Alan Colvin is well known in GM circles for his great “By The Numbers” series of books. They’re a bible of sorts for those interested in verifying every little detail of their car. And his Corvette by the Numbers certainly lives up to his previous works.

This enormous book (600+ pages) is the product of years of exhaustive research through GM records, engineering specs, blueprints and Technical Service Bulletins. It contains simply everything you could want to know about which parts were used on which Corvettes and how to verify that those on your car are correct. This book is invaluable for those restoring the C1, C2 or C3 generation Corvettes. There’s simply no better book to verify that the parts you’re getting are correct for your exact car.

Corvette by the Numbers is made to confirm whether a Corvette is “matching numbers” or not. It starts with Corvette VIN decoding and then expands to give extremely detailed and researched casting numbers on virtually every coded hard part on your Corvette including engine blocks, cylinder heads, transmissions, starters, crankshafts, carburetors, water pumps, intake & exhaust manifolds, axles, wheels, harmonic balancers, radios, fuel injection components and more.  And each of these sections is accompanied by detailed photos and/or diagrams helping explain exactly where to look on your car.

If you’re a “numbers matching” kind of Corvette owner this book is not one you can live without.

Legendary Corvettes

There are so many Corvette books on the market that often volumes are simply more of the same rehashed photo books. But occasionally one comes along that just blows you away with it’s detail, designer’s layout and amazingly well researched history. “Legendary Corvettes: ‘Vettes Made Famous on Track and Screen” is one such book of greatness. Fairly new the the Corvette book scene (published August 2010) this book features amazing photography and very artfully laid out pages. The design of this stunning book is as elegant as it’s subject matter.

Legendary Corvettes is an in depth look at 18 of the most legendary Corvettes of all time. These are the amazing, historical, iconic… even mythical cars that have become part of the storied Corvette name. Some of these cars include the earliest surviving 1953 Corvette ever built; a C5 Corvette raced by both Dale Earnhardts (Sr. and Jr.); The 1959 CERV I and 1964 CERV II; Corvettes used in the TV series Route 66 and 13 more.

If only one Corvette book could grace your coffee table, this one should be it.

The Complete Book of Corvettes

Mike Mueller has done a superb job on this hefty 352 page volume documenting the great American Sports Car. It covers every model from 1953 to 2006 and does so in exhaustive historic detail. In addition to the great writing and interesting research, there are dozens of photos from the GM design archives that hadn’t been published prior to this great book.

This is a book focused on Corvette history, not a “numbers” book designed to give you every casting number or VIN derivative.  (See “Corvette by the Numbers” above for that) But it does it’s job very well; which is to tell the fascinating story of the birth and maturity of a great American icon; the Corvette.

Just one note of warning. This book was published in 2006, so don’t expect it to include the most recent few years of Corvettes.