Corvette turns 65 with a special-edition model

You can't mistake the shape of a new Corvette. It stands out.

And this particular model is meant to stand out even more, the Carbon 65 edition.

Why 65?

Next year will mark 65 years since the Corvette debuted, as a limited production 1953 model.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Generations of car enthusiasts have owned and loved Corvettes over the decades.

For this special anniversary edition, carbon fiber is used generously. Stronger and lighter than metal, the Carbon 65 package gets you a carbon hood, roof, spoilers, side sills, and even steering wheel.

They're only building 650, and considering the option alone is $15,000 on top of the price of a Corvette Grand Sport or Z06, that's probably enough.

And of course, the Corvette itself has matured and become refined.

That first '53 'Vette got by with a measly 150 horsepower from a six-cylinder engine, and wasn't even available with a manual transmission. It was definitely more show than go.

Today's seventh-generation Corvette is powerful and modern in every way. And it can be ferocious or docile depending on how you drive it.

Over the years, some criticism of the Corvette has been that it can be a gas hog.

That's not the case anymore.

Base and Grand Sport Corvettes - even with 460 horsepower under the hood - are rated at 15 mpg in the city, and up to 25 on the highway. And it's even possible to hyper-mile a 'Vette to get upwards of 30 mpg.

Aerodynamics help greatly, and so does gearing. At 65 mph, the engine is turning at essentially a fast idle.

The Corvette isn't for everyone, and it never has been. But in the automotive landscape, and in Chevrolet's model lineup, the one they call "America's sports car" has lived on and on.

Now, for 65 years.