The 1973 Corvette was the first to receive a significant restyle since the third-generation Corvettes were introduced in 1968, mainly due to the ever-increasing federal regulations.
The 1974 Corvette saw yet another bumper ‘upgrade’. This time the rear bumper was now a “Rubber Bumper” that added 30 lbs to the overall weight, and because of manufacturing difficulties, the bumper was two pieces revealing a seam down the center.
For those of you wanting a convertible ‘Vette had to get it in 1975, as it would be the last one until 1986. Catalytic converters were introduced, and the rear bumper was now one-piece removing the seam and the bumpers were also tweaked a little to survive low-speed collisions.
Gone was the 427, in was Chevrolet’s new pavement pounding 454ci V8! This was the biggest news for the 1970 Corvette. The four-speed manual transmission was made standard, replacing the former three-speed.
Ford had beaten Chevrolet in the sales war with their Thunderbird outselling the Corvette for the first three years of the Thunderbirds existence. The Thunderbird was quickly becoming a crowd favorite, production numbers and sales would prove that to be true for years to come.
The Ford Thunderbird had done everything Ford intended for it to do. It captured the hearts of America, brought people into Ford showrooms so they could see it first hand and marvel at the craftsmanship of this fine automobile.
The Thunderbird’s success continued for quite some time. In 1959, the Thunderbird did not slow down in sales or popularity. It actually gained and by gained and the Thunderbird took flight.