The 1968 Corvette was completely redesigned and restyled with a new body shape. The new shape was lower, a little wider and more aerodynamic. The next full body change did not come until fifteen years later in 1982.

The all-new 1986 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe was a far cry from the original 1953 model. However all was not smooth sailing for the redesigned 1968 Corvette.

There were a few flaws that immediately received negative press. Although the new design looked great it required some compromises. To accommodate the lower roofline, seat backs had to be raked at thirty-three degrees compared to twenty-five degrees the year before. The seats had little support and a sliding-board effect caused occupants to have to frequently reposition themselves. The doors did not close with the normal sound of a well closing car door, but rather with the sound of internal rattles. It became quite apparent that the new Corvette’s real problem stemmed from a perceived lack of quality control. Car and Driver listed a litany of quality problems and stated that its test Corvette was too shabby to merit testing. Understandably this review sent shock waves through General Motors. Some of the Car and Driver criticism pointed out real problems that required design corrections. However, most were simply small nuisance problems that a competent owner could correct in a weekend. Consequently, someone looking to restore one of these vintage Corvettes is not too concerned, but the new-car buyer looking to buy a sports car in 1968 certainly would have hesitated. Deserved or not the 1968 Corvette received the reputation of being a quality disaster.

The quality problems were addressed and reduced. Components were redesigned to correct the flaws. There was a quick redesign of the inner door panels to get more much needed shoulder room in the cramped cockpit.

Both the coupe and the convertible body styles continued in 1968, but the coupe was slightly changed. It was now a “T: top with two removable rood panels and a rear window which could be removed. Wheel width in 1968 increased to seven inches, which was made possible because of the wider body.

Despite the slow start production of the 1968 Corvette soon picked up and that year they produced 28,566 Corvette’s, which was a new record.