Vehicle Description
• #68 of the original 300 built • A mere six documented owners from
new • Accompanied by original spinner hubcaps, and vehicle titles
from the late '60s and '70s • Mechanically sorted Blue Flame
six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission • Equipped with a
tightly fitted ""Kennedy"" black soft top • Historic first-year
example of ""America's Sports Car"" • An essential component of any
sports car collection Named 'Corvette' in honor of the small and
fast naval vessels of wartime fame, the new Chevrolet sports car
remains significant as one of very few designs of the fertile GM
Motorama era to progress to series-production with its show-car
styling cues virtually unchanged along the way. Representing a
major leap of faith on the part of top GM brass, including GM
engineering chief Ed Cole and company president Harlow Curtice, the
Corvette was the product of a then-massive $1.5 million investment
in the project by the time it was readied for its highly
anticipated public introduction. This wonderful first-year example
is the 68th of the 300 Corvettes produced for 1953 and it stands as
one of as few as an estimated 220 survivors remaining in existence
today. Offered from just its 6th owner since new, he has owned over
15 of these rare and highly sought after first year Corvettes. A
very early production example, it is elevated above its 1953 peers.
This Corvette lived most of its early life on the east coast before
it was acquired by a Wisconsin based collector, where it has since
stayed in the Midwest. Documented by a handful of photos, this
example is the recipient of an older comprehensive restoration,
that has since mellowed accordingly in certain spots in the paint,
specifically around the rear port holes for the convertible top.
The interior has also been freshened with new upholstery and carpet
throughout, which presents very well today. Mechanically, the
iconic Blue Flame six-cylinder engine and Powerglide automatic
transmission have been gone through and recently sorted. A new
black tightly fitted "Kennedy" soft top was equipped was also
recently done. Accompanying the sale of this early Corvette, are
written notes of previous owners, various past titles and
registrations from the '60s and '70s, copies of the photos from the
bare metal restoration, original spinner hub caps and the side
windows. A historic first-year example of "America's Sports Car",
this early, limited ownership '53 Corvette continues to be highly
collectible and an essential component to any sport car collection.
