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The last solid-axle Corvette
The 1962 Corvette closed the first generation with the most displacement and the highest production total of the C1 years. Its shape retained the exposed quad headlamps, wraparound windshield, external trunk, and four-taillamp ducktail introduced the year before, but Chevrolet removed the bright divider around the body-side coves. The cove was now molded into the fiberglass and painted with the rest of the body. A single vertical louver replaced the earlier three-spear detail.
Under the hood, the 283 gave way to a 327-cubic-inch small-block. The standard single-four-barrel version made 250 gross horsepower. RPO 583 raised output to 300 horsepower, RPO 396 combined a larger Carter four-barrel with a mechanical camshaft for 340 horsepower, and RPO 582 paired Rochester mechanical fuel injection with the high-lift cam for 360 horsepower. The earlier twin-four-barrel choices were gone. Chevrolet built 14,531 cars, including 4,412 with the 340-hp engine and 1,918 fuel-injected examples.
The three-speed manual remained standard, but most buyers chose the four-speed: 11,318 cars received RPO 685. The aluminum-case Powerglide accounted for 1,532 cars and was limited to the 250- and 300-hp engines. A conventional live rear axle and 3.36 gearing formed the normal baseline, while Chevrolet offered 3.08 and performance ratios plus Positraction. The chassis still used unequal-length front control arms, coil springs, rear leaf springs, a live axle, and four-wheel 11-inch drums. RPO 686 added sintered-metallic linings; RPO 687 bundled cooling hardware, finned drums, special shocks, quick steering, and required the fuel-injected engine and Positraction.
Seven regular exterior colors were listed. Unlike 1961, contrasting coves were no longer a factory production treatment. Black, red, and fawn vinyl interiors were coordinated with the exterior, seat belts and the heater became standard, and power windows, a power folding top, a removable hardtop, and the Wonder Bar radio remained available. Sixty-five cars received the 24-gallon tank, which displaced the folding-top storage and therefore required a hardtop-only configuration.
This was also the end of several long-running Corvette traits. The 1963 Sting Ray brought hidden headlamps, independent rear suspension, and a coupe body without an external trunk lid. The 1962 therefore stands as both the most developed solid-axle Corvette and the last direct link to the original roadster formula. Identification still requires more than the right silhouette: serial, engine suffix, casting dates, induction equipment, transmission and axle codes, paint evidence, and individual-car documents must agree.