Why was 1983 the year without a Corvette?
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- čas přidán 13. 07. 2020
- With the Corvette in the 80s, you would think we'd get a full-scale push for greater technological advancement. And we did - but on a bit of a delay. You see, with the intended departure of the C3 in 1982, it was expected we'd get an imminent announcement on the next generation. But some unexpected events led to something no one could have anticipated. For the 30th anniversary year for one of the most important American cars ever made...there would be nothing to show released.
So let's dive in and explore a curious footnote in automotive history, as 1983 became the year without a Corvette.
Part 1: Harley Earl and the Birth of the Corvette: • Harley Earl and the Co...
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In an odd way, i owe my existence to the corvette plant moving from Missouri to Kentucky. My grandfather worked at the Corvette plant for 24 years, and moved with the company. My father went with him as his mother passed away a year prior. if they had never made the move, my father wouldn't have met my mother; so yeah, that's a thing. My Grandfather bought an 1982 Corvette as a "moving" present for himself, which i inherited a few years back. Not a show car nowadays, but a decent daily driver with style.
Maybe the first time this phrase will ever be written in an internet comment without a hint of sarcasm: Cool story, bro!
Cool story bro. Really. That's a cool story. Glad you still got your grandpappys vette. It means a lot to you I'm sure. Happy you got it and you get to drive it daily.
If thousands of Japanese civilians hadn't been vaporized by nuclear weapons, my grandfather almost certainly would've died after riding a wooden glider on a one-way trip to invade Japan with ground troops, and he would've never had children. I'm alive because of nuclear bombs. Fate is incomprehensibly weird.
@@nonono8788: Not the first time. I did it myself a few years back. But given how often the phrase is used sarcastically, you're still a pioneer for using it sincerely.
How I met your mother
26:24 fun little fact, the Millionth Corvette was one of the 8 Corvettes involved in the Sinkhole disaster in 2014; it had to go back to GM in Michigan to be restored as well as to preserve the signatures of all the plant workers working that day.
They were toys
@@johnnybandit5141 ya own a dacia duster from 95
@@superawsomefabul0uspingas338 I owned a 93
The real reason for the 83 delay is not what is stated. Look further into the time. See the Milford Proving ground on the testing. I worked for chevrolet eng at the time. I know what we went thru back then
0
Rare and historic cars: *exist*
GM: *I need to crush this.*
it's more complicated than that, but yeah, GM does seem to have a penchant for destroying historic vehicles (what they did to the road-going EV1s after the leases ended still bothers me).
Yeah, Roman covers it pretty well. From a management and liability perspective, it really does make sense. I can even understand it for the EV1. Eventually their battery packs would fail, leaving the cars undriveable and possibly uninsurable. Someone would have eventually got one from a scrapheap and modified it and caused it to catch on fire. It's a guarantee that there would have been a lawsuit. I believe every EV1 in a museum has the powertrain disabled, even if someone could find batteries to hook up to it.
Though that reminds me, I would *love* to see an RCR Stories: EV1
@@nitehawk86 They removed all the control modules. It would probably be fairly easy to get one up and running on a single Raspberry Pi.
@@nitehawk86 As far as I know the Smithsonian has a fully functional EV1, because they refused to accept one that had been modified/disabled, they prefer their collection items to be as original as possible. (I may not be remembering correctly, I read that a few years ago)
The thing about 'Vettes, and how they were designed, was that they were hungry. Corvettes always had something to prove, to prove themselves to GM to stay relevant, and to prove to the world, what it was truly capable of. But they were always dismissed, simply by virtue of them being 'Vettes.
Two things are for sure.
- Like it or not, Corvettes are hella capable. As a dragster, Street racer, Autocross, drift, they are one hell of a package.
- GM would/will be nowhere without it.
Agreed 100%
The day GM kills the Corvette (or design it into a Crossover) will be seen as the beginning of the end of GM by history
This is quite true. I am not sure why the C8 got all the press when the C6 and most certainly the C7 (along with the Alpha Camaro) have been so capable and performant over the years. The name, the stereotype, and maybe the overall fit and package do hinder it but there is no denying the capability and greatness.
@@dankieran1974 A Corvette crossover?! Ya I could see GM doing that lol.
They didn't start hungry. They were also pretty lackluster in the late '70s and early '80s.
