1. 1980-The Corvette was mildly restyled for 1980 and lost about 250 pounds through the elimination of some structure, lighter doors and hood, and thinner glass. But the worst news was in California where the only available engine was the 180hp 305ci, and the only transmission was a TH350. That made for a floppy-feeling Corvette that was dog slow. Sure, the L48 and L82 350 small-blocks were still available in the rest of the country, but Chevy shouldn't be forgiven easily for those California cars. [Photo 1A]
2. 1983-The Corvette was so bad they didn't even make it.
3. 1981-Just as lame as the '80 model, but Chevy eliminated the L48 and L82 altogether in favor of just one "L81" 350 rated at a pathetic 190 hp. [Photo 1B]
4. 1982-See 1980 and 1981, add the stillborn Cross-Fire fuel-injection system, and eliminate manual transmissions.
5. 1953-This was the first Corvette, but it was also saddled with a mundane 150hp six and a mandatory two-speed Powerglide automatic. An inauspicious start for a car that would go on to greatness. But hey, didn't Abraham Lincoln start out in a log cabin? [Photo 1C]
6. 1954-Just slightly better than the '53. [Photo 1D]
7. 1984-The first C4 Corvette rode as if its shocks were made of granite, the Cross-Fire injected engine was flabby, and the 4+3 manual trans was questionable. The C4 improved markedly with the '85 model year and the introduction of the L98 Tuned Port Injection small-block. [Photo 1E]
8. 1975-The big-block was gone, and the base engine was a small-block 350 making a lame 165 hp (the optional L82 brought just 205 hp). The saving grace was that this was the last year for the C3 convertible. Perhaps it was not a coincidence that Zora Arkus-Duntov retired this same year. [1F]
9. 1974-The last big-block 454 only made 270 hp and the new rear bumper cover had a misguided split through its center. [Photo 1G]
10. 1958-After the utterly gorgeous, nearly perfect '57, Chevy mucked up the '58 with four chrome-ringed headlights, big ugly teeth in the grille, and a phony vent on the hood. Still a solid car mechanically, the '58 was a styling disaster. [Photo 1J]
Brown SnakeNeed more than an '03 Mustang Cobra to keep life interesting? Then longtime pony tuner Kenny Brown has just the amplified snake for you in the form of its "Signature Series" version of the Cobra that puts 475 hp under the toe of enthusiasts willing to hack up about $50,000.
Starting with a standard 390hp Cobra, Brown beats on the engine to whack out the extra wallop and then thoroughly reworks the rest of the drivetrain with new gears, pounds on the suspension a bit, and mounts a set of 18x9.5-inch wheels inside Pirelli tires. If you want more details than that (and we're being really vague), then take a look at www.kennybrown.com where the specifics are drawn out in exquisite detail.
Facts & RumorsFact: This fall, the very last original VW bug will be built in Mexico. That's it for the bug. If this makes you sad, go read another magazine.
Rumor: GM may offer a crate version of the Cadillac Northstar rear-drive V-8 in time for this year's SEMA show. Might look good in a street rod.
Fact: NASCAR has announced that next year the Winston Cup series will become the Nextel Cup with the change in sponsorship from Winston cigarettes to Nextel wireless communications.
Rumor: According to reports, Ford aims to sell a million F-series pickups during the '04 model year. That would be a record and a jump up from the 800,000 or so usually sold.
Fact: At a press conference announcing a new computerized braking system, Honda president Hiroyuki Yoshino said that American car companies, in order to regain market share, "should try harder."
Fact: Daimler-Chrysler lost $1.17 billion during the second quarter of 2003. The rumor is they left the cash in their wallet and couldn't find it after a cousin's wedding. That last part is just a rumor...
Rumor: Cadillac wants to export the CTS to China. In exchange, China will send us everything else.