Vehicle Description
1954 Corvette Convertible - 1 of 3,640 Made - Same Owner Since 1984
- 235ci/155hp Blue Flame 6 Cylinder - Restoration Completed in
January of 2019 - Engine Overhauled in November of 2019 - Complete
Casting Number List - Collector Grade Corvette (Please note: If you
happen to be viewing this vehicle on a website other than our
Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some
of our many photographs of this vehicle due to website limitations.
To be sure you access all the more than 190 photographs, please go
to our main website: GarageKeptMotors.) After the initial purchase
of this car in 1984, our client spent years restoring this
beautiful C1 Corvette. It was an on again, off again project
through the years, and now that the project is complete, the car is
gorgeous. Piles of receipts and letters of correspondence shows the
diligence and hours spent by our client to find the correct parts,
and communicate with people who would understand exactly what he
needed. A list of engine component casting/stamping numbers was
created to help document how period correct the car is. The final
product of the restoration is an eye catching, collector grade car
that is finished in Sportsman Red over a red interior and sporting
a tan top. Under the hood is a Blue Flame 235ci Inline-6 with three
Carter Side Draft Carburetors mounted on the driver's side of the
engine. A 2-speed PowerGlide transmission handles gear selection.
An interesting fact about the transmission is that the PowerGlide
was offered as an option on the '54 model year Corvettes, although
there was not another transmission offered. Just some marketing
trickery on the part of GM Marketing folks to keep the car's base
price lower. Since the engine rebuild which was completed in
November of 2019, the car has only clicked over about a mile. The
engine sound isn't quite like a 427ci V8 found in some of the later
Corvettes, but it does have an aggressive exhaust note, especially
for a mid-50's car. There has to be some justification for a sports
car that has an engine with a name like Blue Flame. At first
glance, there is a lot of red going on - Sportsman Red over red
interior. White stitch on the door panels and seats, and white trim
along the doors and center of the dashboard provide some visual
relief from all the red. The scalloped dashboard is very simple
with a number of gauges that one would expect to see in a sports
car - after all GM called the C1 Vette the First All-American
sports car. Fit and finish of the interior is great, the details
are all there. Clear gauges, two tone steering wheel with chrome
horn ring, and ivory colored knobs - including the iconic spherical
door release switches, are just a few highlights of the classy
interior. Thanks to input from Harley Earl, C1 Corvettes have
curves throughout compared to the C2's harder lines. The exterior
of this car shows very well. Chrome bumpers and grille look great,
all metal trim and badges are straight and true, all lights and
lenses look great, even the wheel covers are in great condition.
The Sportsman Red chosen for this car's exterior hugs the curves
and provides a contrast to the chrome trim, making it look like
jewelry. Speaking of chrome, the front end of this car is
especially pleasing to the eyes - curvy fenders, chrome headlight
trim, and small bumpers mounted on either side of the big chrome
grille that seems as though it is smiling at you. Hours and hours
were spent over a number of years in order for this first
generation Corvette to look as nice as it does. This is a collector
grade C1, finished in an eye catching color with all the details.
The car has not been NCRS judged since the recent restoration. With
this numbers matching car, it will definitely get high marks and
the new owner can have that done in their name. The final product
is easy on the eyes and is sure to continue to be a valuable car
for years to come. It is after all t