Ending with a teaser of the RCR: C8 review. Very nice!
Fucking spoilers
Nothing like a fresh cup of coffee and more automotive history
Your username speaks the truth.
Add in a good poop.
same...cheers
Cars and coffee is always a good combination
@@Creeperboy099 sadly no Cars and Coffee San Antonio this year
Love these RCR Stories. They are informative and Nick, "The Roman" has a very ASMR quality to his voice as he speaks. Well done gentlemen!
I'm a voice-over professional and I LOVE their crazy I'm-going-to-break-every-single-rule-in-the-book narration style. I wish more of my clients understood the appeal of staying away from "classic" narration styles instead of their usual "I kinda like it but please re-record it as run-of-the-mill as possible".
@InfiniteMushroom They're both great. RCR really did nail it in terms of narration style, it's one of the many things that makes them stand out in the field of car-centric youtube channels.
Roman, I've appreciated the time you've taken to not only put these stories together, but to narrate in a style that makes me feel like I've actually learned something.
>a new upload
>it's a Roman long video
Why yes, i am watching this instead of working!
Yessssss I've been obsessed with Corvettes here lately and looking at a later model c4 as my next car so I'm very happy with this!!!!
If your gonna get a manual get an 89 and up c4. 89 is.the year when they stopped using the 4+3 and started using the six speed
Some Creepy Dude I have an 85 manual and although the 6spd would be dope, I like the 4+3. It’s a virtually bulletproof transmission and it gives the feel of an older 4-on-the-floor muscle car with the convenience of the overdrive gears
DIGITAL GAUGES beepboopbeepbeepboopbeep
*real fart*
I love my Brothers 94 corvette. And although the 4+3 transmission was cool I like his 6 speed. There were only 2 manuals in the country for sale last I checked. Also did GM make that transmission? I heard it might have come from Europe or Italy. Does anyone have any info on this?!
BOB White the zf6spd trans was made in Germany. The 4+3 was made by Doug nash, an American hot rodder.
Car crushing makes me very sad.
The sad fate of most prototype and pre-release vehicles. The noble sacrifice made so that the consumers get to see a finished product. We've seen disasters like the Ford PowerShift DCT and VW's TDI Scandal... Release a bad car and you could be reeling for years or get cars killed off.
Unless the car being crushed is a Prius :P.
Roman makes a great history teacher, if he was one of my high school teachers, I would have learned more because he’d keep my interest. Thanks for the content, good job.
49 minutes only for one corvette-less year? I SAY BRING IT ON
I love RCR stories but this was my favorite yet. Thank you for bringing the "soul" of this car to life!
Interesting story. I can share more information on this period of lag in the Corvette production runs. I own a 1983 Lotus Esprit serial number 60357. The car was sold to GM Proving Grounds by Birmingham Motors in Milford. It was assigned the test number of Z062 LT1. It was one of two cars bought to test for the suspension of the 1985 Y car at the Milford Proving Grounds. The second Esprit was sold and was converted into a track car. It is now lost. My car ended up in a collection in Minnesota and in time made its way to me. I had the chance of luck that the 65 pages of test results and graphs from the Proving Ground records were in the boot of the future track car. The party that had bought the track car realized through Lotus Forums that I had the sister car. It still had the test number and charts on the visor of tire pressures and such. The car is now restored and has 29000 miles roughly on it.
awesome!!
TOP COMMENT. LETS VERIFY THIS
sure its not a problem how would you like that done
Or you Can go on Lotus Talk and look up Penelope Pitstop Resurrection. Post# 506 September 22 2016. There are a couple pictures of the GM docs in the post below mine. Actually the whole journey with the car is there. Enjoy.
Thanks, always a good day when an RCR Story drops.
I had that poster corvettes year by year. Being born in 83, it was one of the biggest concerns of my developing brain. Finally answers
Could we get video on GM gimping internal competition to the corvette, the Grandnational and Fiero for example
Mid engine Corvette and other models killed, finally the Fiero but hamstrung.
Yes please, a video on Hulki Aldikacti would be fascinating.
Yup. My uncle said Back in the Hay day's of when the Gn was king. He would Roast Corvette's.. Only thing that would keep up were 396 Chevelle's. And a Telephone pole
Hey roman thanks a lot for these man, I love to listen to these while I play a game or two after the night shift
Actually east/west Germany reunited a year prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union. I’m old and remember where I was when both happened. Fascinating video by the way.
