“America’s Sports Car,” the Chevrolet Corvette, debuted in 1953. The first year saw only 300 copies produced, largely by hand assembly. Once the car reached its final home, production increased to 3,640 units in 1954. The seller’s car is one of them and has had its engine rebuilt and a manual transmission installed. After 57 years in the same family, this Corvette needs some TLC to be a player again. Located near Rockford, Illinois, this early C1 ‘Vette is available here on craigslist for $54,500. An attaboy goes to “T.J.” for the tip.
In 1953, if you bought a new Corvette, you could have it in any color you wanted as long as it was white. They expanded the color palette in 1954, but white was still the overwhelming choice. The car still only came with a “Blue Flame” inline-6 for power, paired with a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. The latter may have inhibited sales since sports cars are supposed to have manual trannies, right? The seller’s vehicle had the transmission swapped some time ago, and we assume it’s a 3-speed.
Though the odometer reads 56,000 miles, the six-cylinder has been rebuilt, but that was two years ago and it wasn’t run-in. The Powerglide was saved and will come with the car should you want to go back to period-correct. We’re told the suspension has been rebuilt, too, and a bunch of spare parts will come with the sale, including some OEM. It has both the hard and soft tops, though the latter will need a new canvas.
The fiberglass body and paint look really good, but we’re unsure of the interior due to the types of photos. The car lives in a dry, enclosed trailer, and it was gel-coated, perhaps why the vehicle has held up nicely. The chrome bits were redone about a decade ago. Since the seller has a trailer, he/she can facilitate delivery within 50 miles. We’re told this car is #1488 out of the 1954 total, suggesting it was assembled in late 1953.
Leave A Comment