Y- History of the Corvette

One of America’s most iconic cars is the Chevy Corvette. It is over 60 years old and still in production. In 1953 the first generation of Corvettes was produced until 1962. They are known as the C1. They were originally just a six cylinder car made for cruising. This changed in the second generation, also known as the C2. They were offered with high performance engines. These engines included a 327 cubic inch v8, a 396 cubic inch v8, and 427 cubic inch v8. The 396 was produced for one year. The horsepower produced by the engines ranged from 250 horsepower to 560 horsepower. The C3 generation is one of the recognizable Corvette. It is the Stingray Corvette. Along with the 427 and the 327, this generation also had two new engine options: the 454 cubic inch v8 and the 350 cubic inch v8. The power generated from the engines 300 horsepower to 465 horsepower before 1972. From 1972 till 1982, these engines produced from 180 horsepower to 230 horsepower due to the conservation of energy and the environment. The C4 generation Corvettes rank low in how collectible they are. The engine offered with these Corvettes was the 350 cubic inch v8. Horsepower ranged from 205 to 405. This generation lasted from 1984 to 1996. The C5 generation took the title for high performance vehicles. The engine offered was a 346 cubic inch v8 that produced horsepower ranging from 345 horsepower to 405 horsepower. The C5 generation is considered a modern sports car. This generation lasted from 1997 to 2004. The C6 generation lasted from 2005 to present. The C6 is the most upgraded from the past generations of Corvettes. The C6 Corvettes were offered with a 6.0 liter v8 and a 427 cubic inch v8. Horsepower from these engines ranged from 400 horsepower to 638 horsepower. The C7 Corvette is still under production. It is projected that this generation of Corvettes or suppose to be nothing like the previous Corvettes and they are supposed to be very modernized. One of America’s most iconic cars is still going strong today.

Y-History of GM's pickups

What seems to be an iconic truck to the U.S. are GM’s lineups of pickups. Chevy and GMC, who are owned by General Motors, started to produce pickups in 1919. Chevy and GMC have the same exact vehicles. The only difference is the name of the vehicles and the company’s logo on the front grille. The portions of the history I want to focus on are the trucks from 1962 till now. In 1962 Chevy/GMC started to put C/K stamps on the trucks. C meant two wheel drive, while K meant four wheel drive. Chevy had either a 10, a 15 a 20, or a 30, indicating what the size of the truck was. 10 meant half ton, 15 meant half ton long bed, 20 meant three quarter ton and 30 meant full ton. GMC had 1000, 1500, and 2500. There were two body styles. Chevy and GMC had a Fleetside, the sides of the trucks are smooth, and the Stepside, which had a bed that had steps on it by the cab. The models from 1962-1966 had a few different engine options including a v8 327 cubic inch that made 220 horsepower. In 1965, GM introduced air conditioning in to the Chevy and GMC pickups. The truck models from 1967 to 1972 were redesigned. GM came out with a new sport version. GM put new marker lights on the side of the trucks and added more chrome to the trucks. In 1969 there were three new v8 engines offered, The first two are 350’s, one offering 300 horsepower and the other offering 350 horsepower. The third is a 369 that made 310 horsepower. In 1970, both the GMC and Chevy trucks came out with a new three speed automatic version. The trucks from 1973 to 1980 received a new body style. GM started offering a four door cab or known to others as a “crew cab”. Engines ranged from a 250 cubic inch inline six cylinder that made 100 horsepower to a 454 cubic inch v8 that made 240 horsepower. In 1977 the full ton pickups were offered in four wheel drive. A v8 diesel engine was offered in the C-10 pickups. The trucks made from 1981 to 1987 were built lighter. During this time frame, GM also offered a new 305 cubic inch v8 engine that made 160 horsepower. It was more powerful and had better fuel economy than the 350 cubic inch v8’s. In 1982 GM offered a 6.2 liter diesel. Also known as the “Detroit Diesel”. This was offered on the K pickups. Also a new 4 speed automatic transmission was offered in 1982. It created less wear on the engine and created a better fuel economy. In 1987 GM changed the nomenclature for their four wheel drive and two wheel drive vehicles. The four wheel drive trucks had a V, while the two wheel drive vehicles had a R. This was then changed back to C and K during the timeframe of 1988 to 1998. Instead of the stepside, GM came out with the sportside , which is a leaner version of the stepside. 1988 was also the first time, GM offered “shift on the fly” four wheel drive. This meant that the driver could put the truck in to four wheel drive while the truck was in motion. Originally the driver would have to turn on locking hubs on the front tires and then would have to put the truck in park or neutral and put the truck in four wheel drive. In 1992 GM upgraded the 6.2 liter diesel engine to a 6.5 liter diesel engine. In 1993, GM had improved engines that included three different v8’s and a v6 4.3 liter engine. The three v8’s include a 5.0 liter, a 5.7 liter and 7.4 liter. In 1996, all of the gas engines GM was using were named “Vortecs”. The current generations of trucks ,1999 til now, saw little changes. In 1999, GM offered their pickups with the Silverado and Sierra naming depending on if you bought a Chevy or a GMC. GM offered new v8’s that ranged from 4.8 liters to 6.0 liters. They still kept the same v6 engine and the 6.5 liter diesel. The 6.5 liter diesel engines would later be dropped and the Duramax diesel engines would be substituted in. The GM trucks were offered with high class options like satellite radio, DVD players and other options in 2003. From 2003 till now, the GM truck models would stay constant, only the body styles would change up a bit. GM’s trucks have always been a favorite for many.

W- Toyota Prius

One of my least favorite cars, but in my opinion, the most revolutionary car is the Toyota Prius. The Toyota Prius is a hybrid vehicle. This means that it uses more than one source of fuel, usually powered by gasoline and electricity. The Toyota Prius is one of the most fuel efficient cars on the market. The Toyota Prius was developed before people started worrying about the environment and fuel efficiency. It started to go on sale in 1997. The Prius was first sold only in Japan. When the Toyota Prius first went on sale, the sales were slow. In 2001, the Toyota Prius started to be sold worldwide. Due to the worldwide sales in 2001, the Prius had to be redesigned for places like the U.S. where speed limits are higher and people drive long distances. In 2004, the Prius was redesigned. The engine was redesigned to be more fuel efficient than the previous models and the body was redesigned. It was redesigned to be a five door hatchback, which means that it has two doors on the driver side and passenger side and a lifting tailgate. This would become the design of the car from now on. Also it was made roomier inside of the vehicle. In 2008,hybrid cars became popularity due to the record high fuel prices at the time. The 2008 model Prius became popular due to its 45 miles per gallon on the highway and the 48 miles per gallon in the city. Due to the popularity of the Prius, Toyota added three different variants to the Prius lineup. The first is the plug in Prius. The plug in Prius is the most fuel efficient Prius. The second is the Prius V. It is the larger model of the Prius family. The third is the Prius C. It is the compact model of the Prius family, meaning that it is the smallest model. The Prius like I said isn’t my favorite car, but during a time of rising fuel prices and destruction of the environment, it is a revolutionary car and the best for the time period we are living in.