Birth of a Legend

The first Corvette rolled off a makeshift assembly line in Flint Michigan on June 30, 1953. From the beginning, the Corvette was unique. It was only available as a two passenger convertible in Polo White with a red interior. All Corvettes were built by hand and its attractive and original body was constructed out of fiberglass, not steel. Its chassis was basically a shortened Chevy passenger car unit. The only engine available was named the Blue Flame Special and was an upgraded version of the 235 cid six found in other Chevy cars. It produced 150 bhp due to the use of a higher lift cam which provided a significant boost in torque in the mid-range of engine speed. The valves were special alloy steel and fitted with double springs. A dual exhaust was installed. The only transmission was Chevrolet's Powerglide two-speed automatic. Although the powertrain was a departure from typical American straight-line performance, coupled with its light weight, the Corvette boasted excellent handling and road feel. The Corvette's front suspension of coil springs and wishbones, used slightly altered springs enclosing one inch diameter tubular shock absorbers. The Corvette also had a large diameter anti-rool bar and at the rear, had four-leaf semi-elliptical springs which were inclined front to rear to approvide approximately 15 percent roll understeer. Only two Regular Production Options (RPOs) were available, a heater and an AM radio. Exterior styling was done by Harley Earl and featured a toothy grille, stone guards over the inseft headlamps, "twin pod" rear fenders, and "rocket ship" taillights. The first Corvette was a sales disaster as its high price (more than a Cadillac or Jaguar) and low performance made it far from desireable. A mere 183 were sold in 1953 out of 300 built.