1974 Chevrolet Corvette Reviews

The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is an all-American supercar that doesn't have the price of a European rival, but with all the performance you need.

When mainstream brands decide to build supercars, magic happens: Ford with the GT40 in the 1960s; Honda's NSX of the '90s and now the Chevrolet C8 Corvette of the 20s. But the E-Ray - the fastest production version in the series' 72 years – ups the ante with hybrid tech, adding extra pace, efficiency and civility to a great American sports car. Wild yet worldly, the C8 E-Ray is something special.

If you’ve popped a couple of brave pills the finely-tuned, track-ready Corvette Z06 sails over the $300K threshold at $336,000, before on-roads, and gets serious with inclusions like top-spec multimedia, Nappa leather-trimmed GT2 sports seats, borderline F1-size rubber and heaps more.

To go with its mega hybrid performance the E-Ray adds a cool hundred grand to the cost-of-entry over the Stingray at $275,000, although it’s in primo 3LZ trim adding things like the ’track-ready’ ZER pack, monster carbon-ceramic brakes, a carbon-fibre and leather-detailed heated steering wheel, and even bigger rims.

There are two Stingray grades in Australia, the 2LT coupe kicking things off at $175K, before on-road costs, which puts it in the same ballpark as the Audi RS5, BMW M4 and Jaguar F-Type as well as the Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman. The 2LT convertible sits at $190K, then the 3LT adds a more premium interior package, pricing the car at $190,000 for the coupe and $205,000 for the convertible.

Now there are three Corvette variants in the Aussie market. The 6.2L V8 'standard' Stingray which is ferociously fast, dynamically brilliant and priced to give the Euro exotics a headache, the track-focused Z06 with its highly tuned 5.5L V8, and the just-released hybrid E-Ray a muscle monster with some fuel-saving cred. We've driven them all on road and track.

The Chevrolet Corvette finally arrived as a factory-produced right-hand drive model in Australia in 2022, like a apology gift from General Motors after shutting down Holden. Not surprisingly the iconic American sports car was in hot demand from day one but was missing a few obvious features. So GM has given it an update for 2024 and we've driven it.

A new Corvette will always attract attention. But does the shift to a mid-engined layout mean the Vette has finally shaken off its short-comings? And can America really build a supercar?

