10 Fun Facts About the 1953 Corvette | Landers Chevrolet Cadillac of Joplin

May 30, 2019

Way back in 1953, Chevrolet changed the way Americans look at cars with a groundbreaking introduction: the first-year Chevrolet Corvette. Though it would be considered crude and spartan by today’s standards, the first-year ‘Vette represented a sea-change in the way buyers looked at cars, leading to the development of rivals like the Ford Thunderbird and probably resulting in the high-horsepower muscle cars that would become commonplace on American roads a decade or so later.

We’re big fans of all things Corvette here at Landers Chevrolet Cadillac of Joplin, from classics like the 1953, to the famous 1963 “Split Window” Corvette, to today’s incredible, 700-plus horsepower road rockets like the 2019 Corvette ZR1. Seen below, check out ten things you might not know about the first-year 1953 Corvette! And when you’re ready to see what that pioneering sports car has led to over 65 years later, stop in at Landers Chevrolet Cadillac of Joplin and check out our selection of the latest Corvette supercars!

1) The first Corvette has its roots in the rebuilding of Europe after World War II: With much of Europe in ruins after World War II, the U.S. Military was heavily involved in rebuilding efforts in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was during this time that American G.I.s learned to love the light, high-revving sports cars built by storied European makers like Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and others, examples of which were imported to the states by returning veterans. Famous General Motors designer Harley Earl saw an opportunity in this love affair with bare-bones speed, and in late 1951, he set his team to work on a two-seat, short-wheelbase sports car designated internally at GM as “Project Opel.” This effort would eventually result in the first Corvette prototype.

2) The Corvette is named after a ship: Chevrolet has a long tradition of using vehicle names beginning with the letter “C” to create alliteration with “Chevrolet,” including the Chevrolet Caprice, Colorado, Cheyenne, Cruze, Camaro, Chevette, Cavalier, Corsica, Cobalt, Corvair, Chevelle and several others. When it came time to pick a permanent name for “Project Opal,” Chevy executive Myron Scott went to his dictionary and eventually settled on the word “Corvette,” a small, fast warship that can maneuver in shallow waters.

3) The first Corvette debuted at New York City’s elegant Waldolf-Astoria Hotel: The concept car that would eventually lead to the first production Corvette was put on display to the public on January 17, 1953 at that year’s General Motors Autorama car show, which was held at the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. That prototype, designated EX-122, still exists and is on display in Atlantic City.

4) The 1953 Corvette was super-limited edition: Hoping to sell the largely hand-built first-year Corvette to an exclusive roster of VIP clients, only 300 1953 Chevrolet Corvettes were built. Because of this rarity, first-year Corvettes today can fetch high auction prices from collectors.

5) Every 1953 Corvette was a six-cylinder: With the introduction of Chevrolet’s venerable Chevy Small Block engine still a few years away, every 1953 Corvette was fitted with a performance version of Chevy’s 235 cubic inch inline-six cylinder called the Blue Flame Six. While similar to the six-cylinder used in Chevy trucks and passenger cars, the engine featured a higher compression ratio, three Carter side-draft performance carburetors, and a high-lift camshaft. The result was a then-impressive 150 horsepower.

6) Sorry, no stick shift: Because Chevrolet hadn’t yet produced a manual transmission capable of handling 150 horsepower, every 1953 Corvette was fitted with a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission.

7) It was quick for its day (but still relatively slow): The tested 0-to-60 time of the 1953 Corvette was 11.5 seconds, which was impressive for the early 1950s, but slower than many minivans and subcompact cars today.

8) Creature comforts were almost non-existent: Working from the European sports car model of bare-bones roadsters that sacrificed everything for speed, the 1953 Corvette lacked a lot of the amenities we take for granted today. That included having no exterior door-handles, and plastic, snap-on rain curtains instead of roll-up glass side windows.

9) Color combinations were similarly limited: Every 1953 Corvette was painted Polo White, with a red interior and a black canvas top.

10) Chevy almost discontinued the Corvette after one year: Though the Corvette is known today as the longest-selling car nameplate produced by any American maker (Chevrolet also owns the OVERALL longest-produced vehicle marquee, with the Chevy Suburban), the then-high price of around $3,500 meant the 1953 Corvette didn’t sell well, and Chevrolet almost discontinued the ‘Vette after the first year.

4630 E. 32nd Street Joplin MO 64804