America is proud of the Corvette, its first real sports car. The model is now a powerful, affordable mid-engined beast, but that's also a radical departure from the model from over 60 years ago.
We know people respect the C1 for being the first chapter of the book, but it wasn't GM's best writing. The 1950s European sports cars include such greats as the Jaguar C- and D-Type, the BMW 507, Alfa Romeo's sexy Disco Volante, and the Lotus Seven that basically survived to this day.
Compared to those, the C1 Corvette is a bit like a carnival ride, too flamboyant for what it really offers. We don't need to remind you that the first 300 'Vettes had a 6-cylinder and a 2-speed auto.
By 1958, the first-gen was flashier than ever. It had gained a new front end with a longer nose and quad headlights. Chrome trim was aplenty, just like on any other high-end American car of that era.
Digital makeover specialist wb.artist20 decided to see what happens when you mix too much of the old with the new. More specifically, all the crazy cosmetics of the 1958 model have been photoshopped onto the current mid-engined sports car.
For the record, the cosmetic changes were really cheap, almost trivial back in those days. Two-tone paint was something like $20, while the power upgrades for the 283 small-block V8 (4.6-liter) cost between $150 and $480. The racing suspension cost about five times more than the powered folding top. Boy, GM has been in the nickel-and-dime business for a long time.
Chromed bumpers have been illegal for a while, so it's almost shocking to see them rendered onto the C8 Corvette. Also, the white-wall tires clash heavily with this modern, angular body. Of course, we also can't ignore the fact that the early Corvettes had fiberglass bodies.
Compared to those, the C1 Corvette is a bit like a carnival ride, too flamboyant for what it really offers. We don't need to remind you that the first 300 'Vettes had a 6-cylinder and a 2-speed auto.
By 1958, the first-gen was flashier than ever. It had gained a new front end with a longer nose and quad headlights. Chrome trim was aplenty, just like on any other high-end American car of that era.
Digital makeover specialist wb.artist20 decided to see what happens when you mix too much of the old with the new. More specifically, all the crazy cosmetics of the 1958 model have been photoshopped onto the current mid-engined sports car.
For the record, the cosmetic changes were really cheap, almost trivial back in those days. Two-tone paint was something like $20, while the power upgrades for the 283 small-block V8 (4.6-liter) cost between $150 and $480. The racing suspension cost about five times more than the powered folding top. Boy, GM has been in the nickel-and-dime business for a long time.
Chromed bumpers have been illegal for a while, so it's almost shocking to see them rendered onto the C8 Corvette. Also, the white-wall tires clash heavily with this modern, angular body. Of course, we also can't ignore the fact that the early Corvettes had fiberglass bodies.