette hit the ground running from 1968, this car faced one of the biggest hardships in the auto industry at the time - the 1973 and 1979 oil crises.
This Corvette was reshaped, reengineered, and molded to face the hardships of the time, but it was resilient. This resilience can be seen in the National Corvette Museum through the 1982 Silver Green C3 Corvette, on display as a part of the ongoing exhibit, "Unique and Rare Colors" in the famous Skydome.
Source: NCM