Update Your C1 to C6 Corvette Emblems with Volunteer Vette

We’re into April now, so hopefully you’re nearing the end of any off-season projects to get your Corvette ready for Spring and Summer cruises and Corvette shows. Our friends at Volunteer Vette have previously highlighted the parts and accessories as relating to brakes, suspension, and exhaust systems, and now they have the perfect project that any owner can complete, and you’ll be very happy with the outcome.

Take a look at your Corvette emblems. Our eyes will tend to focus on them whether they are on the side of the car, the front nose, or the rear end. Are your emblems looking dingy, faded, or missing a bit of paint? You can’t believe how easy it is to update your badges and new emblems will brighten up any Corvette.

Corvette’s original logo featured an American Flag and the famous checkered flag waved at the finish line of races, but just before the reveal of the Motorama car, management changed it to a red flag with the Fleur-de-lis symbol highlighting Louis Chevrolet’s French heritage and the Chevy logo. For those that may not know, the C1 Corvette’s emblem featuring three lines under the Fleur-de-lis represents Louis Chevrolet and his brothers, Arthur and Gaston.

Corvette logos continued to evolve with variations of the cross flags on the nose of C2 midyear Corvettes, and a new emblem featuring the Corvette name in script made its way to the rear deck and front hoods. It was also the first generation to showcase the engine size with 396 and 427 badges appearing in 1965-1966. In addition, you also had the first appearance of hood number emblems that show 427.


The C3 Corvette generation ran from 1968 to 1982 and there were a variety of updates to the various Corvette emblems found on the car. In addition to the traditional cross flags and Stingray script logos, we also found Chevrolet adding emblems inside the 1968-1972 Corvettes featuring the console data plates which showed the displacement and horsepower of your engine. For the 1973-1977 Corvettes we had the first appearance of the sunburst logo as well as the first engine RPO badges reading “L-48 or L-82.” The logos continued their evolution through the 1978-1982 Corvettes which featured the 25th Anniversary special edition badges, L-48 or L-82 hood emblems, and the badge announcing the return of the fuelie with Crossfire Injection badges for the 1982 Corvette.


For the C4 Corvette, the crossed flags logos underwent a radical transformation with the flag poles removed and the image appearing flatter and more rectangular. Other changes saw the checkered flag moved to the left side, while the Fleur-de-lis was ejected for the Chevrolet bowtie logo. Finishing the logo was a circular border. A Corvette script logo for the rear bumper was new, and it would evolve to include body-color emblems to match to the exterior of the car. Finally, special edition emblems for the 1993 40th Anniversary Edition and the 1996 Collector’s Edition would make their appearance as well.


Following the long 13 year run of the C4 Corvettes, the Corvette logo for the 5th generation returned to its roots by featuring the cross flags with an oval behind them. The red flag saw the return of the Fleur-de-lis with just the one line under it. That logo would be the same throughout the 5th generation, and the only changes came in 2003 with “50th Anniversary” added to the logo while a special 50th Anniversary fender emblem was also offered. During the model run, a Z06 emblem appeared. Corvette owners also have the opportunity for some customization by adding vinyl letter kits to the embossed CORVETTE wording on the rear.


The C6 Corvette Generation kicked off a new modern look for the crossed flag emblems. As with the C4 and C5 logos, the checkered flag remains on the left and the red flag with the Chevrolet logo and Fleur-de-lis appears on the right. There would be a couple of special editions offered during the model run. In 2012 with a Black logo and “100” appearing on the 2012 Centennial Edition, and in 2013 with Corvette featuring the 60th Anniversary on the logo. The C6 Corvette also saw major expansion in the line-up with the arrival of the ZR1 in 2009 and the Grand Sport in 2010.


Volunteer Vette has served the Corvette community for over 35 years by offering high-quality parts for 1953-2013 Corvettes from their headquarters in Knoxville, TN and you’ll find they carry the latest upgrades as well as many hard-to-find parts.

You can find the entire parts catalog for Volunteer Vette online at their website, www.VolVette.com. Corvette owners can also request a printed catalog as well. Click here to request your free Corvette Parts catalog from Volunteer Vette or call (865) 521-9100 to speak with one of their helpful representatives.

Source:
Volunteer Vette