Happy Birthday, Corvette! America’s Sports Car Turns 65 Today

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Happy Birthday Corvette! America’s Sports Car Turns 65 Today


Happy Birthday, Corvette!!

In 1951, GM’s Design Chief Harley Earl was at Watkins Glen International Raceway to show off his new La Sabre concept when he had the vision of a low-cost American sports car that could compete with Europe’s Jaguars, MGs, and Ferrari. Codenamed “Opel”, the very first prototype made its debut in January 1953 at the GM Motorama show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

The great reviews and public acclaim for the little white roadster prompted GM to fast-track the Corvette into production. Sixty-five years ago today on June 30, 1953, the world’s first production Corvette rolled off its Flint, Michigan assembly line.

Chevrolet built 300 Corvettes over the course of the 1953 model year. A uniform design allowed the workers to concentrate on putting the bodies together without being distracted by trim and equipment variations. Therefore, all 1953 Corvettes were Polo White with Sportsman Red interiors and equipped with a canvas soft-top, 6.70 x 15 whitewall tires and a Delco signal-seeking radio. Also standard was a 5,000-rpm tachometer and a counter for total engine revolutions.

Underneath the fiberglass were standard Chevrolet components. The 250 cubic inch Blue Flame Special 6-cylinder engine came from the truck line while the two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission and drum brakes were also found on various Chevrolet passenger cars. A triple-carb intake on the Corvette gave the 2-seater a bit more power but overall performance was lacking.

Although some sports car purists took exception to the Corvette’s only available transmission – the 2-speed Powerglide automatic, the Corvette was still a decent sports car with well-tuned examples running 0-60 mph in 11 seconds and having a top speed near 105 mph.

The Corvette’s original base price was set at $3,498.00. However, the general public was hard pressed to get one as most of the production was doled out to project engineers, GM executives and other high profile customers including Hollywood movie stars like John Wayne. In fact, a dealer notice issued in July ’53 from the Central Office proclaimed: “No dealer is in a position to accept firm orders for delivery of a Corvette in 1953.”

Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today
Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today
Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today
Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today
Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today
Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today
Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today Happy Birthday Corvette: America's Favorite Sports Car Turns 65 Today

The Chevrolet Corvette has come a long way since GM employee Tony Kleiber drove the first Corvette off that temporary assembly line in a warehouse on Van Slyke Road in Flint, Michigan. While we celebrate all Corvettes on this birthday, the legend started 65 years ago!


Related:
[VIDEO] 1953 Cutaway Corvette Chassis #003 Now Showing at the National Corvette Museum
Corvette Shown to the World for the First Time on this Date in 1953
The Last Hand-Built 1953 Corvette with VIN 300 to be Offered at Barrett-Jackson

 



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