Given the popularity of today's Corvette, and the collectability of its earliest models, it's hard to imagine that the car wasn't an immediate hit right out of the gate. The prototype made a big splash when it debuted at GM's New York Motorama car show in January 1953 -- thousands of people reportedly wrote to GM wanting to buy one -- but it would take a few years of growing pains before the Corvette was anything close to a success.
Motorama
To truly appreciate how revolutionary the first Corvette was, it helps to remember what other Chevys looked like in the early '50s. From a styling standpoint they hadn't come all that far from the immediate postwar era, despite a redesign in '49 that made them a little sleeker. Still, to today's eye they look something like a refrigerator turned on its back and wearing headlights and a grille.
To truly appreciate how revolutionary the first Corvette was, it helps to remember what other Chevys looked like in the early '50s. From a styling standpoint they hadn't come all that far from the immediate postwar era, despite a redesign in '49 that made them a little sleeker. Still, to today's eye they look something like a refrigerator turned on its back and wearing headlights and a grille.
Then, too, there was no clear-cut demand for a two-seat sports car among American buyers. A few companies tested the waters with cars like the Nash-Healey and Kaiser Darrin, but those were made in very limited numbers. Any desire for a small, nimble two-seater seemed to rest with a small cadre of enthusiasts, many of whom were former GIs who were bringing European sports cars back to the U.S. after being introduced to them during the war.
It wasn't a huge movement, but it was enough to get the attention of Harley Earl, the head of GM's Styling department. Earl had a long-time fascination with hot two-seaters; in the late '30s he had overseen the design of GM's first concept car, the Buick Y-Job, and also the futuristic LeSabre concept in the late '40s, both two-place roadsters. He was fascinated with the sports cars being made in Europe and believed there should be an American entry in that market. In 1952, he threw his weight behind a new concept car, a small, low-slung two-seater that would be revolutionary not only in looks but also construction, as it would be built using a fiberglass body.
Earl had a mockup made of the car and then ran it up GM's corporate flagpole, gaining an ally in Chief Engineer Ed Cole before taking it to the top brass. GM's President Harlow Curtice OK'd the design, liking it so much that he wanted a running prototype built for the New York Motorama show the following January. Internally known as EX-122, the prototype was initially called Opel at the mockup stage. Many names were suggested for the new car, but it was Myron Scott, an account exec at Chevy's ad agency Campbell Ewald, who came up with the idea of naming the new car after a small, fast, lightly armored warship.
To assemble the show car quickly, as many parts and component groups as possible were taken from Chevrolet's existing inventory. That included the driveline: a 235ci Blue Flame inline six-cylinder engine mated to a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. The curvaceous body was made from hand-laid fiberglass, which at the time was perceived as the quickest way to get the car shaped up for the show, but not necessarily the right way to build a production version.
EX-122 was a huge hit at the Motorama. When Curtice gave the concept the go-ahead for the show, he also had Cole and company draft plans for a production version. So groundwork had already been laid when Curtice announced, just a day after the car's unveiling, that it would be available for sale to the public. Though GM's engineers assumed a production Corvette would be made from steel, the fiberglass body proved such a popular feature among Motorama visitors that a supplier was found to produce the bodies in fiberglass. That supplier, in Ohio, would ship finished bodies to an assembly line that had been set up in Flint, Michigan, where the cars would be completed.
Dashed Expectations
Just 300 Corvettes were built in Flint for the '53 model year. All were painted Polo White, had red interiors, and were powered by the Blue Flame Six and Powerglide two-speed. Chevrolet saw fit to warm up the six some, boosting compression and fitting it with a more aggressive camshaft and triple side-draft carburetors to bring its output up to 150 horsepower. The cars were equipped with conventional Hotchkiss-style rearends -- solid axles suspended by leaf springs -- though power from the transmission was delivered via a driveshaft/U-joint assembly, not the crude torque-tube setup found on other Chevy passenger cars.
Just 300 Corvettes were built in Flint for the '53 model year. All were painted Polo White, had red interiors, and were powered by the Blue Flame Six and Powerglide two-speed. Chevrolet saw fit to warm up the six some, boosting compression and fitting it with a more aggressive camshaft and triple side-draft carburetors to bring its output up to 150 horsepower. The cars were equipped with conventional Hotchkiss-style rearends -- solid axles suspended by leaf springs -- though power from the transmission was delivered via a driveshaft/U-joint assembly, not the crude torque-tube setup found on other Chevy passenger cars.
Weighing in at less than 3,000 pounds, the Corvette could deliver brisk, if not stellar, performance. It was clocked by magazines of the day at 11 seconds from 0-60, through the quarter-mile in under 18 seconds, and at a top speed of nearly 110 mph. The car's base price was right around $3,500.
Initially, Chevrolet tried to maintain an exclusive image for the new sports car by making it available only to GM executives, celebrities, politicians, and other high-profile customers. The tactic backfired, though: just over half of the first 300 were sold through the VIP program.
