Searching for a Chrome bumper C3

[Mr. Cricket]

Chrome bumpers were the norm in the 1960’s the new for 1967 ( yes 67) was always going to have chrome bumpers. Quality control pushed the launch back to 68 and a quick restyle resulted in the last mid year for 1967.
Chrome bumpers do look very period and look good. Saying that the changes to 73 ( front) and 74 (rear) were nicely done and bang up to date. Both are nice in their own way.

yes and I'd rather have chrome bumpers than that hideous front end shown above..

 

[Nassau65]

The front of the Mako shark was a little OTT . Most styling exercise cars are. They wanted to make it futuristic hence the lack of chrome.

 

[Nassau65]

I can remember quite well when traditional bumpers started to disappear on cars and the modern wrap around panels appeared front and back. They looked very different at the time, but very modern looking.

 

[Chuffer]

Why the obsession with chrome bumpers? I admit they are more valued, but the original C3 concept didn’t have them. They had to be fitted to meet either legal requirements or customer expectation at the time. The designer was probably upset that the purity of his design had to be compromised.
View attachment 24858

Can`t see the point myself ?? Oh , yes I can . All three of them .

 

[Nassau65]

Both look pretty good to me. In fact I just asked my young nephews which one they preferred?
They picked the body coloured front.
That’s youth I suppose.

 

[Roscobbc]

C3 really represented the final swansong of car design that used functional chrome trim with careful design purity. 73/74 onwards bumpers really took the federal requirement for energy absorsion front and rear bumpers from being an 'excrescence' on many other cars of the day and making them an integrated design feature.......eventually culminating in the really futuristic body styling of the final run-out models.

 

[antijam]

Some manufacturers did better than others in their attempts to meet FVMSS 215, the “Impact Bumper Protection” Act. I think the post '73 Corvette is a design masterpiece compared with Lamborghini's solution......



That said, I still prefer the chrome on my '71 to the 'plastic' on the laters...

 

[bluehot59]

totally agree , nice ass and pipes, shark bite rear suspension, c6 brakes etc

 

[Mr. Cricket]

totally agree , nice ass and pipes, shark bite rear suspension, c6 brakes etc

was good to talk at the NEC. Cracking C3 you have

 

[James Vette]

Chrome is sharper like a stingray or shark. I don't mind though.

 

[Letank]

Good info Steve.

Some made it out the door in black (GM staff cars) or were delivered to the dealer in primer for them to paint for the customer. On the trim tag where the exterior colour code would be it would say SPEC as in special order.

You’re absolutely right Stuart. I think the numbers were somewhere around 25 in 73 and possibly only 1 or 2 in 72. I can’t imagine many are still accounted for. IIRC they’d need to have a matching tank sticker (quoting black) to confirm they were indeed black and not another special order colour that has been repainted black at a later time

 

[Letank]

Factory or aftermarket on a C3

Both look goodView attachment 24854

For me it would have to be 69 factory style on a chrome bumper car but Hooker/Doug’s style on 74 onwards

 

[CaptainK]

For me, I love the chrome bumpers on the C3. It just gives it that "classic car" look that I wanted when I bought my 68 Vette. That said, when I was looking for a C3 to buy I really liked the front end of the plastic bumper Vettes (still do), but (apologies for the sacrilege) I wasn't that keen on the rear plastic bumpers on the C3 (growing on me now, but still not that keen). So even though the later plastic bumper C3s are generally cheaper, and I'm mostly permanently skint, I knew I always had to spend that extra bit of cash to get a chrome bumper model.

 

[Vetman]

For me, I love the chrome bumpers on the C3. It just gives it that "classic car" look that I wanted when I bought my 68 Vette. That said, when I was looking for a C3 to buy I really liked the front end of the plastic bumper Vettes (still do), but (apologies for the sacrilege) I wasn't that keen on the rear plastic bumpers on the C3 (growing on me now, but still not that keen). So even though the later plastic bumper C3s are generally cheaper, and I'm mostly permanently skint, I knew I always had to spend that extra bit of cash to get a chrome bumper model.