Several videos ago, someone posted the following comment: "Why does Roman always half-whisper like his mom is asleep in the next room?" Ever since I read that comment, I can't un-hear what that person was talking about. Dammit Roman, use your "I'm giving a presentation" voice instead of your "I'm telling a secret" voice!
I enjoy this channel it has a low budget low tech kind of feel. Your documentaries are sophisticated and elegant . The contrast is interesting . Looking forward to part 3 from the C6 to the C8
Dude another one in such a short time, thanks i really needed this
Keep up the good work Nick
Really love these RCR Stories, fellas. Great work as always.
I know I have made this comment on your videos before, but a guy I worked for and an avid car collector claimed to have a 1983 Corvette. He bought a 1982 Collectors Edition brand new... there was one made for each dealership in North America (around 6.7K) . He put around 900 miles on it and saw the value tank when the C4s came out, so he just parked it in his shop. He kept an eye on the value over the years and it wasn't until the mid-1990s when they finally came back up to the $20K new price. He then watched a Barrett Jackson auction in the 2000's and one went for six figures. The catch was that the paperwork on around 400 of these 6700 Corvettes called the car a 1983 instead of a 1982... he checked his paperwork, and he had one of these cars.
Appreciate all the work and research you put in to these, Roman!
I wonder how happy Dantov would be to see new mid engine Corvette. Corvettes are awesome!
No manual transmission though.
I just got woken up an hour before my alarm to get an old lady across the neighborhood off the pot, thanks for saving my morning.
😱🧐😍 Well I just found out what I’m watching during my morning dump today!
Your morning dump takes 50 minutes
A dump well spent
@@dannydorito9815 well the actual poop part probably takes 15 but you need to sit there for an additional 35 minutes and contemplate things
@@brettbrettson69 This guy gets it
Brett Brettson Exactly. Plus a mid poop coffee.
LT5s led to the development of the Northstar. Some folks think it was the concept Olds Quad 8, but actually it was the Lotus LT5 that the engineers at Cadillac drew from.
I'm subbed and marathoning this channel. I can't believe I didn't know about you guys years ago. I am uber car enthusiast and this is the best car channel aside from Jay Leon's garage on CZcams!
God I love your stuff, Mr. Regular. Your prose here, about the Corvette, borders on pure Romanticism... Love it!!!!!
Great video Roman. You do extremely good work on these. Keep it up brother!
Even to this day Corvettes are still fighting to stay relevant. It seems like every other year we hear about GM execs trying to turn it into an SUV. Could you imagine the backlash? Oh wait, Ford already tried that with the Mustang...
I'll be anxious to see more historic car videos like this one!!
YOU'VE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING
LIKE THIS BEFORE.
NEVER BEFORE!
Also, keep it up Roman! I love this kind of content. It really makes my boring days at the office so much more entertaining.
Excellent! I watched both and these are two of RCRs finest docs.
Utterly superb story. Thank you.
This is well done. I’ve been reading car magazines since mid 70s and a Corvette fan since early that same decade. It was clear that something needed to happen late in the C3’s tenure because it was easily being beaten by “lesser” competitors in performance. When the C4 finally arrived it was a huge breath of fresh air not only because it was good out of the box but also because it showed GM was committed to its future as a world beater. I vaguely remember reading an internet article regarding the C5’s precariousness, some years ago, and chuckled nervously and was relieved to be made aware of that issue well into the C5’s production run. Again, well done!
Very Interesting Video... Keep up the great work Bud!!
These stories are the best part of this channel.
Great video Roman, but the Collectors Edition 1982 Corvette had an rear opening glass hatch.
25:00 Ah, the World Widfe Web, the first digital exhibit with Panda Cams.
I'll be looking forward to your next historic video!!
I always get so happy when I see a new RCR story
The split window 63 C2 corvette will always be my favorite but the C3 is more iconic the C4, C5, , C6 and C7 were all derived from the C3 the mid engine C8 changes things up but the front fenders harken back to the C3 .
The C7 became the nasty badass version of the evolution. Those Z06 and Z07 cars are mean. I think it went as far as it could. And they did a great job doing it.
_🎶It was the year_
_without a New Corvette,_
_a factory so sad!_
_It was the year_
_without a New Corvette,_
_the worst a car guy ever had!_
Sorry, that just popped in my head.