Corvette production moved to St. Louis for the '54 model year, and there were minor changes to the car as well. While most were still painted Polo White, other colors, including Pennant Blue, Sportsman Red, and Black, were made available. The color of the convertible top went from black to beige, and beige was available as an interior color. Underhood the Blue Flame Six received a new camshaft and new air cleaners, and output increased to 155 hp.
GM had hoped that annual Corvette production out of the St. Louis plant would tally around 10,000 vehicles, but just 3,640 were made in '54, and only about two-thirds of them were sold. The Corvette had the look of a sports car, but it was hampered by its six-banger and the lack of a manual transmission option. Something would need to change, or Harley Earl's pet project would face the wrath of the corporation's accountants.
The V-8 Savior
Salvation for the Corvette -- or at least the beginnings of a turnaround -- came in the '55 model year with the introduction of Chevrolet's 265ci overhead-valve V-8. Ed Cole was instrumental in the development of the small-block engine, and he initiated a test program with the new motor in a Corvette prototype in the spring of 1954.
Salvation for the Corvette -- or at least the beginnings of a turnaround -- came in the '55 model year with the introduction of Chevrolet's 265ci overhead-valve V-8. Ed Cole was instrumental in the development of the small-block engine, and he initiated a test program with the new motor in a Corvette prototype in the spring of 1954.
While the base passenger-car V-8 produced 162 hp, the version that went into the Corvette was upgraded with a hotter cam, dual exhausts, and a four-barrel carburetor, bringing output up to 195 hp. The Vette's performance improved, too, with 0-60 times dropping to 8.8 seconds, the quarter-mile e.t. to the mid 16s, and top speed up to 118 mph. Though the Blue Flame Six was still available at the beginning of the model year, reportedly just a handful of '55s were equipped with the six-banger. Performance got an additional boost late in the model year when a three-speed manual transmission became available as an option.
All this was good news, but it wasn't enough to spur flagging Corvette sales. A scant 700 Corvettes were made for the '55 model year, but that would change, almost overnight.
All this was good news, but it wasn't enough to spur flagging Corvette sales. A scant 700 Corvettes were made for the '55 model year, but that would change, almost overnight.
The First Restyle
The '56 model year was a watershed for Corvette. A thorough exterior redesign maintained the basic shape while updating some styling cues and addressing some of the issues potential buyers had with the car. Outside door handles were added, as were roll-up windows. The car's signature recessed headlights and protective grilles were replaced by lights mounted on the leading edge of the front fenders, while the protruding taillights were recessed into the fenders to give the rear a more slippery look. This was also the first year of the fender coves, a styling element that began at the trailing edge of the front wheel opening and came to a bullet-shaped point midway through the doors.
The '56 model year was a watershed for Corvette. A thorough exterior redesign maintained the basic shape while updating some styling cues and addressing some of the issues potential buyers had with the car. Outside door handles were added, as were roll-up windows. The car's signature recessed headlights and protective grilles were replaced by lights mounted on the leading edge of the front fenders, while the protruding taillights were recessed into the fenders to give the rear a more slippery look. This was also the first year of the fender coves, a styling element that began at the trailing edge of the front wheel opening and came to a bullet-shaped point midway through the doors.
Changes were made beneath the skin, too. Output from the V-8 grew to 210 hp, while an optional, twin-carb version of the small-block was rated at 225 hp. In a reversal from the previous year, the three-speed manual transmission became the standard gearbox, while the Powerglide automatic was offered as an option.
There was a third engine option available in 1956, one that was fitted with a solid-lifter "Duntov" cam that brought the motor's horsepower up to 240. The cam, of course, was named for Zora Arkus-Duntov, a Belgian-born engineer who went to work for GM in May 1953. He had been among the throngs at the New York Motorama and, like many who saw it, immediately fell in love with the Corvette. Though his initial duties at GM were not Corvette related, he was soon assigned to the car by Ed Cole and began working on ways to make its performance match its looks.
Duntov's high-performance cam was just the start of his influence over the '56 Corvette. Once he had coaxed that additional power from the engine, he proved the Vette's mettle by taking it to Daytona Beach and running it at more than 150 mph at the NASCAR Speed Weeks. A month later, a four-car Corvette team entered the Sebring 12-hour endurance race, where one of the cars finished First in class and Ninth overall.
First Fuelie
From the outside it's difficult to tell the difference between a '56 and a '57 Corvette, but under the hood the changes were profound. The 265-inch motor was enlarged to 283 cubes, and the output of the standard, single-carb engine grew to 220 hp. The optional dual-carb version was rated at 245 hp, while the hot motor with the Duntov cam produced a remarkable 270 hp.
From the outside it's difficult to tell the difference between a '56 and a '57 Corvette, but under the hood the changes were profound. The 265-inch motor was enlarged to 283 cubes, and the output of the standard, single-carb engine grew to 220 hp. The optional dual-carb version was rated at 245 hp, while the hot motor with the Duntov cam produced a remarkable 270 hp.
