Two years after Chevrolet basically saved the struggling Corvette with the introduction of the more powerful V8 engine in 1955, Zora Arkus-Duntov and his team continued to pour on the steam.
In 1957, Chevy introduced an exotic though manual Rochester fuel-injection system for its 283 V8 engine, as well as a four-speed manual transmission. Interestingly, Chevy offered the fuelie 283s in four variations, with horsepower ranging from 250 to 283 – compared to the 220 to 270 horsepower in the carbureted versions.
Though sales of the fuelie were low, interest began to soar in Corvettes, with production of the ’57 nearly doubling over the previous year, to 6,339 from 3,467.
One of those fuelies was this immaculate black over red example currently being offered on Bring a Trailer, where the current high bid has climbed to $80,000 with four days left in the auction.
No wonder people are interested in this car, since it’s one of just 1,040 Corvettes to leave the St. Louis factory that year with fuel injection.
After being restored and earning an NCRS Top Flight award in 2007, the car was owned and displayed by the BHA Automobile Museum in Cockeysville, Maryland. The current owner bought the car in 2016 and seems to have carefully maintained its museum-quality condition.
This Corvette still has its original fuel-injected 283, though a four-speed manual transmission has been fitted to the car instead of the original three-speed manual. It also features the optional heavy-duty racing suspension that was chosen by only 51 owners that year – no wonder since as a $780.10 option, it represented about 25 percent of the car’s base price of just $3,176.32.
For the money, however, customers received lessons learned by Arkus-Duntov at the previous year’s Sebring race, including special front and rear springs and shock absorbers, heavier front stabilizer bar, quick steering adaptor, metallic brake facings, finned brake drums, fresh air ducting to rear brakes, and front brake air scoops.
Source:
Bring a Trailer
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I’ll stay with my new car smell of my 2020 C8 Stingray. The classic is restored but I remember points and condensers and don’t want to go back to that less then perfect FI that made everyone want a Four Barrel. Like every early Corvette I think they hid the 12 vote battery behind a fender well! Without a spark suppression kit the AM radio sounde more like a rice crispy commercial. Snap, crackle, Pop0
Joe — happy to hear that you like your C8, but no need for you to slag older Corvettes. Many of us like our older Corvettes, quirks and all, just fine thank you.
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