Three decades ago, it was...
Three decades ago, it was thought that Federal and state laws/regulations would kill the Corvette hobby. They didn't then, and with your help, they won't in the future. Photo Courtesy GM
Just like in the '70s, the Corvette-and the Corvette hobby-are under attack. On one side: the Feds, with tougher Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and emission limits for new cars and light trucks. At the state level, proposed state laws, regulations, and rules would seek to force collector Corvettes to undergo the same emissions testing as current-model daily driven cars and trucks.
But it doesn't mean the end of the Corvette, or the Corvette hobby.
Federal Regulation: Stricter Standards = A Stronger Corvette?
Think back to 1975, when Federal emissions standards kicked in that led to the use of catalytic converters. Those highly expensive devices-which helped boost the '75 Corvette's base sticker price by $800 over the '74's MSRP-were said to help performance by taking the burden of nearly a mile of vacuum lines and other emissions-control hardware off the engine. They "helped performance" by doing that, while clogging the exhaust system with a single-unit, two-way catalyst that turned unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide into CO2 and water vapor. The single-unit cats led to major inefficiencies in exhaust-system design, which limited horsepower and torque while getting emissions down to the new Federal limits.
Could you imagine an engine...
Could you imagine an engine like this '69 427 being subject to the same emissions standards as new cars? Several states (most notably California) have tried to do that, but action by involved auto hobbyists stopped them...for now.
That's something that more than a few '75-'82 C3 Vette owners have discovered-especially the ones who've removed their cats for an exhaust that's up to track-day duty, or replaced the OEM two-way cats with current-technology three-way cats (which add the transformation of nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen to the two-way cats' functions).
All the while during the late '70s, the engineers who worked on Corvette's powertrains were doing the best they could (under the circumstances) to find at least as much power in the venerable Chevy small-block V-8 as it had produced during the '60s. The real breakthrough came with the development of microprocessors to control engine functions that were up to the job of operating in the hostile environment of an engine bay. Add in improvements like roller rocker arms, improved cylinder-head and exhaust-system designs, and electronic fuel injection, and the "old" engine eventually cranked out the power like it had before-but this time, with fewer emissions per mile.
Not all state lawmakers are...
Not all state lawmakers are car-haters. New York Assembly Member Nancy Calhoun (R-96th District) is a Corvette owner who represents the district encompassing Orange and Rockland Counties. Photo courtesy SEMA
In the early '90s, The General's powertrain engineers (who'd been merged, realigned, and otherwise moved from their previous divisional engine shops) were challenged to design and engineer a new V-8 that would exceed the previous GM V-8s' performance numbers, while meeting ever-stricter Federal emission and CAFE standards. The result was the LS-series of engines, whose performance you know well by now-and whose fuel economy, especially at highway speeds, you're also well aware of.
But now, stricter CAFE and emission standards loom on the horizon. Per Federal regulations enacted in 2009, manufacturers must meet a fleet average of 35.5 miles per gallon for all the cars and light trucks they sell by the year 2016, up from the current 27.5 mpg required fleet average. Those vehicles not meeting the standard will be subject to a "gas guzzler tax" added to the sticker price. What we've heard is that the next-generation Corvette engine, while still a V-8, might only displace 5.5 liters (around 330 cubic inches).
Is this an "eyesore" that...
Is this an "eyesore" that should be destroyed? Many local zoning and code-enforcement authorities seem to think so-and seek more power to come onto private property and seize any non-operating vehicles they find. Photo by Steve Dulcich
If there's one thing the Corvette team has done in recent years, it's been to use cutting-edge technology to meet the Feds' fuel-economy and emissions standards while delivering the level of performance expected of a Corvette powerplant. Whether they can continue to do that in the face of ever-tightening economy and emissions standards, however, remains to be seen.
State-Lawmakers + Grassroots Influence = State Laws We Can Live With
State-level threats to the Corvette hobby come in many forms, from legislation aimed at cracking down on perceived problems, to rulemaking that results in added hassles for Corvette enthusiasts (and other collector-car owners), to local ordinances aimed at eliminating "eyesores."
This year, California state lawmakers tried again to do away with the exemption from the state's Smog Check emission-inspection program that vintage, classic, and collector vehicles built before 1976 currently enjoy. (Colorado tried to do the same this year, too.) Fortunately, the move didn't succeed.