The 1960 Corvette Is a Beautiful Classic
Though not too different from the 1959 Corvette, the 1960 Corvette still has many beloved features and specs.
Written by Serena Aburahma
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Few
classic cars
exemplify mid-century luxury like Corvettes. The only way to experience it better is by driving your Corvette down Route 66 with your copy of Jack Kerouac's On The Road in the glove compartment.After the C1
Corvette introduced sports cars to America
in 1953, the brand became the dream car of everyone. This may be particularly so with the 1960 Corvette, with many car lovers still lusting after it.But what makes it so attractive? Let's dig into the details.
The Corvette style
The
Corvette Museum
says the 1960 Corvette features a front-hinged hood and a three-unit front grille. It also includes dual front headlights, push-button door handles, and a cowl ventilator. All of this surrounds frame-mounted bumpers and fiber-glass body-sculptured side panels.Buyers customize the fancy looks of the Corvette by picking one of eight colors. You can pick Honduras Maroon, Cascade Green, Sateen Silver, Horizon Blue, Tuxedo Black, Roman Red, or Ermine White. You can even get a two-tone paint job with Ermine White or Sateen Silver on the side panels.
The 1960 Corvette’s interior would also have impressed new customers with its vinyl and aluminum trims. The crank-operated windows, vinyl bucket seats, and carpeting added to the feeling of luxury too.
The most glamourous feature, and the one that makes up for any inconvenience, is the convertible roof. Corvettes can have rubberized cloth roofs that are easily folded back or a plastic roof that simply pops off.
1960 Corvette specs
The 1960 Corvette comes with V8 engines, but you have a choice of V8s. There are V8s with four-barrel carburetion that gives 245 horsepower, V8s with 283-cubic-inch displacement valve-in-heads that give 230 horsepower, and a Ramjet V8 that has 315 horsepower.
After you pick your engine type, you get your pick of 3-speed or 4-speed transmissions. These are manuals, mostly, but you can get a power glide automatic with the 230 or 245 horsepower engines.
Besides the engine, there is a 16.4-gallon tank for gas, mechanical parking brakes on the rear wheels, and semi-floating hyoid power-matched rear axles to make the driving experience better. They compliment the independent coil spring front suspension on the chassis and rear suspension with a stabilizer bar for a great ride.
The 1960 Corvette could come with special equipment for sports car meets. For instance, it can include wide-base wheels with five and a half-inch rims. Vented flange plates with air scoops and specialized brakes were also racing car accessories.
Those snazzy white sidewall tires are optional, but the tubeless tires are standard.
How does the 1960 Corvette hold up?
The Corvette didn't change much between the 1959 model and the 1960 model. The 1960 Corvette just took off 18 pounds by using aluminum for its clutch housing, then it added rear sway bars. The 270 and 290 horsepower models got new aluminum radiators too.
As time went on, Corvettes got more powerful. By
1969 the Corvette
was capable of 350 to 475 horsepower. They have gotten sleeker ever since too.It has also gotten more expensive. The 1960 Corvette would have cost you $3,875 in 1960, according to
Musclecarfacts.com
. This classic model would cost quite a bit more now, but it is still worth every penny. Classics deserve insurance
Driving your classic car is fun, but it still needs good car insurance. How do you insure your car without taking any time from driving your 1960 Corvette?
Fortunately, an app from
Jerry
finds the cheapest policies in 45 seconds, so you can get your car insured quickly. Jerry will save a consumer an average of $887 a year, so check it out. Are you overpaying for car insurance?
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