Long live America's sports car - first shown to the world at GM's Motorama in 1953, the Corvette is nearing its 70th anniversary as the premier American sports car, and one that has come to represent the American performance game at its sportiest. With its signature V8 power, and price that makes it a great value for being such a fast car, the Corvette has stuck around in the hearts and minds of enthusiasts, even through its darkest years during the oil crisis.
Along the way, like most other long-running car nameplates, concepts have been drawn out and built to test new ideas and innovations or show off some awesome styling and performance. With the Corvette having been around for so long, many such concepts came into existence, some of which made a huge impact on the Corvette's evolution, and others that remained just as fantastic showpieces. Judging by both impact and awe-inspiring qualities, these are 8 of the greatest Corvette concept cars from the model's history.
8 EX-122
The birth of a legend, the EX-122 concept looks almost exactly like a first-year C1 Corvette, and that's because it essentially was the car that kicked off production, stunning America with its gorgeously sleek curves and European-inspired sports car proportions.
Seeing the rising prominence of imported European sports cars, GM's Vice President and head of design Harley Earl thought that GM needed a similar sporty machine in their lineup. Undergoing several iterations of prototypes, the Corvette design was solidified with the EX-122 concept and revealed to the world at the 1953 GM Motorama show. So great was the public response, that the EX-122 design was put into production that same year with few revisions, thus birthing the Corvette legacy that continues to this day.
7 SR-2
One of the most awesome-looking C1 Corvette prototypes, the SR-2 helped kickstart the Corvette's legacy as a serious racecar, which continues today as a staple for the sports car.
Giving the simple and sleek first-year styling of the C1 Corvette a refresh in 1956, Zora Arkus-Duntov helped rework the Corvette into a more capable and refined car, with specially modified versions setting a speed record at Daytona Beach. Evolving the modified Corvettes, the SR-2 was born as a prototype for the son of Harley Earl - meant as a "bribe" to stop him from driving a Ferrari. A proper racecar, two more SR-2s would be built, and they helped establish the Corvette as a true racetrack machine, evolving into further performance concepts like the Corvette SS, as well as a slew of other racers.
6 XP-87 Stingray Racer
One of the single most beautiful concepts ever made, let alone within the Corvette's history, the XP-87 Stingray Racer was an incredible machine that helped solidify the C2 generation's design, while also furthering the Corvette's racing legacy.
Evolving from the SR-2, the Corvette SS did continue the legacy but didn't see great success. Taking the tube-frame chassis from the SS, the Stingray Racer was built on it with the intent of pushing limits of what a Corvette could do. Because of GM's racing ban at the time, the Stingray Racer was built partially in secret, with its beautifully sleek style and 315 hp V8 debuting in 1959 and going on to win an SCCA Championship. Heavily influential towards the C2 generation's design, the Stingray Racer is an incredible part of Corvette history.
5 Mako Shark I
Inspired in part by the Stingray Racer, the Mako Shark is among the most legendary Corvettes in history. Absolutely stunning in design, the Mako Shark would also become the basis for the upcoming C2 generation of Corvette.
Supposedly having caught an actual Mako shark while fishing in Florida, Bill Mitchell led the styling of this concept keeping the look of said shark in mind, with Larry Shinoda penning the design in 1961. Unveiled at the 1962 New York Auto Show, the Mako Shark concept was built as a direction for future Corvettes, and indeed a year later the C2 Corvette debuted with very similar styling - although missing the stand-out concept features like the "double bubble" roof and wild exhaust pipes.
4 Mako Shark II
Like how the Mako Shark I and Stingray Racer showed the C2's design style during the C1 generation's production, the Mako Shark II brought a preview of the C3 in a similar fashion, but with a whole host of seriously advanced features for the time.
Designed by GM Vice President and legendary designer Bill Mitchell, the Mako Shark II was unveiled at the 1965 New York Auto Show, though as a non-functional prototype - with a second functional version made for the '65 Paris Auto Show. Powered by the then brand new, but now legendary Chevy 427 cu-in V8, the Mako Shark II was not only a powerhouse but also brought revolutionary features like a retractable spoiler, adjustable pedals and steering wheel, and self-diagnostics systems. While most of its features wouldn't see production for decades, the badass style the Mako Shark II brought would become the basis for the C3 Corvette which debuted in 1967.
3 CERV II
Technically not fully a Corvette, the CERV II had its origins with "the father of the Corvette" Zora Arkus-Duntov and had a performance that is still impressive to this day.
Standing for "Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle," the CERV concept cars were built to undertake research into high-performance characteristics, with many of their findings influencing Corvettes to come. Intended at first to be a racing Corvette that could compete with the Ford GT40, the CERV II hit a 212 mph top speed in 1964, but was rejected by GM's corporate side, and again when re-proposed as a potential high-performance Corvette model. While its hopes were killed, the CERV II would help influence the development of aspects like high-performance tires and aerodynamic elements - and is also the first and one of the most badass in a series of mid-engine Corvette concepts.
2 4-Rotor Aerovette
Perhaps the most surprising powerplant ever fitted to a Corvette, a 4-rotor Wankel rotary engine may sound like something Mazda would use, but this awesomely sleek Corvette concept was not only mid-engine but indeed Wankel-powered.
While the C8 finally made it a reality, Zora Arkus-Duntov had dreamed of a mid-engine Corvette ever since the car's creation but was unable to accomplish a production version despite several concepts prior to his retirement in 1975. Among the last mid-engine Corvette prototypes from Arkus-Duntov, the building of this concept was greenlit, under the condition that it only uses a rotary engine - as GM had an interest in the technology at the time. And indeed it did, using two separate 2-rotor engines, the sleek and monstrously fast mid-engine 4-rotor rotary Corvette was shown off in 1973 but was sadly shelved after, despite Arkus-Duntov declaring it one of his two favorite Corvette concepts of all-time.
1 CERV III
The last mid-engine Corvette concept car - before of course the C8 prototypes, the CERV III was an all-out high-tech performance machine created in the '90s, with a design that influenced the upcoming C5 generation of Corvette.
Starting off life as the 1986 Corvette Indy concept car, the monstrously powerful, sleek, and low slung racecar inspired beast, the CERV III was a street-driving friendly version, with a more production-ready design. Seriously advanced when it debuted in 1990, the CERV III concept included features like dual-disc brakes on each wheel, 4-wheel steering with AWD, computer adjustable suspension - with parts made from titanium, a carbon-Kevlar body, and 610 hp twin-turbo V8. Still being developed as the CERV III debuted, the C5 Corvette would take inspiration from its styling.