RIDE OF THE WEEK: 1960 Corvette

by Michael Golubiewski
Production Editor

An American classic

The Chevrolet Corvette, called America’s first true sports car, has been produced for more than five decades now, since 1953. The model was designed by Harley Earl and given its name by Myron Scott, who named it after the small maneuverable warship called a “corvette.”

This week’s ride is a 1960 Corvette owned by Walter Kaczmarek, who has owned the car since 1973.

“I kind of lucked out,” he says. “When I bought the car in 1973, it wasn’t in great shape and wasn’t in as great demand as it is today, so I didn’t pay all that much money for it. I’ve spent the rest of the time restoring it and then keeping it pristine.”

There were approximately 10,261 Corvettes built for the 1960 model year, and they were all convertibles. The price of a 1960 Corvette at the dealer went for a whopping $3,872. Kaczmarek’s Corvette features the 3-speed manual transmission and the 283-cubic-inch V8 engine. The engine, the conventional water-cooled four-stroke reciprocating-piston with eight cylinders in a V formation, is capable of producing about 270 horsepower.

“It’s certainly not a weak engine,” Kaczmarek says. “I really haven’t done too much to that. I had it repainted the original red and white in 1990.”

The compression ratio is 11.0:1, and the Corvette’s torque is 285 lb./ft. at 4200 rpm. The front suspension is independent, with A-arms and coil springs. The rear suspension features a rigid axle as well as semi-elliptic leaf springs. The steering is rack-and-pinion and the brakes, both front and rear, feature an 11-inch drum. Kaczmarek currently has his Corvette riding on BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires.

The Corvette emblem is featured prominently on both the front of the hood and on the side of the car. An interesting story about the Corvette logo is that it was originally supposed to include an American flag, not the flag with the Chevrolet logo and fleur-de-lis. A few days before its introduction, General Motors found out it was illegal to use the American flag on a commercial product, so the flag was hastily redesigned by Robert Bartholomew.

Kaczmarek says he takes his Corvette out for car shows in the spring and summer, but the rest of the year it remains garage-kept and covered.

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