The Corvette - 1960
The 1960 Corvette was virtually indistinguishable from the 1959, but there were some power increases made to the top two engines. Solid
lifters and higher 11.0:1 compression boosted the most potent 283 fuelie to 315
bhp at 6200; a second version with hydraulic lifters for easier maintenance pumped
out 275 bhp at 5200 rpm. Because of these gains, the Powerglide automatic
transmission was no longer available with the fuel injected engines -- it
simply couldn't handle the torque. Carbureted engines remained much the same as
before. The tamest was still the 230-bhp unit with single four-barrel
carburetor, followed by a dual-quad 245-bhp hydraulic-lifter version and the
solid-lifter 270-bhp engine with twin four-barrel carbs.
The 1960 Corvette broke model-year sales records with 10,261 units.
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Route 66
Also noteworthy for 1960 was the fall premiere of a TV show that would help boost the Corvette's cache -- an hour-long CBS series called Route 66. The premise
was simple: Two guys in a sports car
traversed the highways of America looking for adventure. Chevrolet sponsored the program, of course. (It was common at the
time for an automaker to sponsor a show and, in the process, ensure that all
the characters drove that particular brand of car.)
Actors Martin Milner and George Maharis (later replaced by
Glenn Corbett) co-starred each week with a shiny new Corvette. This was
initially a 1960 model, but with each new season the boys got a new model just
like the ones at local Chevy dealerships. The car was revealed to be a bequest
from Milner's character's late father, but how the duo managed to trade it in
with each successive season for what would have been one of the first new
models out of the factory was
anyone's guess.
Though well received, the series lasted only through the
1963-64 season before running out of gas. Still, four years of weekly exposure
in a successful prime-time TV series helped enhance the Corvette's image as a
freewheeling vehicle for those with an innate sense of freedom and adventure.
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Mechanical refinements for 1960 included new aluminum clutch
housings for manual transmissions, which allowed the car to shed 18 pounds, and
aluminum radiators for cars running the Duntov cam. A power-saving
thermostatically controlled cooling fan was a new option, as was a long-range,
24-gallon fuel tank. A larger-diameter front anti-roll bar, matched by a new
rear bar were made standard. These changes, plus an extra inch of rear-wheel
travel in rebound, yielded a smoother ride and more neutral handling.
Despite the shift away from racing in favor of promoting the
Corvette as a smooth, no-fuss touring car, there were still plenty of
reasonably priced performance options available for 1960. Aside from the
315-bhp engine at $484.20, you could still order Positraction ($43.05) and the
four-speed gearbox ($188.30). The metallic brake linings (RPO 687) returned as
a $26.90 option. A set of blackwall 6.70 X 15 nylon tires cost only $15.75
(5.50 X 15 whitewalls remained standard).
Early in the 1960 model year, Chevy offered cylinder heads
cast from a high silicon aluminum alloy as an option for the two fuelie
engines. Based on a design that was first tried with the Corvette SS prototype
racer from Sebring in 1957, they maintained the stock 11.0:1 compression but
featured improved intake and exhaust. The high silicon content prefigured the
block construction of the four-cylinder Vega engine of a decade later, which
proved to be just as troublesome. The aluminum heads were fine in theory but
tended to warp if the engine overheated, and Chevy had quality-control hassles
with the castings and the option was quickly withdrawn.
Lending credence to the rumors of an all-new Corvette in the
offing was the track debut of a dramatic special called Stingray that was being
"privately" campaigned by GM design chief Bill Mitchell. The fact
that Mitchell had succeeded to that position upon Harley Earl's retirement in
1958 convinced many Corvette watchers that the Stingray was the shape of things
to come for America's sports car. In some ways, it was.
The top "fuelie" V-8 for the 1960 Corvette went to a thumping 315 bhp.
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Meanwhile, Bill Mitchell had been working diligently to
breathe new life into the existing Corvette styling, which had been around in
its basic form since 1956. But though his studios had no shortage of ideas, the
Corvette would see relatively few changes through 1962. Chevrolet had other
priorities, among them the Corvair. Once more, the Corvette would have
to soldier on with relatively minor changes.
Even so, the 1961-62 models are regarded as the best
Corvettes since the "classic" 1957. Mitchell executed a tasteful
exterior makeover that took a welcome step back from the chrome-laden 1958-60
models. Accompanying this body redesign were assorted mechanical modifications
aimed at improved efficiency and higher performance. The result was two years
worth of vintage Corvettes that stand as the ultimate expression of the
original 1953 concept.
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