Then and Now – Corvettes Past and Present

Joe Ciringione, Igus Energy Chain Systems

From his office in East Providence, Rhode Island, Joseph (Joe) Ciringione leads North American sales for Igus Energy Chain Systems. Mr. Ciringione’s functions include employee relations and project management. Joe Ciringione is also a fan of the General Motors Corvette.

After being unveiled as a “dream car” in 1953, workers hand-assembled the first 300 Corvettes in Flint, Michigan. Full production moved to St. Louis, and soon, the early cars featured a 265-cubic-inch V8 engine with a three-speed manual transmission. In 1956, designers updated the body with sculpted side covers and exposed headlights.

It was completely restyled in 1963 along the lines of the Sting Ray racer. As the decade progressed, safety features were added, the engine went through several upgrades, and a Corvette convertible made its debut.

GM passed the 500,000-car milestone in 1977 and later moved production to Bowling Green, Kentucky. Adding aerodynamic features boosted its maximum speed to 150 mph. Steady sales led to the rollout of the one-millionth Corvette in 1992. Improvements in transmissions, engines, and air bags continued into the 21st century.

Aluminum frames became standard in 2013 for the seventh-generation model. The Z06 was the first one to offer automatic transmission and a supercharged engine, making it the most track-capable Corvette yet.

The 2017 Corvette Grand Sport – Performance and Handling | Joe Ciringione

Joseph Ciringione | Joe is an experienced sales professional.

In his professional life, Joseph Ciringione leads as North American sales and product manager for machinery components group Igus, Inc. Joseph Ciringione pursues a personal interest in cars, his favorite of which is the Corvette.

The Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport has stood out for its speed and power since its early days of production, when designer Zora Arkus-Duntov placed aluminum-wrapped cage frames around a 550-horsepower V8 engine. Only five such cars came to fruition and quickly took to the racetracks.

Since the revival of the Corvette in the late 1990s, the brand has continued to attract fans with its high level of performance. The 2017 Grand Sport model features a 6.2 liter V8 engine that, depending on model, can reach 60 mph in as few as 3.8 seconds. The car can run 12.2 seconds at 116.1 miles per hour with a manual transmission, and braking from 60 mph to a full stop takes as little as 90 feet.

The Grand Sport also offers a leading level of road grip and offers top lateral acceleration of 1.18 grams, which tops the performance of any other production vehicle at the time of its testing. Its figure eight performance puts it in the lead among cars priced under $100,000, with its handling being even smoother thanks to the car’s light weight of 3,464 pounds.