Description
The Chevrolet Corvette is an icon of American automotive history and one of the most recognised and revered cars in the world. The first-generation Chevrolet Corvette (commonly known as the C1) was first presented in 1953 at the General Motors Motorama event at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. The C1 Corvette was produced for nine years before being replaced by the second-generation Corvette, or C2, in 1962. Designed by legendary car designer Harley Earl, the Chevrolet Corvette drew inspiration from many sources. Earl wanted to create a true American sports car, and he noticed all the European sports cars that American GIs brought home from service during the Second World War. He was also inspired by the Nash-Healey, a two-seater sports car from Nash Motors. Earl and his team created the 'Opel Project' in the early 1950s, which became the original Corvette we know today. Another notable member of the Corvette team was Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Corvette's chief engineer, commonly known as the 'Father of the Corvette'. Duntov joined the team after seeing the original car at Motorama, and became the man responsible for many of the car's innovations, its first racing successes and the implementation of the successful Grand Sport programme. Of Duntov's many achievements with the Corvette, one of the most important was to make it a proven sports car. Duntov and his team set a stock car record at the 1956 Pike's Peak Hill Climb, and also set a new record at Daytona Beach by reaching 150mph in the flying mile. Duntov's Grand Sport programme was launched in the final year of the C1 Corvette, 1962. The aim of the programme was to create a lightweight racing Corvette capable of competing with the established marques. Only five original Grand Sports were built with a 550bhp aluminium small-block V8 engine. These incredibly rare cars were not officially allowed to race by GM and ended up in the hands of private collectors. 1953: First attempt The very first production Chevrolet Corvette C1 rolled off a makeshift assembly line in Flint, Michigan, in June 1953. The first batch of cars, limited to 300 examples, was entirely covered in black canvas and sported the now iconic Polo White exterior colour, as well as an equally iconic red interior. Under the bonnet, they were powered by a 3. 8-litre in-line six-cylinder engine (no V8 yet) with three Carter carburettors, mechanical tappets and a high-lift camshaft. Nicknamed 'Blue Flame', the engine produced 150bhp and was mated to a two-speed Powerglide automatic gearbox. Earl's design for the C1 Corvette is beautiful and instantly recognisable. The Corvette Convertible's styling is narrow and compact, with flowing lines from the headlights to the rear wings, white-walled wheels, projecting tail lights in classic 1950s style and a unique chrome grille. Instead of a steel body, GM uses fibreglass to shape the Corvette, one of the first instances of such extensive use of a revolutionary lightweight material at the time. 1954: Production expands 1954 saw a significant increase in Corvette production, with some 3, 640 cars produced. General Motors also extended the Corvette's choice of colours (Sportsman Red, Black and Pennant Blue) and increased the engine's power to 155 bhp. In 1955, the Corvette received perhaps the most important update in its history, an improvement that would serve as a model for all future Corvettes. It was in this year that GM placed a Chevrolet 4. 3-litre small-block V8 under the bonnet of the Corvette, greatly increasing the power of the six-cylinder engine to 195 bhp. GM fitted the Corvette with a three-speed manual gearbox, the first time the car had been equipped with a gearbox other than an automatic. These improvements were well received and helped reinforce the Corvette's reputation as a sports car. Chevrolet built 700 Corvettes for the 1955 model year. Further improvements were made in 1956, including a removable hardtop, exposed headlights, redesigned bodywork that now included the famous sculpted 'coves' or side scoops, and manual roll-up windows. Power was once again increased - the small-block V8 now had 240 bhp - and the in-line six-cylinder engine of the...
