With styling inspired by the legendary Mako Shark II show car - the iconic C3 Stingray introduced the world to T-top removable roof panels, among many other innovations. Legendary engines include the hottest ever small block - the LT-1 350, the 435hp 427 with 3x2 Holley carbs, to the final Corvette big block - the 454 offered from 1970-1974.

From ‘73 the C3s were down on power due to unleaded fuel and low compression engines - so Chevy focused on luxury options that made the Stingray ever more popular as the ‘70s progressed. The drop in power didn’t hurt sales one bit as Corvette continued to break its’ own sales records through the late 1970s.

Take a trip back in time to the glory years of the legendary C3 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray via our curated collection of original advertising images. Spanning an incredible fifteen years, this gallery reveals how Chevrolet marketed its iconic sports car across two very different automotive eras: from the high-horsepower, chrome-bumper glory days of the late 60s and early 70s, where the Corvette was promoted as “The Leader” and a raw American muscle machine; to the later years where the focus shifted to luxury, refinement, and special editions like the Silver Anniversary and the Collector Edition. These original advertisements chart the C3's transition from futuristic performance machine to a more refined, luxurious grand tourer.