Matchbox made an '83 Corvette. I have one!
A family friend bought a brand new black 82 Vette with the crossfire fuel injection system.... Being I was 12 at the time I 💘 d riding in it...
So well done. Corvettes get a bad rap these days for the ultimate "poorer" man's trophy cars. Such an undeserving stigma. They are symbols just like every other competitor, but being a symbol does not negate the substance.
Roman, please never stop sneaking (pun intended) those Metal Gear references, always makes me smile.
The first Corvette with a glass hatchback was actually the 1982 collectors edition...not the 1984
Roman you were right. The last video really helped. My entire family watches these stories. Turned my girls into "car guys".
pronounced: May-Koe-Shark
Yes like the body shops that was big back in the 80's and early 90's Maaco Auto Paint. They had that jingle Uh-Ho better get Maaco.
"Mako" is short for Mackrel. It's fair to say that the "short A" makes more sense even if we're used to hearing it pronounced with the "long A." I mean plenty of people say "I could care less" even though that really doesn't mean what they're expressing.
Mako is a shark, Mackrel is a fish. Chevy wasn't naming their car after a fish.
@@SomethingFunny454 Mako Sharks are "Mackerel Sharks" The shortfin mako shark, also known as the blue pointer or bonito shark, is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark, as is the longfin mako shark. The shortfin mako can reach a size of 4 m in length.
@@starvalkyrie Go fall down the stairs Jacque Cousteau
These RCR stories are information that's fun .
Please keep making these, Roman!
RBV098 is forever, RBV098 is never ending, RBV098 is unkillable, RBV098 is existence
RBV098 vs the unkillable Hilux when?
I love these. Please do one on Vector Supercars.
Actually, the 82 Collector Edition, was the first Corvette with a rear hatchback that pops up and the lightweight monoleaf spring in the rear.
Great video, but keep in mind the C4 was NOT the first Corvette with a glass hatchback.
The 1982 C3 Collector Edition was the first (it was used almost like a testbed for the C4's hatch).
best 50 mins i've spent my whole week. thx, RCR
At this point it seems like RCR show has regular vette segment and I absolutely love it. Hope you will get your hands on a c2 and c8 soon
Every Metal Gear reference made on this channel makes me smile. I almost always forget about Nastasha in MGS.
I have to say, I love the Roman Audio Essays as much as the RCRs themselves.
11:20 I get so damn sick of people talking about how bad Crossfire fuel injection. It was nothing but two single Throttle Body Fuel injectors sitting opposite of one another. The engine didn’t make much hp because they had weak cams.
Weak cams and a choked out intake. That thing was starving for air. Rebuild the tbi's and port the intake and turn the fuel pressure up to 13lbs instead of the 9 to 10lbs that most run, and it makes a noticeable difference in how it runs.
I knew it was gonna be a calm soothing nick Roman video
Thank you Roman. Wonderfully done. I'm curious, have you guys been to the Corvette museum? It's definitely worth the trip.
I have a newfound respect for the C4 Corvette thanks to RBV098, the sole 1983 Corvette to survive such things intended to destroy it, like the crusher, thanks to the rain helping it to avoid it's fate, and later, GM's failure to check all of them were destroyed. And hearing about the sinkhole incident and it surviving that even gives me more incentive to respect it. I already loved the C4 thanks to the styling and tuners like Callaway, Lingenfelter and the sort, even games like Project Gotham Racing 4, the Forza Series, and Blur, as well as Gran Turismo as a whole, but the story and the success of it amplifies this. Thank you, RegularCars, for covering the story of this Corvette. And thank you, Chevrolet, for continuing productions of the Corvette, even to this day.
You can watch the Motorweek reviews of both 82 and 84 models of the Vette
I remember reading in the magazines about the lack of a 1983 Corvette at the time and was blown away by that revelation. "They're going to give up on the bonus sales of a 30th anniversary model? They must be working very hard to get the C4 right; this is going to be good."
GM went on to exceed expectations and the rest, as they say, is history.
I can still hear the hatred from those old magazine articles; even when the earlier C3 kicked ass, the writers continually used denigrating and dismissive language when describing their impressions. The C4 was a gigantic "STFU" to the writers, making certain they simply couldn't ignore the absolute performance benchmarks, not just the value proposition the Corvette represented.
