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The worst production Corvette of all time. 180HP 1980 305 "California" Disco Vette
On its 30th Anniversary year, a moment of silence please as we ponder the sad state that this automotive icon sunk to...
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"Federal emissions requirements of the 1970s took a big neutering knife to American muscle cars, and no car bled more than the Corvette. The worst of it came in California - dang hippy librels! - where stricter state regs required that the barely adequate 350 cu.-in. smallblock in the 1980 Corvette be replaced with a wholly inadequate 305 V8, putting out 180 hp of pure shame. On top of that, the "California" Corvette sucked its pitiful rivulet of horsepower through the straw of a torque-sapping three-speed automatic transmission. That gave the Corvette - the very totem of hairy-chest, disco machismo - acceleration comparable to a very hot Vespa. These were dark days indeed."
1980 was not a good year for Corvette buyers living in California. They were restricted to one engine choice, a 305 cu in. motor that was common to the other Chevrolet models that year. There was also only one available transmission - an automatic - no four speeds allowed. This was the result of the state's tougher emissions regulations. Automatic transmission equipped cars are easier to pass emissions certification since pushing in the clutch on a manual transmission causes a blip in the pollution output. This is not a problem with smooth shifting automatic transmissions which are equipped with torque convertors instead of clutches.
"The 305 cu. in. motor that California buyers were stuck with was rated at 180 hp, 10 hp less than the 350 cu. in. motor available in the other 49 states. A $50.00 credit was some consolation, but Corvettes sold to California residents came with the California emissions certification option; RPO YF5 for $250.00."
180HP, 14 MPG.
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Check out those exhaust manifold LMAO
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On its 30th Anniversary year, a moment of silence please as we ponder the sad state that this automotive icon sunk to...
"Federal emissions requirements of the 1970s took a big neutering knife to American muscle cars, and no car bled more than the Corvette. The worst of it came in California - dang hippy librels! - where stricter state regs required that the barely adequate 350 cu.-in. smallblock in the 1980 Corvette be replaced with a wholly inadequate 305 V8, putting out 180 hp of pure shame. On top of that, the "California" Corvette sucked its pitiful rivulet of horsepower through the straw of a torque-sapping three-speed automatic transmission. That gave the Corvette - the very totem of hairy-chest, disco machismo - acceleration comparable to a very hot Vespa. These were dark days indeed."
1980 was not a good year for Corvette buyers living in California. They were restricted to one engine choice, a 305 cu in. motor that was common to the other Chevrolet models that year. There was also only one available transmission - an automatic - no four speeds allowed. This was the result of the state's tougher emissions regulations. Automatic transmission equipped cars are easier to pass emissions certification since pushing in the clutch on a manual transmission causes a blip in the pollution output. This is not a problem with smooth shifting automatic transmissions which are equipped with torque convertors instead of clutches.
"The 305 cu. in. motor that California buyers were stuck with was rated at 180 hp, 10 hp less than the 350 cu. in. motor available in the other 49 states. A $50.00 credit was some consolation, but Corvettes sold to California residents came with the California emissions certification option; RPO YF5 for $250.00."
180HP, 14 MPG.
Check out those exhaust manifold LMAO