When I bought my 1975 in 1980 I wanted a daily driver Corvette and the newer the better. C3’s were still the current car and I was not buying an old or Classic car. In 2009 I decided on a major restoration, and because I had owned the car for so long, by then, I wasn’t prepared to sell it and buy an older version. I like both chrome and rubber ends (GRP replacement ends look better than the soft ends).

From a classic car angle, the chrome bumpers are associated with the more powerful engine options, pre-smog. As the cars grow older there will be more emphasis on ‘factory correct’ cars rather than modified cars with added performance.

You pay your money and take your choice.

 

[Roscobbc]

The later cars seemed to become internally quieter, more comfortable, better appointed perhaps (and arguably) an acceptable 'trade-off' for more 'raw' experience of the chrome bumper cars. I easily remember the C3 coming on to the market in the late 60's/early 70's and even with the few you'd see in West London and perhaps in the early days ay Santa Pod in styling terms they were years ahead of anything else similar, except perhaps the Lotus Elan Plus 2

And the highly exotic (and expensive) Maserati Mistral

and the visually very similar Frua styled AC428

 

[Chuffer]

The later cars seemed to become internally quieter, more comfortable, better appointed perhaps (and arguably) an acceptable 'trade-off' for more 'raw' experience of the chrome bumper cars. I easily remember the C3 coming on to the market in the late 60's/early 70's and even with the few you'd see in West London and perhaps in the early days ay Santa Pod in styling terms they were years ahead of anything else similar, except perhaps the Lotus Elan Plus 2

And the highly exotic (and expensive) Maserati Mistral

and the visually very similar Frua styled AC428

The Elan 2+2 was one of my dream car when I was a schoolboy . Still love the looks and is the one dream car box I regretably have not ticked . At least I have ticked the Marcos and Corvette boxes though so can`t complain .

 

[GreigM]

Good info Steve.

Some made it out the door in black (GM staff cars) or were delivered to the dealer in primer for them to paint for the customer. On the trim tag where the exterior colour code would be it would say SPEC as in special order.

Yes, the NEC car was originally red and the black is a recent respray.

 

[GreigM]

Why the obsession with chrome bumpers? I admit they are more valued, but the original C3 concept didn’t have them. They had to be fitted to meet either legal requirements or customer expectation at the time. The designer was probably upset that the purity of his design had to be compromised.
View attachment 24858

For me its just personal preference/look. I like the "bling" of the chrome and the front grilles, and side detail that the later cars didn't have. I know its wrong, but I associate the non-chrome cars as being later/80s in my mind.

 

[CaptainK]

When I bought my 1975 in 1980 I wanted a daily driver Corvette and the newer the better. C3’s were still the current car and I was not buying an old or Classic car. In 2009 I decided on a major restoration, and because I had owned the car for so long, by then, I wasn’t prepared to sell it and buy an older version. I like both chrome and rubber ends (GRP replacement ends look better than the soft ends).

Wowzers. I only bought mine in 2016 just as a very occasional play thing to take to classic car shows etc - hence wanting the more "classic" look. That is just my personal requirement for the time I bought the car, and what I wanted to do with it. If I'd bought mine "back in the day", then yeah I'd want it as new as possible to be my daily. Like you, I like to keep my cars for ages and like you I'd be really happy keeping that 1975 and not swap it out. I mean you have a good history with that car, why swap it for something you don't know?

For example, I've had my FTO for 20 years now and I'm its first UK owner, but cosmetically it is just not great at all. I have considered getting rid of it, swapping it for another car etc, but at the end of the day I have 20 years of memories with that car, so I'm happy to keep it ticking.

 

[bluehot59]

For me its just personal preference/look. I like the "bling" of the chrome and the front grilles, and side detail that the later cars didn't have. I know its wrong, but I associate the non-chrome cars as being later/80s in my mind.