Buyer's Guides

Corvette bodies are painted at Bowling Green, and the paint that misses the car builds up in layers until it can be cut and polished like stone. Collectors know the Ford version as Fordite; Corvette's has its own name. What Corvite is, how a piece gets made, which pieces carry the crossed flags and which let the material speak for itself, and the things worth confirming before you order.

Corvette owners have always treated the engine bay as part of the show, and Chevrolet made that easier with every generation — the C5 through C7 clamshell hood puts the whole bay on display, and the C8's mid-engine layout sits under glass. This guide walks the bay piece by piece, from painted engine covers and polished fuel rail covers down to the fluid caps and hood liner fasteners most people forget.