1962 Corvette

Description

1962 was the last year of the C1 Corvette, which began production in 1953.

For 1962 the body remained unchanged, but there were numerous trim changes. The cove area on the side of the car was no longer trimmed in chrome and could no longer be painted a different color. The chrome strakes in the cove were replaced with a new grill, and the insignia on the cove was now a crossed-flags emblem.

The front emblem was also changed, and now was surrounded by a chrome ring. The front grill was now painted black instead of being chromed, and a ribbed aluminum trim piece was added to the rocker-panel area below the doors.

Performance-wise, 1962 saw the introduction of the 327 cubic inch small block, replacing the 283 of previous years. The compression ratio was also boosted, and horsepower rose to 250 hp for the base engine, 300 and 340 hp for the optional engines, and 360 hp for the fuelie.

1962 Corvette Key Differences

The main differences of the 1961-62 Corvettes over earlier years include the "ducktail" rear end styling with dual round tail lights on each side, a finer front grill mesh, and body-colored trim rings around the headlights.

A 1962 Corvette can be differentiated from a 1961 by the front emblem being enclosed by a circle, a blacked-out front grill, the absence of chrome trim around the side cove & the absence of the three chrome strakes in the cove, and a ribbed aluminum rocker-panel trim piece.

Similar Years

The 1962 and 1961 Corvettes shared the same basic design. A number of trim differences distinguish the two years.

How to Identify a 1962 Corvette

Overview

• C1 Corvette body style (1953 - 1962)

1962 Corvette Rear End

• The ducktail rear end design continued for 1962 (1961 - 1962)

1962 Corvette Front Emblem

• Front crossed-flags emblem now encircled by a chrome ring (1962)

1962 Corvette Grill

• Front grill is now blacked out instead of being chrome (1962)

1962 Corvette Rocker Panel Trim

• A ribbed aluminum strip was added as trim to the rocker panel area below the doors (1962)

1962 Corvette Headlights

• Bezel around the headlights is body-colored (1961 - 1962)

1962 Corvette Headlight Spear

• Chrome spears run along the top of the fender, starting at the headlights (1958-62)

1962 Corvette Taillights

• Dual round tail lights on each side remain unchanged (1961 - 1962)

1962 Corvette Side Cove

• No longer was there chrome trim around the side cove (1962)
• Because of the lack of trim, the cove could no longer be painted a different color (1962)

1962 Corvette Side Cove Grill

• The three horizontal chrome strakes in the cove were replaced by a grill (1962)

1962 Corvette Side Insignia

• The insignia on the cove changed to a crossed-flag design with a "V" that was somewhat different from the earlier 1956 - 1960 flag emblem (1962)

1962 Corvette Trunk Emblem

• The trunk emblem carried over unchanged (1956 - 1962)

1962 Corvette Dash

• The dash didn't change for the last year of the C1 Corvette (1958 - 1962)

1962 Corvette Seats

• The seats, changed for 1960, remained the same (1960 - 1962)

1962 Corvette Hubcap

• 1962 would be the last year for this style of hubcaps (1959 - 1962)

1962 Corvette Hardtop

• Optional hardtop which was available for the Corvette (1956 - 1962)

More 1962 Corvette Pictures

For more photos of vintage 1962 Corvettes, visit the C1 Corvette Image Gallery at the Muscle Car Jungle.

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