While the 1954 Chevrolet Corvette only differed in details from the introductory 1953 model, Chevy made several efforts to make the car more desirable to consumers, including reducing the list price from $3,498 to $2,774. There was a catch, though, as I’ll point out later in this post. This basket case project 1954 model is listed for sale here on eBay, where bidding has just passed $10,000 but has not yet met the reserve. The car is currently located in Walker, Louisiana, and is keeping another project Corvette company at the moment, judging from the pictures.
The seller doesn’t tell us much about the car other than that it is fresh out of 35 years of storage and that there are no other parts included apart from what is pictured in and on top of the car. As you can see, the fiberglass body has been worked on previously and it’s difficult for me to judge the condition of the body surface without an in-person inspection. The car appears to have been Polo White with a red interior, as were approximately 80% of 1954 Corvettes (and essentially all 1953s).
Some of the necessary fiberglass work will be attaching these rear fender tips. At least they are included, although it’s not clear whether these are original or reproduction parts (I suspect reproduction since there appear to be no holes in them). Before I forget, a big “thank you!” to Barn Finds reader Larry D. for submitting this find!
On the left side of this collage, you can see the interior with no gauges in place. Surprisingly, the seat upholstery doesn’t look bad and might clean up nicely. On the right, some of the components that come with the car. There’s no telling what is actually missing, but some of the unique 53-55 car components appear to be present. By the way, about that $2,774 list price? That was really just something Chevrolet used to get folks into showrooms to see their “First of the dream cars to come true,” as they described the Corvette in print advertising. Actually, the out-the-door price after all the mandatory options were included was only slightly reduced from 1953 at $3254.10! Lots of folks were turned off by this practice, as well as the lack of a manual transmission and V-8. The result was by the end of 1954, Chevy dealers had around 1,500 of the 3,640 1954 Corvettes built still in inventory, and as this car’s serial number is 3459 of the 1001-4640 sequential numbers, it may well have been one of the leftovers.
The “Blue Flame” six-cylinder engine’s output was raised by five horsepower for 1954 to 155, but this one is going to take a lot of work before you can experience it in this car. Is the view worth the climb? Have any of you driven these original series Corvettes? If so, please share your experiences in the comment section!
Is the maroon color an old repaint or is it the color of the gelcoat/resin under the paint?
Gel coat was white on the53 and early 54. After early 54 they didnt use gel coat any longer as they had refined the molding process. The maroon is likely a lacquer based primer
This one and the one posted earlier could possibly make one good car
Looks like an old unloved dog left out in the cold…dont try to pet it, it only knows how to bite…poor guy
One more ’54 Vette on BF for 2021 making this probably the most posted model this year. 18 with a few more days left.
“I know what I got!” Whatever.
Us too!!
Is it contagious?
I don’t see any wheel hubcaps and originals are darn difficult to find and expensive.
Hard to tell where to start the re-build process. My dad had two of these both purchased new in So.Cal. He wrecked the first one by rear-ending a Buick. Had the second one till ‘56 when he bought a new T-Bird. Later bought a new ‘58 Vette with 2X4’s & a power-glide.Drove it from factory back to CA.
@Jamie Palmer
You wrote: “and as this car’s serial number is 3459 of the 1001-4640 sequential numbers, it may well have been one of the leftovers.”
Of course, since the serial number portion of the VIN on the 1954 Corvettes begins with #1001, that means this car is actually #2459 off of the 1954 assembly line.
Yes, Larry but if 1500 were left over at the end of the year it would reflect anything above serial number 3140. That would include this one which is serial number is 3459 as Jamie clearly states in the article
I wasn’t saying whether this car was in the group of 1500 unsold ’54s at the end of the year, I was merely saying that this car was the 2459th car off the line. Many people don’t think about or even know the first car was #1001.
Many years ago, I had to burst a guy’s bubble in that regard. He was selling the “Last 1954 Corvette Made”. It was car #3640. I wrote and told him his car was actually the 2640th car made in ’54 due to the first car being #1001. He was also claiming his car was the last 6-cylinder Corvette made too. So I had to tell him there were some 6-cylinder cars made in 1955 too.
He seemed not to believe me at first and continued to advertise it that way. But apparently enough people advised him about it. Because he kept advertising the car but without saying it was the last ’54.
4640-1500= 3140, so serial number 3439 would be in the orphan group
You mean #3459 :-)
Jack has it right, as I intended.
Jamie, you asked if any of us have ever driven a 1953-55 Corvette. I not only have driven one but I owned a 1955 for a little over two years. It was car #541 out of the 700 made that year.
These are terrible-driving cars. The seats are fairly thin so you really feel like you are sitting on the floor, similar to a go-kart. Your legs are straight out in front of you. Of course, they had no power steering or power brakes until 1963 so steering is done by way of that big, old pizza pan steering wheel for leverage. But that large wheel puts it close to your legs as you are driving and the wheel is in an almost vertical position. I was much thinner when I owned that ’55 so I would have a tough time getting in/out of that car now and the steering wheel would probably rub my legs the whole time. Also, the steering is very vague.
The non-power 4-wheel drum brakes are very vague at best. I never did put myself in a dangerous position when driving this car.
Of course, Corvettes had no roll-up windows until 1956. They had bolt-in plastic windows called side curtains. They have a large vent window at the front which serves two purposes. One, it is great for ventilation since you can’t roll the windows down. But also, the 1953-55s have no way to lock the doors and they have NO exterior door handles so the vent windows are necessary to reach inside the car to open the door. This also means you cannot lock your car.
As a side note, the side curtains are drafty as hell when driving which causes the convertible top to balloon going down the road. Also, being so drafty also means they leak a lot of water, whether the car is being washed or driven in the rain.
The radio is the tube type so it takes it a couple of minutes for the tubes to warm up before it plays.
All in all, these are great cars to look at but not much to drive.
Was thinking the same thing. If your blessed to own/have a large garage to park in your cave to be admired or have a couple spots where the annual car shows or coffee meets are, then all well & fine to own. To have one to take out for the 250 mile, 6 hour mountain loop like here in ID, I’d want a slightly newer vette like a ’57 on up for those weekend drives.
Larry, thanks for sharing! I’ve never even sat in a 53 to 55, so it’s great to hear from someone who knows so much!
People,people why and how so many old corvettes come from the same place Walker La. Keep your money
I used to know a guy in Bastrop, LA who sold lots of old Corvettes. I have no idea how close those two places are to each other or if there could be a connection.
Let’s see, needs everything, drives terribly when you’re done restoring, uncomfortable and noisy. I’d pass on this thing at 1/10th the price.
32 bids and sold for 23,900—you could have made a lot of money at 1/10th the price.
Resto mod with a Alston chassis and a LS
Might as well get one of those Kindig carbon fiber cars.
Or an Art Morrison chassis.