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    Chevrolet Corvette C1
    Classic sports car

    Chevrolet Corvette C1

    by Chevrolet

    "The fiberglass roadster that started America's sports car story, six months after a show car stunned New York."

    90%

    Rating

    4.5/5

    From about $3,498 in 1953 to roughly $4,000–$4,800 by 1962, depending on optionsDiscontinued
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    Overview

    On the morning of January 17, 1953, a small white roadster with a low grille and a wraparound windshield sat on the turntable at GM's Motorama in the Waldorf Astoria. It was called the EX-122, and the crowd reaction was strong enough that Chevrolet pushed a production version into showrooms by late June of that same year. The car was the Corvette, and it was built in Flint, Michigan, in a facility that had been thrown together for the job. Bodies were laid up in fiberglass, a material chosen partly because it let GM tool up for low volume without stamping steel dies. Under the hood sat a 235-cubic-inch inline-six with three side-draft carburetors, rated at 150 horsepower and bolted to a two-speed Powerglide automatic. Nothing else was offered.

    The first two years were rough. Chevrolet built 300 cars in 1953 and 3,640 in 1954, and period road tests liked the shape but not much else. The six was smooth, not fast. The automatic was the only transmission. The chassis felt vague next to a Jaguar XK120. GM executives reportedly came close to cancelling the whole thing. Two forces kept it alive: Ford was readying its own two-seater, the Thunderbird, and a new engineer named Zora Arkus-Duntov kept arguing that the Corvette needed a V8 and a sharper suspension.

    He got his V8 in 1955: a 265-cubic-inch small-block rated at 195 horsepower. The 1956 restyle added the scalloped side coves, a toothy grille, roll-up windows and an optional removable hardtop, and the car finally looked as quick as it was becoming. Fuel injection arrived in 1957 on the 283-cubic-inch V8, good for 283 horsepower, or one horsepower per cubic inch, and a four-speed manual joined the options list. The C1 stayed on a 102-inch wheelbase with a solid rear axle through 1962, which is why enthusiasts call it the solid-axle Corvette. Total production across the run came to roughly 69,000 cars.

    Key Features

    • Fiberglass bodywork, unusual for a low-volume American car in 1953
    • Removable hardtop offered from 1956 alongside the folding soft top
    • Scalloped side coves introduced in the 1956 facelift
    • Rochester fuel injection available from 1957, rated at one horsepower per cubic inch
    • Four-speed manual gearbox from 1957
    • Quad headlights and a faux-louvered hood on the 1958 model
    • Concealed headlights on the final 1962 model year
    • Roll-up windows from 1956, replacing side curtains

    Specifications

    Production years1953–1962
    Body styleTwo-door roadster, removable hardtop from 1956
    LayoutFront-engine, rear-wheel drive
    Wheelbase102 inches
    Curb weightApproximately 2,900–3,100 lb
    Engine (1953–54)235.5 cu-in inline-six, 150 hp
    Engine (1955)265 cu-in V8, 195 hp (225 hp optional)
    Engine (1957–61)283 cu-in V8, up to 283 hp with fuel injection
    Engine (1962)327 cu-in V8, up to 360 hp with fuel injection
    TransmissionTwo-speed Powerglide automatic (1953–54); three-speed manual and later four-speed manual available from 1955–57
    SuspensionSolid rear axle, independent front
    Body materialFiberglass

    Pros & Cons

    Pros

    • • One of the most recognizable American car shapes of the 1950s
    • • V8 and fuel-injection models deliver genuine period performance
    • • Strong collector demand keeps values stable and parts support broad
    • • Fiberglass bodies resist rust in a way steel-bodied contemporaries do not
    • • Huge restomod and aftermarket ecosystem

    Cons

    • • Early 1953–55 six-cylinder cars are slow by modern standards
    • • Fiberglass repair is specialized and expensive
    • • Solid rear axle and vague steering make stock cars a handful in traffic
    • • Concours and fuel-injected examples have moved well into six figures
    • • Parts for the early inline-six and Powerglide are harder to find than small-block V8 pieces

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How much is a C1 Corvette worth?
    Driver-quality later C1s typically trade around $50,000 to $80,000. Fuel-injected 1957–62 cars, early 1953 models and concours examples reach well into six figures. Values swing sharply by year, engine and documentation, so a 1959 with a 283 and a Powerglide sits in a very different bracket from a 1957 fuelie with a four-speed.
    How many C1 Corvettes were built, and how many are left?
    Total 1953–1962 production is roughly 69,000 cars. 1962 was the biggest year at about 14,531, while 1953 accounted for just 300. Survival rates are high for a 1950s car because so many were kept as collectibles, but no official registry tracks exactly how many remain.
    What is the difference between a C1 and later Corvettes?
    The C1 is the first generation, built from 1953 to 1962. It has a solid rear axle, a fiberglass open body and, in its first three years, an inline-six. The C2 that arrived in 1963 introduced the coupe body and independent rear suspension, which is the clearest line between the two.
    What was the first year of the C1 Corvette, and when did it get a V8?
    It debuted in late June 1953 as a 1953 model with a 150-hp inline-six and a two-speed automatic. The first V8, a 265-cubic-inch small-block, arrived for the 1955 model year and changed the car's reputation almost overnight.
    Is a C1 Corvette a good investment?
    Values for documented, original-engine cars have been broadly stable to rising, with the strongest premiums on fuel-injected 1957–62 models and early 1953 cars. Restomods and modified cars appeal to drivers but generally trade at a discount to concours originals, so the answer depends heavily on which kind of C1 you are buying.

    Keywords

    Chevrolet Corvette C1solid-axle Corvette1953 Corvettefiberglass sports carBlue Flame inline-six283 fuel injectionZora Arkus-Duntovclassic American sports carCorvette restomod

    Sources

    WikipediaClassic.comBring a TrailerCorvsportYahoo AutosClassic Trader

    Product Info

    Brand
    Chevrolet
    Manufacturer
    General Motors
    Category
    Classic sports car
    Released
    1953-06-30
    Price
    From about $3,498 in 1953 to roughly $4,000–$4,800 by 1962, depending on options
    Availability
    Discontinued
    Production years
    1953–1962
    Total production
    Approximately 69,000 units
    First model year output
    300 cars in 1953
    Best C1 sales year
    About 10,261 cars in 1959
    Final year output
    About 14,531 cars in 1962
    Original base price
    About $3,498 in 1953
    Wheelbase
    102 inches

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