This Corvette with the works is perfect to celebrate the birthday of a sportscar star. If you like fast cars, then 2013 has a feast of anniversaries. It's 100 not out for Aston Martin and, against the odds, it looks likelier to notch up another ton than at any time in its past. It's also the centenary of Italian styling house Bertone, the talent behind scores of landmark designs, while former tractor maker Lamborghini turns 50 as does British supercar specialist McLaren.More remarkably, the post-war blossoming of consumption in the 1950s threw up some individual models we still laud today. Two sports cars that between them represent the twin poles of European and American approaches to performance are both celebrating significant numbers: from Germany, the Porsche 911 turns 50; while the Chevrolet Corvette, after six decades, is one of the oldest nameplates still in production.HISTORYIt took a few years for Corvette to establish its identity -- early examples were underpowered and heavy -- but the seventh generation unveiled at the Detroit motor show in January cements its place as the performance star in General Motors' constellation. The C7, as it's known, revives the famous Stingray badge and endorses the formula of front engine, rear-drive.If success is measured by sales, then Corvette wins. With a total of 1.4 million buyers against 820,000 for the 911, it's about 30 per cent more popular. Price has something to do with it: in the US the new Corvette starts at $US52,000 against more than $US85,000 for a 911.RHD CONVERSIONSIn Australia, we are forced to look on in envy. Not just at the price differentials -- 911s begin well over $200,000 here -- but in the case of the Corvette, simple availability. America's finest is built only in left-hand drive. Some right-hand drive markets, notably Britain and Japan, tolerate cars with a wheel on the wrong side but Australia frowns.If you want a Corvette, you must get one converted. Luckily, there are a few operations that do just that. One of the newest is Trofeo Motorsport, based in Victoria. Principal Jim Manolios made his money in blood diagnostics and turned his passion for motorsport into a business. Trofeo runs drive days, a race team and is the national distributor for Pirelli motorsport tyres. For about a year it has been importing and converting Corvettes at its workshop in Hallam, near Dandenong.Trofeo aims to do start-to-finish conversions, Manolios says, sourcing cars from the US and specialising in the notoriously difficult-to-switch Corvette. Components that need to be changed -- about 100 -- are scanned into a computer, flipped, then generated in a 3-D printer. Some low-volume parts can be made directly this way or the 3-D print can be the basis for production tooling.The steering wheel, pedal box and windscreen wipers must swap, but also dozens of unseen bits such as airbags and wiring. In addition, Trofeo offers a range of options, from carbon fibre body kits to upgraded exhausts, suspension and brakes, to superchargers.PRICES AND MODELSPrices start at about $150,000 for the Grand Sport, which is powered by a 321kW 6.2-litre V8. Conversions of the high-performance Z06 model with 376kW 7.0-litre V8 cost more, with options capable of bumping the price to $260,000.Manolios says a Corvette delivers Ferrari performance for a fraction of the price and believes there is plenty of demand. We're after the person who has the money in their pocket for a Porsche and is after a real sports car,'' he says.US production of this outgoing Corvette, the C6, stopped in February to make way for the C7. Trofeo has converted seven C6s so far and will have the new version by the end of the year to work out the process afresh. In the meantime, Manolios says he can still get some Z06s. The eventual goal is to deliver 20 cars a year.TEST CARI drove a Z06 with the works: upgraded suspension, carbon fibre front spoiler and side skirts, special exhaust and -- best of all -- a Harrop supercharger. This V8, called LS7 in General Motors code and displacing 427 cubic inches in old money, is being replaced by a new generation engine in the C7. Manolios believes the LS7 will have sentimental appeal and it's impossible to disagree.Based on the alloy block engine in racing Corvettes, it features dry sump lubrication and lightweight titanium connecting rods and intake valves. It rumbles and rocks the car at idle, roaring under throttle and crackling on overrun, with the whine from the supercharger in perfect counterpoint.The supercharger requires a re-profiled bonnet with a bigger bulge. It's made in carbon fibre, offsetting the modest weight of the supercharger itself. The chassis also comes from motorsport and is constructed in aluminium while many of the body panels, such as the roof, are carbon fibre. So the Z06 weighs only a fraction more than a Porsche 911 at 1450kg, despite being slightly longer and quite a bit wider.So with power boosted to 527kW and torque to a whopping 925Nm, a supercharged Z06 has performance to burn. Manolios believes sub-3.0 second zero-to-100km/h times are possible and it's not difficult to spin the monster Pirellis in more than one gear. Once on the move acceleration is unrelenting and if anything gets more impressive the quicker you go. Few powerplants I've sampled have been this intoxicating.DRIVINGTo drive, the Z06 is like a Lotus that has spent months at Venice Beach. It feels similar, only more muscular. Like a Lotus, the suspension is firm and body rigid, so you constantly get a sense of how the car was constructed from little creaks and groans. Weight is distributed evenly front-rear.The result is a car that feels balanced and nuanced in its movements, with dynamics that can handle the immense power. The controls help. It steers sweetly and precisely, despite a wheel that's slightly on the large side, while the throttle offers millimetre control and brake feel is comparable with the best.The six-speed manual transmission shifts well, although the slightly offset second gate meant I fluffed a few upshifts. With all this ability, a Z06 would be best sampled at a racetrack and I couldn't help wondering what top speed you'd see on the Phillip Island straight.Happily, you would not have to glance down to find out; the Z06 has a head-up display like the one in the latest Holden Commodore Redline, although a previous generation. That's true for all the electronics, which are a measure of the outgoing Corvette's age. It's also true of the interior, which is classic pre-reformation GM.The seats are OK, the cargo area is spacious (but would benefit from tie-down hooks) and there are some delightful ingredients, such as the electronic door release. However, the overall ambience is cheap plastic and lacklustre build. That's no fault of the conversion, which is all but undetectable from the driver's seat. The handbrake stays in its original location, and you need the insurance of first gear when parked, but it doesn't get in the way.The exterior also betrays its GM origins in poor panel fit while the bonnet colour-match in this early Trofeo conversion could be improved. But you don't buy a Corvette for its interior and especially not a Z06. Aside from the engine and the way it drives, there's the gorgeous domed rear glass and round tail-lights to admire. It's a rare sight and gathers admirers everywhere I go.Despite the enormous power of the example I drove, it would be a very easy car to live with -- docile unless you press it and with a ride quality better than expected. For me, it's been a long wait to sample a Corvette but it was worth it. Now I'm impatient for the C7. Happily, Trofeo Motorsport is impatient for it too.VERDICTOld school GM, sorted Aussie-style.Chevrolet Corvette Z06(Trofeo conversion with optional supercharger)Price: from $260,000Vehicle: SportscarEngine: 7.0-litre supercharged V8 petrolOutputs: 527kW at 6300rpm and 952Nm at 4800rpmTransmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive

