Before Cars Where Evil (1953 Corvette-Large Pics)

The Corvette Story ^ | 3/18/2010 | Web Cars

[Dallas59]

As introduced in 1953, the Corvette was mostly a thrown together experiment. Production was limited to 300 units total, so sales of the entirely new model was not a problem.

Right: The first Corvette reaches the end of the assembly line on June 30, 1953. The first 15 cars were built, all by hand, in the back of a customer delivery garage in Flint Michigan. The rest came from a new facility devoted to Corvettes in St. Louis which had a capacity to build 10,000 cars a year. The first two were engineering test cars and according to official records, were destroyed. Of the first 300 Corvettes, approximately 225 are known to exist today.

[Dallas59]

All 1953 Corvettes were Polo White with a red interior and a black canvas top. There were two options offered: a signal seeking AM radio ($145.15) and a heater ($91.40). Although listed as options, all 1953 Corvettes were equipped with both items. The base price was $3,498.00, including the federal excise tax and $248.00 for shipping and handling. The radio had an interesting feature: since fiberglass is electrically inert, the antenna was simply incorporated in the trunk lid. This would not be possible with a conventional steel body.



When introduced in 1953, the Corvette featured the "Blue Flame" six cylinder engine. This is not as the Chevrolet engineering team wanted things, but they had no choice. Although other GM marques featured V8 motors they were not willing to share; a very different situation compared to years later when various divisions would feature the same powerplants. It was renowned for reliability but with a rating of 105 HP, performance and sportiness was not included. The engineering staff responded with the usual engine upgrade methods. A more radical camshaft rubbing on solid lifters, dual valve springs, and a higher compression ratio cylinder head (8.0:1; previous was 7.5:1) all contributed to the effort. The largest gain was achieved via an upgrade to the induction system (right). Three Carter type YH sidedraft carburetors featuring "bullet" air cleaners with an aluminum manifold were incorporated and the output soared to 150 bhp at 4,500 RPM



Continued at The Corvette Story...>

[jakerobins]

Nice looking car...Nice looking woman for that matter..

Ah San Francisco in 1953 it must have been such a nice city back then....Wish I could have seen it before all the lefties, Gays, and general weirdos took over...

[Dallas59]

Where>Were...My Texas “aksent” got in the way....

[Dallas59]

The photo is simply fantastic.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

bumping the old school

[count-your-change]

That was back when life only came in black ‘n white.

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

"Ah San Francisco in 1953 it must have been such a nice city back then....Wish I could have seen it before all the lefties, Gays, and general weirdos took over...

So true!

San Francisco was the 1st Big City I visited as an adult in 1963 and I fell in love with it.

I had seen NYC and DC when young, but when I got stationed in Japan with the USAF, San Fran was an extremely pleasant eye-opening adventure for a young man

I had the opportunity to visit several times after and watched it deteriorate thru my very unpleasant experience when I returned from Nam in July 1967.

The last time I was there (about 15 years ago) I hardly recognized it and would not go out of my way to ever return.

[calex59]

Introduced in 1953, they were very few 1953 models produced. The normal procedure was to introduce a car in sept of the year previous to the model year, in other words the 1954 models were introduced in sept of 1953. The 1953 corvette was introduced, I believe, at about May or June of 1953, then the 1954 came out in sept of 1953. This makes the 1953 model the rarest corvette ever made. By sept 1954, when the 1955 chevys came out, the corvette, and other chevey models, came with the little 265 V8, until that time Chevy had made only 6 cylinder engines for their cars.

I know this stuff because I lived through it:)

BTW, the hit TV series Route 66, which came out in 1960, featured a 1960 corvette. A beautiful car that had been redesigned both in the body and the running gear.

[Doc Savage]

What’s your problem? You don’t like stepping over the bodies of drunks and drug addicts downtown, the sight of public urination and defecation outside your hotel, the public nudity and sex acts! Geeze, what a prude!

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

Gee Doc, it wasn’t so much that, it was the homeless people DEMANDING money in your face at all times. In restaurants, on sidewalks, in public bathrooms, EVERYWHERE! Threatening violence if you did not pony up the cash.

Throw in using sinks in public bathrooms to bathe and wash their clothes.

[Ro_Thunder]

The base price was $3,498.00, including the federal excise tax and $248.00 for shipping and handling.

Table F-7 Type of Family, All Races by Median and Mean Income: 1947 to 2006

Median income Mean income
____________________ ____________________
Number Current 2006 Current 2006
Year (thous) dollars dollars dollars dollars

1953 41,202 4,242 27,365 4,706 30,358

Why would a Corvette cost less than $4,000 in 1953, made BY HAND, and a new one in 2006 (latest figures is available for) is several times that (2010 Kelley Blue Book Price: $28,600 - $40,700), I can promise you our salaries have not kept up with the cost of the car.

[jakerobins]

You got me...I'm a Conservative Prude....I don't think seeing syringes and homeless people makes a city beautiful. Seeing Homosexuals publicly engaging in their immoral behavior; and seeing ugly men dressed as even uglier women isn't a place I would want to take my family much less raise a family. Shame on me and my old fashioned conservative nuclear family values

[devolve]

[devolve]

[potlatch]

[devolve]

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Great post potlatch!

You did some super magic on that one!

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[rolling_stone]

To bad the 1954 Olds F-88 concept car didnt make it into production, nixed as competition to the vette.. scroll down

http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Oldsmobile/olds-1950-1960.html

[potlatch]

Half a year ago I think. It was at the bottom of my Profile page for quite awhile, along with ‘me’ and James Bond.....

[potlatch]

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[devolve]

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I am slow tonight

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