Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette CI 1953
Origin USA
Engine 4,291 cc, V8 Top speed 142 mph (229 km/h)
First revealed in 1953 as a concept car, the Corvette’s swooping, Harley Earl-styled fiberglass body promised speed that its six-cylinder engine could not deliver. As a result just 700 cars were sold in the first year. A beefy V8 engine, a manual gearbox, and a style makeover transformed sales and an icon was born.
Changing times
Very early Corvettes had single, round headlamps but General Motors was quick to revise the styling. By the time V8 versions were on sale, these quad headlamps were being used.
Futuristic feel
The Corvette’s designers were eager to give the car a cutting edge look, and this extended to its interior and exotically shaped instrument cluster, which grouped round dials and gauges directly in front of the driver.
Back in style
The Corvette started out with fin-like, tail lamp mounts, but was revised to give a more rounded look. Period road testers praised the car’s road holding.
Stylish Roadsters 1950’s
America loved two-seat sports cars, or roadsters, and domestic automakers, as well as rivals from Europe and beyond, rushed to satisfy the endless demand. Seeing the potential of new revenue streams and fresh customers, firms such as Jowett and Triumph, traditionally makers of small vans and comfortable sedans favored by bank managers, began to manufacture sports cars. Outside America, a new generation of drivers began to find that they had more money at their disposal, and the idea of spending it on a roadster and cruising along in an open-top car seemed particularly appealing.
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