Vehicle Description
• Professionally restored by marque specialist Brett Henderson to
NCRS and Bloomington Gold standards • The 220th of only 300
Corvettes produced for the inaugural 1953 model year • Equipped
with its original Blue Flame six-cylinder engine • Accompanied by
side curtains • Historic first-year example of "America's Sports
Car" • An essential component of any serious sports car collection
From the start, Chevrolet's Corvette was unique in its concept,
design, and execution. Conceived by legendary GM Design Chief,
Harley Earl, as an American alternative to the hordes of nimble and
stylish foreign sports cars arriving in post-war America, the new
GM design combined striking aircraft-inspired design elements and
existing passenger car mechanical components. Clothed in long, low,
and sleek bodywork rendered in hand-laid fiberglass, the new show
car was known internally as "Project Opel" and designated EX-122 as
it quickly took shape. Eventually 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. Dubbed the Corvette
"Dream Car," it debuted at the January 1953 GM Motorama show held
at the glamorous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City and its
impact there was truly astonishing. By the end of that first
weekend in New York, over 300,000 people had seen the car and some
$800,000 worth of GM products were sold at the show. In fact, by
the time the Motorama's cross-country tour ended, over four million
people reportedly saw the Corvette. Incredibly, production
commenced in Flint, Michigan, just five months after its New York
debut. All production cars were finished in Polo White paint with
rich Sportsman Red interiors. Mechanicals were based upon
Chevrolet's existing production car components, including the
Powerglide automatic transmission and 235-cubic-inch inline
six-cylinder engine, which was hopped up with triple carburetors, a
compression boost, and a hotter camshaft. An eventual switch to
steel bodywork was planned, but intense public interest in the show
car's unique fiberglass body encouraged GM to continue with the
revolutionary new material. Even the Corvette's low-volume assembly
process broke from tradition with small groups of technicians.
Early Corvettes, numbering some 150, were marketed to the top
celebrities via GM's VIP program, ensuring enviable product
placement. However, production problems, marketing gaffes,
questionable pricing, and sluggish sales nearly caused the
Corvette's early demise. However, to be fair, a low-volume
specialty car such as the Corvette was a radical departure for any
manufacturer, with its body - comprising some 46 fiberglass parts -
imposing a particularly steep learning curve. Thankfully, GM and
Chevrolet management displayed considerable fortitude and quickly,
the Corvette matured into "America's Sports Car." This wonderful
first-year example is the 220th of the 300 Corvettes produced for
1953 and it stands as one of as few as an estimated 225 survivors
remaining in existence today. Before being acquired by the current
owner, this Roadster resided with a well-known enthusiast who had
owned over 30 1953 Corvettes. Under his ownership, this example
benefited from a complete body-off-the-restoration performed by
1953 Corvette restoration expert Brett Henderson of Pendleton,
Indiana's Blue Flame Restoration. As offered, the Corvette stands
ready for showing and competition at judged Corvette events and it
is complete with a proper convertible top and side curtains
