Sports and Exotic Episode 4: Was Chevrolet’s 1963 Split-Window the Most Important Corvette Ever Made?
In its second generation, the C2 Corvette’s striking styling bumped it into American icon status. Though the sports car stood out just as much as the first Corvette that was launched in 1953, the stylish split-window Stingray drove on the line between road cars and race cars with its shark-like appearance. On this episode of Sports and Exotic Car presented by Gullwing Motorcars, host Jethro Bovingdon gets ahold of an exceedingly rare, four-speed equipped, 340 horsepower split window Corvette, arguably one of the most important Corvettes ever made.
The 1963 Chevrolet Corvette was otherwise known as America’s sports car. It’s the car that laid the groundwork for all subsequent performance Corvette’s that followed, be it for road travel or for racing. The classic sports car could reach 60 mph in just over six-seconds and run down the ¼-mile in sub-15 second times. Even today, the classic Corvette’s performance numbers are respectable, as we find out when Bovingdon takes it for a spirited drive around a scenic Southern California Canyon.
Want to buy a vintage Corvette? This C2 Corvette buyers guide will help you know what to look out for.
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Hemmings Hornet: “A Swarm of One” Presented by Dodge, Episode 7
On the seventh episode of Hornet: A Swarm of One, presented by Dodge, the Hemmings team heads to the exhaust shop to fabricate the world’s first center-exit exhaust system for the hot hatch (or cool crossover, if you prefer).
Much like building a hornet’s hive, the Hemmings Hornet transformation is a team effort. Creating custom cars, particularly when it comes to something that has never been done before, is rarely ever easy. In the previous episodes, we reached out to some of the best talents in the industry to revamp the Hornet’s suspension, upgrade the wheels and tires, and to fabricate the widebody all-steel fender flares by hand. We even got expert advice on which color to choose to really make the Dodge Hornet’s sporty lines “pop”.
Now the goal is to enhance the Hornet’s eardrum tickling abilities and give the turbocharged inline-four engine a bit more airflow for added performance. Watch Episode 7 of Hornet: A Swarm of One Presented by Dodge, to see the team step up to the challenge.