The first Corvettes were crafted on a makeshift assembly line in Chevrolet’s Flint, Michigan plant, while a permanent production facility was being built in St. Louis, Missouri. (Image/GM)

On June 30th, 1953 the first production Corvette rolled off the assembly line.

But despite the position it holds now as “America’s Sports Car,” the Corvette wasn’t exactly an instant hit. In fact, it wasn’t even America’s first sports car. We think that distinction should go to the delightful Crosley Hotshot.

Want to learn more about the history of the Corvette? Check out the story on the C2 here: A Look Back at the Vette’s C2 (1963-67) Sting Ray Generation

The Origin of the Chevy Corvette

The brainchild of GM legend Harley Earl, the Corvette was inspired by soldiers returning from Europe after World War II. Earl felt that, after driving those elbow-dragging British roadsters, potential car buyers would want an American ragtop that offered the same experience.

Chevy boss Thomas Keating greenlit the project with the hope that a new sports car would shake off Chevy’s postwar sales slump.

The 1953 Motorama show car largely resembled the production Corvette, save for some cosmetic exceptions like its shorter, flipped side spear. (Image/GM)

Teams quickly hand-assembled a Corvette show car to reveal to the automotive public during the General Motors Autorama held in January 1953 inside New York City’s Waldorf Astoria hotel.

The crowd reception was enthusiastic. The automotive press fawned.

Now, Chevrolet just had to make more.

In addition to the ragtop, Chevy tested the Corvette in a few other flavors—including a fastback coupe dubbed “Corvair” and a wagon (pictured here) called “Nomad.” Those concepts never made it to production, but we’d certainly hear those names again soon. (Image/GM)

Corvette Production Begins

The initial production run of 300 Corvettes began about six months later on a makeshift assembly line inside Chevy’s factory in Flint, Michigan. To get up and running quickly, options were limited and all 1953 Corvettes were exclusively offered in Polo White with red interiors.

Yet those early Corvettes had some growing pains, as workers struggled with the fit and finish on the Vette’s unique fiberglass body. Customer complaints about squeaks, rattles, and leaks were common.

There were other issues as well.

c1 chevy corvette blue flame six engine from Lingenfelter collection
Believe it or not, the Corvette didn’t always have a V8. The earliest models were equipped with a hopped-up Chevy inline six, dubbed the “Blue Flame Six.” (Image/SpeedArticle – Al Noe)

To keep costs down, Chevy brass ordered Corvette engineers to use as many off-the-shelf parts as possible. That meant the Corvette was soon saddled with Chevy’s staid inline six and (GASP!) two-speed Powerglide automatic—a far cry from Harley Earl’s original vision of a nimble European-style sports car.

While production quality gradually improved and more colors and options slowly appeared on the build sheet, sales of those early 1953 and 1954 Corvettes were lackluster at best.

While all 1953 Corvettes came exclusively in Polo White, in 1954 and 1955 you could get one in a handful of colors including Gypsy Red, Harvest Gold, and the rare Pennant Blue seen here. (Image/SpeedArticle – Dave Fuller)

The SBC to the Rescue!

With the Vette’s future in jeopardy, a potential savior was on the horizon. Chevy had been working on a new 265 cubic inch V8 engine to power its passenger cars and trucks. The world would soon come to know this engine as the ubiquitous “Small Block Chevy.”

A Chevrolet engineer named Zora Arkus-Duntov (a former racer and the guy behind the famous “Ardun” heads for Flathead Fords) felt this new V8 would be the perfect solution for faltering Corvette sales. At his insistence, V8-powered Corvettes began rolling out of a new St. Louis, Missouri factory in 1955. A three-speed manual transmission was introduced about six months later.

Things were about to get good.

As workers place a body on one of the first Corvette frames, you can see the venerable Blue Flame Six that propelled those early models. But it wouldn’t stay there long. (Image/GM)

Better Performance, Better Style, Better Sales

As Duntov’s influence over the Corvette increased, the car edged closer to Harley Earl’s original vision of a smile-inducing sports car. Chevy execs were slowly getting behind the Corvette project too—likely spurred by Ford’s introduction of the Thunderbird roadster in 1955.

1956 saw the end of the six-cylinder Corvette, leaving the V8 as the sole powerplant. It also ushered-in a major exterior redesign, bringing the Corvette more in line with styling trends of the era. In 1957, horsepower numbers continued to tick closer to 300, thanks to a larger 283 cubic inch V8 and Rochester Fuel Injection. And you could now row a four-speed transmission.

This 1956 C1 marks the first appearance of the signature side scoops that are so closely associated with first-gen Corvette styling. (Image/SpeedArticle)

For better or worse, the Corvette got more chrome trim and quad headlights in 1958. And through 1959 and 1960, race-oriented options like heavy duty brake and suspension packages began to appear on the customer build sheet, along with some user-friendly conveniences like a power top and windows.

In 1961, the Corvette C1 generation got its final styling refresh, adding a ducktail rear deck that would be echoed on the upcoming C2 Sting Ray. This rear end treatment also brought a quartet of round taillamps, initiating a hallmark of the Corvette for decades to come.

Even on this customized example from 1962, you can see how the final iteration of the C1 Corvette rear end would be mimicked on the forthcoming 1963 C2 Sting Ray. (Image/Summit Racing)

In the C1’s final year, 1962, the Corvette welcomed a 327 cubic inch version of the small block V8. When equipped with Rochester Fuel Injection, the increased engine displacement brought horsepower north of 350—quite a contrast from the humble Blue Flame Six’s 150 hp.

The Corvette Goes Racing

Here Zora Arkus-Duntov poses in the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Race Car he developed for the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race. (Image/GM)

Arkus-Duntov convinced the GM brass that a “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” strategy was viable. The biggest result of this initiative was the Corvette Super Sport. Not surprisingly, it poached innovations from European race cars, like a tube steel frame and a de Dion rear suspension, and it wore a magnesium body to save weight.

Though the Corvette SS failed to finish the 12 Hours of Sebring, its legacy was far reaching. In addition to motorsport, the Corvette SS race cars that Chevy built served as a rolling test beds for future GM projects. In fact, a Corvette SS chassis ultimately became the platform for the Stingray Racer concept, which foretold the upcoming Corvette C2 generation.

The Corvette Super Sport has the distinction of being Chevrolet’s first purpose-built race car.

America’s Sports Car is Born

By the end of the C1 Generation, the Corvette had become the high performance sports car of Harley Earl’s dreams. (Image/Summit Racing)

From Otter’s 1959 Corvette parked outside Delta House to LOLA, the hovering ’62 from Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D., the C1 (1953-62) generation has made an indelible imprint on pop culture.

The C1 carried the Corvette from a potential sales flop into one of the longest living nameplates in automotive history. It was the only production Corvette to have a six cylinder engine, and the first to feature fuel injection. Its fixed headlights wouldn’t be seen again for decades, while its four taillights would be a Corvette staple well into the 21st century.

All of these iterative improvements had an impact on dealership showrooms, as Corvette sales picked up enough steam to warrant a complete redesign.

By 1960 the decision was made: The Corvette would enter its second generation.

And in the hands of Chevy VP of Design Bill Mitchell, a new 1963 “C2” would take Corvette styling in a more aquatic direction…

Keywords
Chevy, Corvette, Crosley, GM, small block Chevy
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Author: Paul Sakalas

Paul is the editor of SpeedArticle. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him fixing oil leaks in a Jeep CJ-5 or roof leaks in 1972 Corvette ragtop. Thanks to a penchant for vintage Honda motorcycles, he spends the rest of his time fiddling with carburetors and cleaning chain lube off his left pant leg.