Vehicle Description
Cruisin Classics is excited to present to you today this very rare
1957 Chevrolet Corvette 283/283 "Fuelie" 4-speed. 1957 was the
first year that GM added fuel injection to the Corvette and the
first year a 4-speed was offered as an option on this American
icon. The Ramjet Fuel Injection, an efficient constant flow system
that eliminated the carburetor, delivered fuel directly to the
cylinders for instantaneous accelerator response, greater overall
fuel economy, higher low-speed torque and smoothness, ease of
starting and overall improvement of engine performance. In one bold
stroke the 57 Corvette provided a new dimension of driving
pleasure. In addition, the optional 4-speed Borg Warner T-10 manual
transmission that was made available as an option after April of
'57 really took the Corvette to new heights in the sports car
world. The 283ci/283hp Fuelie Corvettes also represented the first
time an American car offered 1hp for every 1ci of engine
displacement, giving GM some serious bragging rights. Of the 6,339
Corvettes built in '57 only 713 were ordered with the Ramjet fuel
injected 283ci/283hp (RPO 579B) at an additional cost of $484.20
and only 664 were ordered with the 4-speed manual transmission (RPO
685) for $188.30. With these low production figures you can
certainly see why these cars are so rare and sought after
today!
The '57 Fuelie before us today is dressed in a good driver-quality
respray of Cascade Green with Shoreline Beige coves - a beautiful
color combination. This Corvette comes with both a white
convertible soft top and a body-color removeable hard top. The soft
top has a clear rear window and, aside from some light wrinkles
from being stored in "down" position (these will go away as soon as
it's left out in the hot sun for a few hours), it looks brand new.
The Cascade Green hardtop is in generally good condition with a
nice beige waffle-textured headliner and chrome trim. The hardtop
also comes with a storage rack. If you've been looking at these,
you'll know that it is tough to find a '57 Fuelie with both tops -
this is a really nice extra! The overall look and aesthetic of this
Corvette is stunning and stylish with elegant curves and just the
right amount of brightwork to highlight the body. Up front, the
"toothy" chrome grille grabs your attention and it's accented by
gleaming horizontal and vertical bumperettes. Single headlights in
bright bezels flank the grille and a "Chevrolet Corvette"
cross-flags badge hovers above it in the center. The hood sports
muscular bulges on both sides and atop both fenders are faux
intakes with chrome trim that really add to the cool look. The
wrap-around windshield is trimmed with sparkling chrome and bright
wiper arms add to the show. Just ahead of the windshield is a wide
cowl ventilator that is operated with a lever under the dash.
Looking at this Corvette from the side you can enjoy the stunning
contrast of the chrome-trimmed beige coves against the Cascade
Green body. Inside the coves on both fenders are bright "Fuel
Injection" and cross-flags badges that let everyone know that this
is no ordinary Corvette. Adding to the bright sparkle on the sides
are chrome door handles, locks, driver's side mirror, and window
trim. Completing the stunning side view is a perfect wheel and tire
combination - body-color 15" steel wheels with gleaming
spinner-style hubcaps wrapped in Coker Classic white-wall bias-ply
tires - simply gorgeous! It should come as no suprise that the rear
of the car is just as shapely and stylish as the rest. Taillights
sit atop the rear fenders, recessed in long chrome bezels and
exhaust exits through vertical bumperettes just beneath. The
rounded decklid wears another "Fuel Injection" badge and a
"Chevrolet Corvette" crossflags badge that matches the one up
front, both in great condition. Beneath the trunk are two more
gleaming bumperettes to complete the look.
As beautiful as the body may be, it's under the forward lifting
hood that the true magic of this car resides. You'll see many of
these '57 Fuelies listed for sale with the proclamation that
they're "numbers-matching" cars, but that is not how things work
with this particular year of Corvette. There is no identifying
stamp, plate, or casting under the hood that correlates to the VIN
number of the car - making it impossible to be what car enthusiasts
call "numbers-matching". Instead, there are serial numbers, part
numbers, and date codes that, when taken together, will shed light
on the plausibility that the car was born with the drivetrain that
is currently in it. The sequential production number of the VIN for
this car is 105921, making it number 5,921 of 6,339 Corvettes
produced for 1957 - roughly 400 cars before the end of the run. On
the front tab of the head on the passenger side (where you would
find the VIN-matching number in later years) is the stamping
F802EL. The F=Flint plant, 802=August 2nd, and the EL specifically
denotes a 283ci/283hp with manual transmission. The casting number
of the block is 3731548 which is correct for 1957-only blocks.
Sitting atop the engine is a Rochester fuel injection system with
part number 7014960. There were 4 different iterations of this fuel
injection system over the course of '57 production and the last 4
digits are the identifier. Number 4960 was specific to the
283ci/283hp cars and was only used in cars produced between July
and October of '57. The Delco-Remy distributor is stamped with
number 1110908, which was specific to only 283ci/283hp cars. The
Delco-Remy generator is date stamped 7G24, which tells us it dates
to July 24, 1957. As mentioned earlier, the Borg-Warner T-10
4-speed manual transmission was offered as an option starting in
mid-April of '57. This is that same transmission (T-10-1) with a
casting date of 4-26, a tailshaft (T-10-7) dated 5-20-1957, and an
assembly date stamp of WE2872 which equates to May 28 1957 PM
shift. As you can see, all of the date codes, serial numbers, and
part numbers come together to show us that this car is a real-deal
late-production 283ci/283hp fuel injected Corvette with a correct
late-production 4-speed manual transmission. The engine bay is
black, tidy, and stock in appearance with an orange block topped
with finned aluminum "Corvette" valve covers, a chrome air cleaner
and ignition shield, and cast exhaust manifolds. Brakes are manual
drums on all four corners and steering is also manual.
Open the drivers door to find a very nice OEM-correct Shoreline
Beige waffle interior that is in keeping with the elegant style of
the exterior. The door panels are a combination of different
textured beige vinyl sections with chrome accents and textured
polished aluminum at the bottom. There is a crank for the window,
an armrest with a pull handle, a switch lock, and a white ball that
serves as the opener for the door latch. Both door panels are in
good condition with only slight discoloration from wear. The beige
waffle-textured vinyl continues from the doors down onto the kick
panels and also serves as the insets for the bucket seats. Bright
sill plates and good looking tan carpet invite you inside the well
optioned interior. The beige seats are quite comfortable, manually
adjustable, equipped with seat belts, and in very good condition
with minimal imperfections. The body wraps around the seats with a
nice chrome-trimmed border and comes down in the center to separate
the buckets with a small but useful vertical glovebox just under
the release button for the top storage area. Between the seats to
the front on the floor is the shifter for the 4-speed transmission.
The chrome shift plate looks gre...for more information please
contact the seller.