And that's something 1970 Corvette owner Glen Jackson knows very well. Whether it's the glaring eyes looking on in admiration and envy, the heart-trembling grunt of the engine, feeling special on the road or the embarrassment of breaking down in peak-hour traffic on one of Sydney's busiest motorways.For Jackson, taking the bad with the good has left him stranded and almost regretting his purchase. “When I first got it, when I first picked it up, it broke down in the M5 tunnel,” he says. “It was an over-heating problem. I was stuck in the M5 traffic, it caused chaos."“I was in a panic, in that tunnel there's nowhere to pull over and the thing was over-heated. I just got it through the other side and out of the way of traffic. I wasn't happy about it at all.”A new radiator and other work totalling $6000 had the Corvette reliable enough to drive, so Jackson could then enjoy his $34,000 purchase.“I have been playing around with cars since I left high school,” he says. “With this car you drive it and people look. It's about showing off your piece of art. I go in traffic and I get people, usually kids taking photos.”But Jackson's piece of art isn't quite finished. He plans to spend another $6000 to $10,000 fixing and improving the bodywork, which he anticipates could take another 12 months.Jackson says the 1968 to 1973 Corvette models are the most desired, as they have a more powerful 350hp engine.The succeeding models have a lower power output because of pollution regulations.And while his engine is not the original, it is a 350 Chev engine, delivering the same 350hp.When Jackson bought his very first old car just over a year ago, it had already been in Australia for at least 14 years.“It was sitting in a garage,” he says. “When I picked it up, it had been neglected and I had to get it running again.”While Jackson was and still is an avid Holden fan, sharing the passion with his family, he branched out, developing an interest in American muscle about three years ago.It took a few years searching to find this one.“I just like the style, the look of it and the shape,” he says. “There were about 17,000 built in America, so they would have been all imports here.”Jackson says his Corvette has the T-top roof and the back window comes out.“It's not quite a convertible, but it still has that feeling to it,” he says.Jackson's car started its life as a left-hand drive but was converted to right-hand drive for Australia. He says despite its age, it still drives and handles 'pretty well' when he takes it out once or twice a month.The Corvette was named after a type of British Navy ship known for its wicked speed.They were first introduced in the US in 1953 and by 1970, featured a longer, more pinched nose, shark-like gill vents on the side front fenders and chrome bumpers.Jackson's model also has some modern touches, including power steering and a CD player, which were added to the car.He considered selling his Corvette several months ago for $50,000, but as its beauty glistened in the driveway, he quickly had a change of heart.“I had advertised it, but changed my mind after a couple of weeks. I decided I liked it too much. So I won't sell it now,” the 27-year-old says. While it didn't get his mother's tick of approval when she saw the photos, Jackson says she loved it once she saw the real thing.On the road, the red Corvette sits very low to the ground. Jackson says it's a little snug on the inside, probably not the most practical car for someone standing two meters tall.But that won't stop him driving it. And with just two seats, he finds the added disadvantage of not being able to drive friends around.His friends will just have to walk or find their own rides, as Jackson is strongly attached to the red beauty for the time being.Although, it won't be red for much longer, as Jackson plans to give it a bit more life and take it back to the days when it rolled off the factory floor 37 years ago.He says he likes the red, “because red ones go faster,” but back in its day, the Corvette was originally blue. And by taking it back to its original appearance, Jackson is confident of boosting the car's value. Snapshot 1970 Chevrolet CorvetteValue when new: from $US5469Value now: $A34,000 for an average model, around $A60,000 for a top modelVerdict: The 1970s sports car may leave you stranded, but at least it does so in style. The Corvette has all the old-school 'coolness' that makes it just like a piece of art.