The Complete History of the Corvette

This is the complete edition of the RCR Stories on the history of the Corvette. Originally released as a trilogy on the main channel, this edit compiles the award-winning saga into one epic video.

Follow the history of one of the most iconic cars in American automotive history, from its genesis at Chevrolet under the visionary Harley Earl, through its rise in popularity, the suspicious year that didn't have a Corvette at all, and all the way through to the march to mid-engine. It's an unforgettable saga of automotive ingenuity, innovation deferred, and a remarkable resurgence in prestige for a car whose identity has changed over the years from sports car superstar, to mid-life crisis car, and back again.

How was the Chevy Corvette created? Why is it so revered? And what is its outlook for the future? Originally released in installments over on the main channel, this is the omnibus that collects the three different parts into one engaging whole. This is RCR Stories: The Complete History of the Corvette.

Chapters:
00:00 Prologue
01:48 Harley Earl and the Early Auto Industry
27:04 Zora Arkus-Duntov and the Birth of the Corvette
45:20 The Motorsports Ban
50:28 The Stingray
69:00 Rise of the C3
76:00 Death of a Legend
79:43 The Year Without A Corvette
92:54 The Corvette C4
104:54 Rescuing the Corvette
128:05 The March to Mid-Engine
152:16 The Financial Crisis
161:28 Reinventing the Corvette
178:02: Recalls, Recollections, and Epilogue

For more RCR Car Stories:

The Life and Death of Tucker Automotive Corporation:

The Life and Death of SAAB:

The Life and Death of AMC:

The Life and Death of Pontiac:

The Cash For Clunkers Disaster:

Subscribe to Regular Car Reviews:

[kesslerrb]

I don’t understand why Roman gets so much hate. Sure, he’s no voice actor but his videos are incredibly informative and I find his narration style “welcoming.”

[johnj.hernandez]

This is with out a doubt the best story on the Corvette I have ever seen. As a restorer in the late 70's to the late 80's I thought I knew the facts but you have opened my eyes. A suggestion for a future episode, the tail of the "shade tree" owners of Corvettes. The individuals that kept the 'older' Vetts alive. There is a difference between Corvette Owners and Owners of Corvettes.

[busterdee]

My dad had a service station where I got my very short mechanics career started (I finally gave up trying to keep track of tools). One of my customers never failed to mention that he was a road tester for a corvette prototype. Obviously, it was the highlight of his life. He also liked to nitpick everything I did. I smile when I recall those exchanges. Thanks for this informative video.

[MrJim]

Incredible sir. Having recently ended my career with GM recently, you have accurately captured some of the magic of their incredible history. Well done.

[rgpark]

I still have an hour of the Saab history left to watch.

[mouldy]

That metal gear reference at 2:42 made my day

[richardhsiung]

That was long. Thank you for your hard work and thoughtfulness. And I'm not even a Corvette person. I used to have a 356B. But I loved cars in my youth... yet, for the past 12 years I got rid of my E280 and started bicycling as my main day-to-day transportation. Thank you again... my favorite would be '56.

[jasonmoyer]

Looking forward to watching this. For some reason, like a lot of Americans I guess, I have an irrational nostalgic love of Corvettes. I guess it's always been our one shot at being part of the international sportscar scene, so they always seem a little more special than all of the great muscle cars we've had here.

[BobSpielman]

Thanks for such a great documentary of Corvette History. Thanks for giving my brother, Joe Spielman, credit alongside Jim Perkins, for one of the many saves from extinction. Joe loved that car from the very beginning and it was a big reason for his unwavering dedication to GM for his entire career. Well done!

[Doosterify]

Simply outstanding. I don't normally watch long videos on YouTube but what you have created here drew me in 100%. Just plain good content, well worth the time to watch.

[danielskopp]

The best narrative History of the true American Sports Car, Corvette!!

[Andoniscars]

loved it. great amount of work and well presented documentary. very fascinating, thank you for this

[Hisvett]

Many thanks from a long time Corvette owner! I did learn several things and feel very lucky that the brand didn't end so many times in the past. I have traveled all lower 48 states in a Vette and loved every minute running the back roads of America.

[drbooo]

Extremely well done. I was born in 1953 same as the fiberglass fossil. owner since 1974. this is good.

[michaelumhoefer]

You are the Dan Carlin of automotive history. Thank you for your depth and unending love of history.

[RevivedRide]

after owning many cars over the years, I never thought about owning a corvette....but the C8 changed my mind! Cheers and thanks for the video!

[thezephyr]

Well, I finally did it… I got through all 3+ hours of this video. it was interesting and informative tale of hopes and dreams, fears and misery, opportunities seized upon, and some opportunities lost. One thing that I seriously did not know until making it through this video is how many times the Corvette was almost killed off! Anyway, very well done and well put together documentary about just about every car enthusiasts favorite car.

[LexieLPoyser]

I’ve got all the RCR stories downloaded on my phone, I have them playing in the background most evenings after a long day of driving.

[johngavlick]

These videos are very well done and include so much information.

[davu]

this is the best audiobook I've ever listened to. Chapeau!