Ed Cole had asked Duntov to help develop a fuel-injection system for the Corvette, and that high-tech induction system debuted with the '57 model. The fuelie V-8 was available in two states of tune: a hydraulic-cammed model made 250 hp, while the solid-lifter, Duntov-cammed version produced 283--the fabled one hp per cubic inch of displacement. (A third variant, the "air box" model, used a fenderwell-mounted intake plenum to feed cooler, denser outside air to the engine.) Magazines in the day clocked the injected Corvette from 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds at 94 mph.
More racing-inspired parts became available for the Corvette in '57, including a heavy-duty suspension, a heavy-duty brake package, and Positraction in the differential.
Seeing Double
If it was hard to tell a '57 from a '56, there was no mistaking the '58 model, with its new quad headlights, hood louvers, cove vents, and chrome trim on the trunklid. About the only thing that was simplified on a '58 Corvette was the grille, which now sported nine teeth instead of the 13 found on previous versions.
If it was hard to tell a '57 from a '56, there was no mistaking the '58 model, with its new quad headlights, hood louvers, cove vents, and chrome trim on the trunklid. About the only thing that was simplified on a '58 Corvette was the grille, which now sported nine teeth instead of the 13 found on previous versions.
The dashboard underwent a revision for '58, the first since the Corvette's introduction. In earlier models only the speedometer was in front of the driver; the other gauges, including the tach, were mounted in the center of the dashboard. For '58 all the gauges moved in front of the driver.
Horsepower rose again at the high and low ends of the V-8 lineup. The standard motor's output went from 220 to 230 hp, while horsepower from the solid-lifter fuelie motor rose from 283 to 290.
Though it wasn't yet reflected in the Corvette, behind the scenes Harley Earl left his position as GM's styling chief in December 1958 and was replaced by Bill Mitchell, who in just a few short years would have a huge impact on the Vette's look.
Though it wasn't yet reflected in the Corvette, behind the scenes Harley Earl left his position as GM's styling chief in December 1958 and was replaced by Bill Mitchell, who in just a few short years would have a huge impact on the Vette's look.
The Corvette's styling was toned down a bit for '59 with the removal of the hood louvers and trunk trim strips. Beneath the now-less-adorned trunk, the solid axle was fitted with radius arms to eliminate wheel-hop issues. Two racing-inspired options were made available: sintered metallic brake linings in the heavy-duty brake package, and a 24-gallon fuel tank that replaced the standard 16.4-gallon tank. This big-tank (or "tanker") option required the addition of the removable hardtop, as the big tank left no room to stow the soft top.
Inside the car the seats sported a new shape and different upholstery, with the pleats now running east-west rather than north-south. It sounds like a small thing, but the return to north-south pleats for the '60 Corvette was one of that model year's few changes.
The '60 Vette's carryover status turned out to be a big disappointment for fans of the car, as several reports in enthusiast magazines, inspired by the XP-700 concept car and Bill Mitchell's Stingray race car, seemed to indicate a redesign was on the way for the model year. A redesign was on the way, but not for '60.
Another Restyle
A hint of those changes appeared on the '61 Corvette, which featured a raised and pointed tail-end that was very similar to the rear styling found on the XP-700 -- and also foreshadowed the rearend styling of the coming redesign in '63. Incorporated into the new rear were dual round taillights on either side of the car, a styling cue that would be a Corvette trademark for years to come.
A hint of those changes appeared on the '61 Corvette, which featured a raised and pointed tail-end that was very similar to the rear styling found on the XP-700 -- and also foreshadowed the rearend styling of the coming redesign in '63. Incorporated into the new rear were dual round taillights on either side of the car, a styling cue that would be a Corvette trademark for years to come.
A new cylinder-head design brought more power to the fuel-injected motors, with the hydraulic-cammed version up to 275 horses, and the solid-lifter version now pumping out 315 hp. The exits for the dual exhausts were moved to behind the rear tire, rather than under the bumper, while aluminum was used for the car's radiator and four-speed manual transmission case to shave a few pounds.
Chevrolet's seemingly constant revisions to the small-block V-8 led to another major upgrade for the '62 model year, as the 283ci motor was bored and stroked to 327 inches. That translated to an increase in power across all of the engine variants, from the base engine -- now good for 250 hp -- to the solid-lifter fuelie, which made 360 hp.
Styling changes for the '62 model year were fairly minor: the front grille was blacked out, the side coves lost their chrome trim (and therefore the option of two-tone paint), and the cove vents were redesigned.
In less than a decade, the Corvette had undergone an amazing transformation. The promise of the Motorama dream machine, which seemed to dim and almost disappear at first, became fully realized as a powerful, honest sports car that won hearts in the showrooms and races on road courses here and abroad. Had the Corvette's development stopped right there, the car would have been considered a major success. But, of course, the end of the Corvette's first generation was only the beginning of even better things to come.
In less than a decade, the Corvette had undergone an amazing transformation. The promise of the Motorama dream machine, which seemed to dim and almost disappear at first, became fully realized as a powerful, honest sports car that won hearts in the showrooms and races on road courses here and abroad. Had the Corvette's development stopped right there, the car would have been considered a major success. But, of course, the end of the Corvette's first generation was only the beginning of even better things to come.
