The Corvette has a long and storied history in the automotive world, but like all cars, it’s had its share of missteps. Here are 10 corvette cars that are arguably the worst ever made. We’re not saying these cars are completely bad, but compared to some other models and generations of Corvettes, they just don’t hold up. If you own one or happen to be considering buying one of these models, read on and see what’s wrong with them so you can make an educated purchase decision.
1) Chevy Corvair
The Chevy Corvair is often considered to be one of the worst cars ever made. The car had a rear-mounted engine and swing axles in the rear. This made it more difficult for drivers to maintain control on turns, especially when going over bumps. Even though this was an issue, many people still bought the car because it was cheap and stylish.
In 1965, a GM engineer wrote a memo that alerted company officials about how unsafe the Corvair really was.
2) 1987 Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette
Callaway Twin Turbo was one of the most famous and successful Corvette tuners in the 1980s. They were responsible for a number of car conversions, including building a twin-turbo version of the new-for-1987 Chevrolet Corvette. The Callaway Twin Turbo was built from 1987 until 1989 and is considered to be one of the worst Corvettes ever made.
3) 1995 Corvette Pace Car
The 1995 Corvette Pace Car is one of the worst ever because it is not a normal corvette. It has no windows and features that you would never find in any other car on the road. The only thing this vehicle has going for it is its low price tag, but for some people, there is nothing worse than driving a car that does not let you see outside or have any driver’s comforts.
4) Chevrolet Citation
The Chevrolet Citation was a car marketed by General Motors. The car first came out in 1980 as the Chevrolet Nova and it was renamed to Chevrolet Citation for 1984. The Citation has a 4-cylinder engine that can produce up to 115 horsepower and 135 ft-lbs of torque. The car has a 4-speed manual transmission with an optional 3-speed automatic transmission.
5) 1958 Corvette
The first Corvette that was available for purchase, the 1958 model, is arguably one of the worst Corvettes ever made. The engine was a six-cylinder with a three-speed manual transmission, and its design was less than desirable. It couldn’t really keep up with other cars of the era and it didn’t sell well until Chevy started to offer an eight-cylinder engine in 1959.
6) Chevrolet Corsica
The Chevrolet Corsica is one of the worst 10 Corvettes in history. It’s not a sports car, it’s a family sedan. Even so, it’s terrible to drive and has an awful interior design. The only thing going for it is that it was cheap to buy back in the day.
7) 1988 Corvette Commemorative Edition
In 1988, the Chevrolet Division of General Motors decided to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the release of the first Corvette by producing a special edition car. The car was designed to look like a 1957 model and came with plenty of standard features that were not available on other models in 1989.
8) 1982 Corvette Collector Edition
The 1982 Collector Edition was a special and rare Corvette. The Collector Edition only came in silver with red interior and had a Collector Edition emblem on the driver’s side of the dashboard. It had a 2-speed automatic transmission, aluminum wheels, hood stripes, power brakes, tinted glass, and an AM/FM stereo cassette player.
9) 1979 Corvette L48
The 1979 Corvette L48 is one of the worst cars on this list. It was powered by a 350 cubic-inch 5.7L V8 engine, producing 220 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque. This car had no power steering, no air conditioning and a manual transmission with four speeds. It also had a 3:55 axle ratio that made it difficult to maintain highway speeds in the 70s due to the extreme lack of power steering.
10) Chevrolet Lumina
The Chevrolet Lumina is a car that was produced by Chevrolet from 1989 until 1996. The first generation of the Lumina had an option of either a 3.1L SFI V6 engine with 175 horsepower or a 2.8L SFI V6 engine with 165 horsepower. Both engines were coupled to a four-speed automatic transmission and had fuel economy of 17 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway.
