Corvette History

There have been six generations of the Corvette produced so far, sometimes referred to as C1 through C6, and various versions with differing features within each generation; the current C6 generation includes the ZR1, which has the most powerful engine used in a production Corvette to date.

1953 Corvette
The first ever  Corvette was built on June 30, 1953 at the Flint, Michigan assembly plant. At the time of its introduction it was America’s only two-seater, and for decades was unchallenged as the premium domestic sports car of its day. These Corvettes were constructed in an area at the back of Chevy’s customer delivery garage on Van Slyke Ave, the first Corvette was designed by Harley Earl and named by Myron Scott after the fast ship of the same name. 300 cars were produced and about 200 are still in the hands of collectors, the 1953 corvettes remain the rarest with the first two cars are missing. By early 1954, Chev said that 315 Corvettes had been built and that production had moved to the assembly plant in St. Louis, Missouri. They predicted that 1000 Corvettes per month would be built in St. Louis by June 1954 and that 10,000 per year could be built and sold. Zora Arkus-Duntov joined Chevrolet Motor Division in 1953 and would become the chief engineer of Corvette.

1953 Corvette

First Generation C1 1953 - 1962
The first generation is most commonly referred to as a “solid-axle”. The first generation started in 1953 and ended in 1962. With few changes except for color choices and production numbers, the 1954 is the last Corvette to have a 6-cylinder engine. 1955 saw the introduction of the V8 engine, replacing the underpowered “Blue Flame” straight-6. The first seven 55’s off the production line did however feature the in-line 6. Aside from the engine, the 1955 model can be differentiated by its logo—the “V” in Corvette is enlarged and gold colored, signifying the V8 engine under the hood. In 1956 a new body was designed for the car which changed it from a country club style sports car. One noteworthy addition of optional fuel injection in mid-1957. Other early options included power windows (1956), hydraulically operated power convertible top (1956), four speed manual transmission (late 1957), and heavy duty brakes and suspension (1957).

The 1958 Corvette saw another body freshening and more options available. This year had the most exterior chrome and was the heaviest of the C-1s. From its quad headlights and hood louvers to its twin trunk spars and bumper exiting exhaust, it was the flashiest Corvette ever built. 1959-60 saw little changes except ever decreasing chrome and increasing HP. For 1961 a complete change to the rear of the car was made, with hints of things to come. It had a “boat tail” rear with the first year to have 4 round tail lights. In 1962, the GM 283 small block was enlarged to 327 cu in (5.4 L) and produced a maximum of 360 hp (268 kW) making it the fastest of the C-1s and by now almost completely devoid of chrome.

1962 was the last year for many things: curved windshield, solid rear axle and convertible-only body style. The trunk lid and exposed headlights disappeared for decades, returning in 1998 and 2005.

1962 Corvette

A 1962 Corvette with a 327-cid 360-hp fuel-injected V-8 and the 3.70:1 rear axle could go from 0-to-30 mph in 2.5 seconds; from 0-to-60 mph in 5.9 seconds and from 0-to-100 mph in 13.5 seconds.