The Vette’s performance dropped significantly during the early to mid-1970s, at the hands of newly implemented federal emissions standards, yet it remained relevant. At a point in which many iconic American performance cars fell by the wayside, the Corvette soldiered on. This served as a true testament to many of the memorable Corvette powerplants that were developed during the C3 era.
GM found itself facing a critical question of sorts. Should the industry giant forgo the sale of Corvettes in California during 1980 or attempt to rectify a troubling situation. In the end, buyers in California would be able to purchase a Corvette, albeit with a variation of the same engine that was offered in Chevrolet’s passenger cars of that era, the 305 cubic-inch V8.