In 1954 the Corvette was in its second year of production, after just 300 copies were built the year before. The car was in danger of cancellation at the end of each of its first three years, but the styling changes made for 1956 would finally help it get some traction. This ’54 ‘Vette has been in the same family since taking original delivery, having been passed from father to daughter. After sitting idle for the last 34 years, it’s time for the car to move on. Located with a dealer (?) in Miami, Florida, this Corvette is available here on eBay where the bidding has reached $32,612,
The Corvette arrived on the scene two years before Ford rolled out its Thunderbird, but the only thing they had in common was the number of seating positions. The ‘Vette had an inline “Blue Flame” six-cylinder engine paired with a 2-speed Powerglide automatic, a bit off for an automobile positioned as a sports car. For 1954, they could be had in some color other than white, and Chevrolet managed to sell 3,640 of them that year.
It’s rare when a 67-year-old car has never changed hands outside the family, but this Corvette is one of those cases. The car was active until 1987, accumulating 83,000 miles between the father and daughter owners. We don’t know why it entered storage, but it managed to obtain one repaint and re-covered bucket seats along the way. The interior looks mostly good, but the car is going to need another respray if you’re seeking the kind of perfection which most ‘Vette owners from this generation would be seeking.
The drivetrain is said to be matching numbers and the car runs quite well. The engine looks as though it was recently pulled apart and then repainted, but that doesn’t seem to be the situation. The Corvette’s engine was rated at either 150 or 155 hp, the only way to know which-is-which is to know about the camshaft design change that was made mid-way during 1954 production.
Almost everything on this car is original, including the side windows and convertible top, which needs replacing. The seller has added a new set of tires. 1953-55 Corvettes can fetch big bucks. A ’54 like this one is Fair condition is worth about $35,000 and Concours could be north of $150,00, according to the gurus at Hagerty.
I remember back in the 80’s reading an article in Vette Vues about a ‘54 that was sealed up in a concrete block building with no way to drive it out-no garage door. Fast forward some 40 years and this one should be worth much more. GLWTA.
They don’t mention if it is a driver but the gear selector is laying on the floor and the steering column is disassembled where it should mount. Nice car though.
There is nothing wrong with the shifter or the steering column. The shifter is positioned right where it should be.
The 1954 VIN assembly number started with 1001. This car’s VIN (E54S004227) makes it likely the 155 HP six is under the hood.
looking at it now on a full size monitor it appears you are correct. On my phone it did not look correct. I never knew they looked like that on these older models
My uncle had a 55 with the V8, and the powerglide lever looked like the one in the picture
Will need to replace the aircraft seat belts. Also why take pics of a convertible in the rain?
Those seat belts speak volumes of the car’s heritage. I can only wonder what the original owner was using the car for that they opted to install belts at a time
When no-one other than one required to for racing would install let alone don them. They look cool and would do nothing in an accident, but i would rock them to let people know that car means business
I put seatbelts in my ’56 Chevy in 1960, clearly safer than no seat belts. Got them from Sears, drilled holes, Sears kit had plates to put under the floor pan, never very sure how strong they were, but better than nothing.
And I put shoulder belts in the back seat of my ’81 Pontiac Phoenix, the Canadians required them so the mounts were there, it took a while for the US to catch up.
@greg…Ya don’t suppose the wet windshield was to hide the big crack in the windshield, do Ya?
Maybe, as no mention of it in the description
Like it really needed a competition seat belt! People are paying big money for a 53 these days. 100% stock is the only way to go with this vette.
It’s not so much the style change that saved the Corvette. It was the dumping of the i6 in favor of the v8 that changed Chevrolet’s automotive history
I owned and drove one daily from 1966 to 1968, year round, in New England. It had aftermarket aircraft type lap belts, was as reliable as any Chevy 6 of the l950’s, which means VERY reliable, fiberglass was crazed, but not torn, had the plexiglass side curtains so scratched up you could to really not see through them, leaked water when it rained, and, previous owner routed the exhaust through the bumpers (where it was originally designed to go) so exhaust pulled up over the trunk into the passenger compartment – Chevy had changed it to have the exhaust just drop onto the road in front of the rear end of the body with fake end pipes through the body. The 3 Carter sidedraft carbs all leaked gasoline, could have been the end of the whole car, but leaks were just a drop at a time. Wonderbar radio worked. Despite the 2 speed Powerglide it accelerated well for 1954, and was still quite able in 1968. I could not leave it at a train station to take the train into New York City, let alone drive it in, for fear of theft of parts, if not the whole car, but never worried about it breaking down, unlike my ’60 Jag which I really dared take nowhere I could not be towed home.
With those leaky carbs, i would think one could conceivably replace this stovebolt 6 with a common ’60s 250 strait 6 that’s 190 LBS! lighter with the same horsepower from ONE incredibly reliable 1 barrel rochester monojet carb & single exhaust!
I doubt anyone’s ever tried, tho. But imagine the handling & braking gains.
The incorrect thin whitewalls here look ok here & actually make the car look newer than it is.
Well, the 283 V8 would fit, as would later versions of that block as well. With the original 6 it was very nose heavy and not happy about going around corners, especially in the snow. Not that anyone is going to drive one in the snow at this point in time.
Was this the one with pictures of the daughter with the car in her living room after she took it out of the store’s tomb it had been in ? Been for sale for a while now…..