1968-1982

The Mako Generation - C3 Corvette

Rumor and automotive legend suggest that Bill Mitchell caught a shark on one of his fishing trips while on the island of Bimini in the Bahamas in 1961. He create an experimental concept car called the XP-775 with help of Larry Shinoda. They nicknamed this concept car the Mako Shark.

Mako Shark I (in foreground) and Bill Mitchell to the left.

Mitchell, in 1963 Bill Mitchell

Shinoda, in 1997 Larry Shinoda

The car closer to our hearts however is the xp-15, the Mako Shark II: The body style of this 3rd Generation of Corvette, Known affectionately as the C3 Corvette, is known as the "coke bottle design". Chevrolet kept this basic shape from 1968 - 1982 before changing to an all new body style for the 1984 year (no 1983 models sold).

The Mako Shark II made quite a show at the New York International Autoshow in 1965 based off of it's completely new concept. Designers retained the hidden headlights from previous Corvette models. The chasis was also re-used, the chasis was basically unchanged from Duntov's 1963 Sting Ray. The new body style tended to lift at higher speeds, so Vents were cut into the front fenders and spring rates were increased. 1969 saw the return of the Stingray name, but this time with no space in the name. Why the Stingray emblems were not on the 68 model year is unknown.

Specs and Facts per year - coming soon

Chrome Bumper cars
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 Rubber Bumper cars
1974 1975 1976 1977 Fastback cars
1978 1979 1980 1981 1982