Dateline: 8.31.11
Sorry Corvettes fans. Even with three Corvettes in the running, we got SMOKED!
(Scroll to the bottom of this post to cast your vote in our own CorvetteReport.com poll!)
Chevrolet is in full swing with its 100th birthday celebration. The Centennial Edition option will be available on all 2012 Corvettes and with 6 models of Corvettes (base Corvette Coupe, base Corvette Roadster, Grand Sport Coupe, Grand Sport Roadster, Z06 Corvette, and ZR1 Corvette), plus all the trim and option variations, there’ll be lots of unique Centennial Corvettes.
Chevrolet has also been running a popularity contest, asking, “What’s the best Chevy of all time?” An excellent question for a 100th birthday celebration. Sixteen candidates from the 1912 Classic Six to the 2011 Chevy Volt were chosen for the competition. The contest is now down to the final two candidates and unfortunately for Corvette fans, a Vette is NOT in the final round.
Here are the 16 cars Chevy fans got to vote on.
The contest is now in the final round and it’s come down to the 1969 Camaro and the 1970 Chevelle SS. Here’s how the three Corvettes fared in the contest:
* The 1953 Corvette lost in the third round to the 1970 Chevelle SS.
* The 1963 Corvette Sting Ray lost in the second round to the 1970 Chevelle SS.
* The 2009 ZR1 Corvette lost in the second round to the 1957 Belair.
What surprised me was that the ‘57 Belair lost in the third round to the ‘69 Camaro. Strictly from a pop culture point, the ‘57 Chevy Belair is arguably the quintessential classic Chevy. Oh well.
Of course, we’re a little bias here at Corvettereport.com and a little bummed that all three of the Corvettes have been eliminated from the contest, but like I said at the beginning of this article, this is a popularity contest. Since there were no metrics given for each car, how does one choose the “best” all-time Chevy. Best “most popular,” best “sales,” best “dollar/value,” best “fuel efficiency,” best “performance,” best “top speed,” best “technologically advanced”??? It’s not such an easy question.
Here are a few comments on the three Corvettes that were in the running. While the 1953 Corvette was the first Vette, it was the worst in terms of sales (300 cars produced and many given away) and the slowest Corvette ever. The 1963 Sting Ray was a much improved car. It was the first American car with four-wheel independent suspension and a complete original in terms of styling. And the 2009 ZR1 with its supercharged 638-horsepower LS9 engine, all-aluminum race-proven frame, tuned electronic suspension, and restricted 205-MPH top speed makes it the most powerful, fastest production Chevy and GM car ever. End of argument.. Period! But, this is a “popularity contest” and is not based on any ratables. It therefor shows that there were more Camaro and Chevelle fans out there that were willing to vote, than there were Corvette fans willing to vote.
So, let’s have some fun and run our own contest! We’re not biased, right? We invite you to CAST YOUR VOTE! All 16 cars from the official Chevrolet contest are listed, pick your favorite. And let your Vette pals know about our contest too. Enjoy! – Scott
PS – To participate in the official Chevrolet “best Chevy of All-Time” contest, CLICK HERE.
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