Interesting Fact: Harley Earl, as head of GM's Styling Section, was
an avid fan of sporting cars. He recognized that GIs returning
after serving overseas in the years following World War II were
bringing home MGs, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos. Earl convinced GM that
they needed to build an all-American two-seat sports car, and with
his Special Projects crew began working on the new car in late
1951. In 1952, the Corvette (C1) was born. Reviews were mixed and
sales fell far short of expectations through the car's early years.
The program was nearly canceled, but Chevrolet would ultimately
stay the course. We are excited to offer this older fully restored
1957 Corvette featuring dual quads that has been part of a 146 car
private collection for the last 32 years. Originally a California
car, the current owner purchased this Corvette in Madison, WI in
1988. At the time of purchase, the restoration had already been
performed with only 500 miles on the odometer. Since then, the car
has been driven a short 400 miles, with a total of 946 miles on the
odometer today. This is a numbers matching vehicle in one of the
most iconic colors and configured perfectly with dual quads and
four-speed manual transmission. Mechanically this Corvette is in
outstanding condition. Feel free to ask us for the full inspection
report, but in short, this Corvette drives and performs as it
should. The motor pulls strong and the four-speed transmission
shifts with confidence. This has the iconic 283 CID V8 with the
rare 270hp option featuring two four-barrel carburetor. The car
currently has two AFB Carter carbs installed, but the original
carburetors (in box) are included as well. The car also has a full
stainless steel exhaust system and the braking system has recently
been replaced. It's also worth noting that the stainless exhaust
was custom built to the same thickness as the factory exhaust, thus
preserving the factory sound (not the customary tinny stainless
sound). The body of this Corvette is excellent. Being fully
restored, there are no issues with rust on the chassis or
fiberglass cracking. We did notice the paint to have some very
slight signs of fine spiderweb cracking here and there, as well as
some small scratches around the rim of the hood. That said, the
iconic Roman Red contrasted with Cameo Ivory is overall in
excellent condition and presents very well, even when up close.
It's a retro color combination we really like. The interior really
impressed us with it's condition. The seats and carpeting are free
of stains or rips, and all interior body panels fit as they should,
with hardly any sign of wear on the touch points. Our inspection
report noted a few smaller issues, including the instrument lights,
radio, antenna, and windshield wipers not functioning. We have
ordered the part needed for the wipers and expect them to be
repaired. Lastly, we suspect a very small leak in the bottom
portion of the radiator. Though the leak is very slow and the car
does not struggle in the Phoenix heat. Lastly, the right valve
cover does have the original 270 decal still in tact. In sum, this
Corvette is a beautiful example of an older restoration. With such
low millage, a great history, and a strong mechanical bill of
health, this car is ready to be enjoyed as a driver or head turner
at a show. This vehicle is available for inspection at our Phoenix
showroom. For more information, please contact Daniel at
+1-917-890-4230 or at
[email protected]
