Corvette History

C1--The Generation that Started it All - 1953-1962

The C1 ran from 1953-1962 and could be purchased as a Coupe or Convertible. The only color you could order in 1953 was white!

• The original front emblem and horn button on the "Autorama" show circuit Corvette featured crossed American and checkered flags. It was later discovered that using an American flag on a product trade mark was against the law and the emblem was changed shortly before the New York Motorama.
• On Tuesday, June 30, 1953 Corvette #1 Serial Number E53F001001 rolled off the assembly line, and Corvette production began.
• Want the rarest Corvette? In 1953 the first two Corvettes, VIN numbers 1 and 2 were said to have been destroyed, but no records prove that fact and there are no witnesses to the destruction. Who know? They still might be out there somewhere.
• The first Corvettes were literally "rolled" off the assembly line. The early production line was not prepared for grounding to a fiberglass body and thusly the first cars would not start.
• The first five Corvettes to come off the assembly line did not have an outside rear view mirror.
• Its radical fiberglass body was the only really new component on the 1953 Corvette. Everything else was directly off the Chevrolet parts shelf. Because of this, the first Corvette was essentially a regular 1952 Chevrolet under the skin.
• Of the 300 (some sources argue 314) Corvettes hand built in 1953 only 183 were sold because of "average" performance at a relatively high price, $3513. The popular Jaguar XK120 sold for $3345; $168 less than the Corvette.
• 1953 Corvettes were offered in any color you wanted...as long as it was Polo White with Red interior.
• A heater and an AM radio were the only Regular Production Options (RPO) offered with 1953 Corvettes.
• Production moved to the St. Louis facility for the 1954 model.
• New 1954 exterior color options of black, blue, and red were added along with an optional beige interior choice.
• Although the Powerglide transmission was listed as a $178 option, no 1954 Corvette was ever shipped with a manual transmission.
• The 1955 Corvette finally achieved "true" sports car status with the introduction of 265 cubic inch, 195 hp V-8 engine and 3-speed manual transmission. The 1957 Corvette was the first mass produced American automobile to offer 1 horsepower per cubic inch of engine displacement (283hp/283ci).
• The "Polo White" color was last used in 1957.
• 1957 was the first year a limited slip differential and fuel injection were offered as options. For the first time since its introduction, the '58 Corvette came with factory-installed seat belts.
• 1958 was the last year of a tachometer which kept track of "cumulative engine revolution counter" a feature which first appeared in in the 1953 Corvette. In 1958 the tach was used on 230, 245, and 250 hp cars but not on the 270, and 290 hp cars. The part number is #1548631 fro 1958 models.
• Optional engines in 1956 had 9 fin alloy valve covers, 1957 had 7 or 9 fin alloy valve covers, and the 1958 had 7 fin alloy vocers on optional engines.
• Before 1958, the only acrylic lacquer paint used was on the "Inca Silver" Corvettes.
• Sun visors (called "sunshades") became a Corvette option in 1959.
• Nylon belted tires first became availabe on the 1960 Corvette, prior to 1960 only cotton ply tires were offered.
• The 1961 Corvette was the last year to feature "wide whitewall" tires.
• The 1961 Corvette dropped the "round" nose emblem of previous years in favor of the word "CORVETTE" spelled out as individual letters.
• The trademark chrome grill teeth disappeared forever in 1961, to be replaced by a fine mesh screen in the radiator opening.
• 1962 was the last of the solid rear axle Corvettes and the last year for the power top on the convertible.