Years later, I told a friend who had done well and was looking to buy something fun, "when cost is no object - and even when it is - you should always check out the Corvette." He did, and has been upgrading to the latest and greatest ever since.
This is easily my favorite of your shows; good job!
Good work, Roman ! 👌😀👍
Hearing about this makes me want to become a car company CEO, take a prototype of a hyper car, and push it to the back of a random storage room and cover it with stuff, and years later hold a scavenger hunt for it. Hell maybe even just not tell people and leave a note saying “if you found this, congrats on your new car. You’ll also get a pay bonus to help pay for it”
Best series on the channel
Loved this video. Could you do a sequel to this video or cousin video explaining what Pontiac could've been, if the Corvette was not based off the 64 Banshee ?
I needed this
These long forms are hidden gems. Sometimes too hidden. Glad you make them though, all the same.
Another masterpiece as usual.
_Very well articulated video with lots of concrete research and fine details. As far as the C4 production being held up because then President of GM, Lloyd Reuss (pronounced 'Royce') wanted a targa top instead of t-tops is spot on correct. (Remember though by 1992 he was ousted from the board, and lost his job). GM was bleeding red ink so drastically by this time(something like 30 billion dollars), that the Corvette was indeed lucky it didn't get nixed. I think you missed something though, the fifth generation was originally planned to be introduced as the 40th anniversary in '93, yet GM was in dire financial troubles from poorly designed cars of the late 80s and early 90s so the car was pushed back to 1997. And yes Mr. Jim Perkins saved the car! Except it has to be noted the overall success of the fourth-gen basically kept the car on the minds and in the hearts of Americans. Today we have the son of Lloyd Reuss, Mark Reuss as President of GM. And seriously, the future never looked so bright with the GM halo car we purists love to drive, and own, the Chevy Corvette._
The gentleman agreement from japanese motorcycle manufacturers
I WANNA SHOUT IN JOY WHEN I SEE THESE POP UP ON CZcams
1982 C3 is my dream car...with a manual
Listening to this during a sunset walk past Laguna Seca Raceway
The third brake light debuted on the 1985 Corvette. It was federally mandated for all cars in 1986.
The car at 10:44 with the rock on it is an art installation in Sydney, Australia :)
More videos like this! MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!!!
Can you make a vid like this on the BMW z3's?
Brilliant!
The part around 35:30 about the mule car and the magazine covers really reminds me of the Shelby story when he gets the big wig at Ford to come down and take a ride in the car
I'm loving these stories. I'm binging them, one after another. Thank you!
Isn't Mako pronounced may-co? It was the only thing annoying me. I might be wrong.
What kind of guy wore cowboy boots, while being afraid to walk in the rain in 1980's Kentucky?
They WERE brand new, in his defense.
The kind of guy who wears cowboy boots in Kentucky.
An Urban Cowboy
Brand new out of the box, still working on the leather. Not ready to soak them just yet. Believe me they walked in water, snow, mud and lived for many years there after. Yes in 1982 urban cowboy came out, everybody was riding the bull and growing up a city boy in St Louis Kentucky was a culture shock.
Well done rcr!
Good stuff
How do people have so much compassion for other people and even for kids, but not for cars?
They could have just skipped making the Corvette in several of years in the 80s and the world would have been a better place. They go well with the Harleys made by AMF in the early 70s.
Let me see here, where's that like button. Oh, there ya are. You're getting smashed.
Greg Sherman just don’t say that last sentence to a female...😉
Simply Epic My Dude
So I shouldn’t buy the ‘83 Vette I saw on Craigslist? Oh. Wait. Chevette.
It's a shame Ralph (or one of his family members) didn't work for New York Central on the day all the Hudsons and Niagaras went to the scrappers!
Corvette has one of the best car stories out there, of course its the 3rd oldest nameplate behind the vw and suburban so it's had the time to develop a good story
I love all of these RCR Stories! Please Roman never stop doing them!
In the theatre of planning and production, GM is a master of neither .
Primer is pronounced with the vowels in the words "him" "her" not "rhyme" "her". Primer is what you spray before paint. Primer is an introductory book on subject as used here. Sorry. My mother was a school teacher for forty years. I can't help myself. I'm glad you guys did a story about this. If you haven't read the book All Corvettes Are Red by James L. Schefter, I highly recommend it.