The Story of Ed Cole and Chevrolet Corvette

  Edward Nicholas Cole, born 9/17, 1909 to  5/2, 1977 when he passed, was an automotive executive for General Motors. He was the son of a dairy farmer, Ed aspired to be an automotive engineer and enrolled in General Motors Institute. He was such a bright student, he was offered a job at GM before he graduated. Cole worked in engineering, rising to co head a team, with Harry Barr that developed the 1949 Cadillac V8. He was briefly assigned to run a GM plant in Cleveland, Ohio, when Chevrolet general manager Tom Keating requested his assignment as chief engineer.

  Ed Cole became chief engineer of the Chevrolet Division in 1952. The most important task for Cole was to develop a new engine for the Chevrolet lineup to replace the stovebolt six, that new engine was the famous Chevrolet small block V8. It remained in production for more than 40 years, and still remains a mainstay in auto racing and hotrodding. Cole collaborated with Zora Arkus Duntov to revitalize the weak performing early Corvettes, and was responsible for the 1955 to 1957 tri five or shoebox Chevrolet, which remain popular with car enthusiasts today.

  Cole was promoted to general manager of Chevrolet in 1956. During these years, Chevrolet was a perennial sales leader, but with only larger cars in the lineup. As general manager of Chevrolet, he directed the development of the Corvair intended to pursue the youth market with an inexpensive, sporty compact. Early model Chevrolet Corvairs were prone to tricky handling characteristics that resulted many roll over accidents. When consumer advocate Ralph Nader wrote a report on the Corvair in his book Unsafe At Any Speed in 1965, General Motors attempted to discredit him by hiring private detectives to investigate his personal life.

  Cole was promoted to head the GM car and truck group in 1961, then to executive vice president in 1965, and to president in 1967. Cole was chief engineer and directed the GM design staff in developing GM's first four passenger vehicle, the Chevrolet Vega. Cole retired from the corporation in 1974. Ed Cole was tragically killed in an airplane crash in 1977.