Coupe VS Fixed HardTop VS Verts

[9T8Vette]

Well i was thinkin (Which is Very Dangerous) what would be a good thread that could stay alive more than 1/2 a day Anyway here we go,my reason why i perfer my coupe over the fixed hardtop and the Convertible.I like the hardtop and the Vert. But with a Coupe you kinda have the best of both worlds .I own the Glass top and of course the hardtop.And with C5 being so Easy to take off the top it's almost like a Vert. And i know owing a Z06 there is no option, but with owning Z06 who needs that option So we keep this thread alive and tell me why you love the type of Top you own ,

[Rich427]

Originally Posted by 9T8Vette

Well i was thinkin

Gee, I thought I smelled something burning!

Ok 9T8, here is my take on this. I am a vert guy and I guess it starts from my first exposure to a Corvette. When I was about 10 years old (no comments about this being before dirt was invented) my oldest brother bought a '57 Vette. Man I loved that thing! To me it was absolutely gorgeous. It was Artic Blue with Inca Silver coves and a White convertible top. Then another brother of mine bought a new 1966 Nassau Blue with Blue interior and White convertible top. So my early exposure to Corvettes were all convertibles. To me it was ok that they started with the coupe design in 1963, but it was never something that struck me as much as the convertibles did. Then when Chevrolet got the bright idea to stop making a vert in 1976, I was sure that they had made the same mistake that Ford did in 1958 with the T-bird and it was going to kill the Corvette. Ok, so I wasn't exactly right on this one, but they came pretty close during the later C3 years. I don't mean to disparage anyone else's ride but to me those Corvettes with no horsepower and no convertible option just became 2 seater Impala's. Just my opinion. Thank god, they came back with the vert in 1986. So, I have two verts, the '69 BB and the '01. To me there is nothing like a beautiful sunny day with the top down and going through the gears on either of my cars!


Now, I will admit that there is a draw back to a convertible. If you have any inclination to do any type of organized racing with your Corvette, you either need a coupe/hardtop or a roll bar in a convertible. So, I am limited to low speed autocrosses for the most part, if I want to go racing. When I retire next year, I have been thinking about adding a 3rd Vette to our stable, and if I am able to pull that off, then the next one would be either a coupe or hardtop so that I could have one available for high speed stuff, if I want.

So, that's it 9T8 and it is probably more than you wanted to know!

Rich

[Rich Z]

Well honestly, the terminology is a bit confusing about what a "coupe" is. I have also heard the term "hatchback" used. So the Z06 is a coupe, right? But isn't it really a "fixed hardtop"?

So aren't the three designations actually:

• Coupe (which is actually a hatchback)
• Fixed Roof Coupe (FRC - including Z06)
• Convertible

Now this seems to apply to the C5s, I guess, and not any of the other generations. Or does it?

[Mark Dalton]

To me, a "coupe" is anything that's not a 'vert, even if it has a removable top. I would rather have had a top I could remove when necessary but the ZO6 offers no such option so...

The only 'vert I ever had was on a '72 Lemans and it was a pain. It was noisy when driving and leaked quite a bit.

[Gannet]

I think in common usage, as well as Chevy model designations, "Coupe" means a fastback, and FRC or Z06 means a FRC bodystyle. This is just for C5s, of course, as they are the only ones that have 3 bodystyles. Let's not go there on convertibles with hardtops.

I looked long and hard at all three styles, as well as C6s, before settling on a C5 coupe. I'm very happy with my choice. Although our car has both tops, once we put the clear top in, we never took it out. We both LOVE that feature and would never want to go to a solid-roof Vette. We don't find the removeable feature all that useful, as we find the wind buffeting at speed to be too much. I really wanted to like the Z06, but I jsut found the interior too claustrophobic. I had the same issue with the convertibles with the top up. I also like the fact that the coupe has better aerodynamics at very high speeds.

But they're all Vettes, and that means they're all great!

[9T8Vette]

Sorry Ladies and Gents i really did not say that this was for C5s or other Gen.. I think some of us have be Coupe or Vert. people for a long time.I have loved the styling of the coupe since the Midyear.That contuine of to the C3 ,C4 C5 and C6 Thanks for your feedbacks .Keep the them coming.

[Ghost]

I'm a coupe guy personally. I like the verts, but I have no garage. So for the security aspect, I like the coupes.

[2Vettes]

Coupes for me. I like the feeling of being "down inside" the car when the top is off. Also, I like the lines of the coupe. I like the lines of the FRC, too but I can only have one corvette at a time and I like to have the option of taking the top off.

[ynkedad]

I for one never owned a vert until now, and always wondered what it would feel like driving with the top down. I never imagined that it would be like this!
To me, it's a liberating experience every time I drive my vert. For the first time, I feel like i'm a part of the place i'm driving thru, Experiencing everything from the sky to the road and all that surounds me.
I honestly never really noticed or payed attention to these things before, like I do now when I drive my vert.
I dread going anywhere in our Armada, because I feel boxed in and / or restrained. Weird aren't I.

[FourG63 97GST]

tough one, in a perfect world. there would be a topless Z06