Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company

 

Harley Earl was a gifted designer. In the early 1950s, he was over 40, had headed the styling department of General Motors for years, and had even made it to the position of vice president of the company. Numerous technical innovations and design elements, such as the well-known tail fins, are based on his ideas. In fact, he could have made history in the automobile industry with his great designs only, but he was unsatisfied. 

For years, European sports car manufacturers have been making money in the USA with models such as the Jaguar XK 120 or the MG TD. The American manufacturers had nothing to compare and Harley Earl thought that an American sports car was needed. 

It took Harley a while before he was able to convince the GM President of a European style sports car idea. The main objection concerned the cost and because of this, Earl planned a fiberglass body for the new car. Their production would be significantly cheaper than that of a steel body.

 

Production

Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company

 

Finally, on June 2, 1952, GM President Curtice gave the go-ahead. Earl had had his department working on the design of the new car for some time, codenamed "Project Opel". The name came to him because he was stationed in Germany for a period after World War II. Due to the preparatory work, Earl was able to present a prototype as early as January 1953: a beautiful white roadster with a red leather interior was presented to the enthusiastic public.

 

Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company

 

The Corvette was first produced by Chevrolet as a concept vehicle to be introduced at the New York Auto Show. However, this concept vehicle attracted so much attention that Chevrolet decided to go into production in a short time. 


Series production began on June 30, 1953 and only 300 Corvettes were produced in 1953. All 300 were handmade at the time, and they were only available in white color. Also, all Corvettes built between 1953 and 1962 were convertibles.

 

Technology

Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company

 

Harley Earl got popular even in Hollywood, because the design of this vehicle was more reminiscent of a sci-fi car than a normal car. However, the technology did not live up to what the exterior promised.

The engineers, who had received no advance warning and had to procure an engine and a chassis within a short time, had resorted to a six-cylinder engine from the pre-war period and in a hurry designed an unbalanced chassis that was not suited for a sports car. The Corvette was able to reach just 106 mph with its 150 hp.

It had no door handles, a plastic sliding window, and a leaking convertible top. Despite this, it was about twice as expensive as any other Chevrolet. For these reasons, the sales figures quickly collapsed after the initial euphoria.

 

Sales

Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company

 

Chevrolet, satisfied with the sales of the previous model, added blue, red, and black color options in 1954 and produced 3,265 Corvette units, but the sales results of this model were not as expected, 1076 units failed to find a buyer. Based on these sales results, Chevrolet built 700 Corvettes in 1955, and they brought the 4.3-liter V8 engine option.

The discontinuation of production has already been discussed, main competitor Ford presented the Thunderbird. It was faster, sportier, and cost $2695, while the Corvette couldn't be had for less than $3523. GM had to accept this challenge.

 

Later Success

Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company

 

The Corvette was given a second chance: the designer Zora Arkus-Duntov revised the chassis, and the chief engineer Edward Cole pushed ahead with the development of a new V8 engine. This engine produced 195 hp from its 4.3 liter displacement and that was well enough for a sprint from 0 to 60 mph in nine seconds. 

With this new V8, the new chassis, and a lowered down price, the Corvette was back on the road to success. In 1956 Earl revised the design: the tail fins disappeared, the new air intakes behind the front wheels were emphasized by the two-tone paintwork. Door handles, crank windows, radio and an electric folding roof increased comfort. 

A year later, the power of the engine, enlarged to 4.6 liter and equipped with fuel injection, increased to 283 hp. However, the new optional four-speed gearbox underscored the sporty claim. 

In 1958 Ford decided to equip the Thunderbird with two additional seats and to target a different target group. In the same year, the Corvette received another facelift to keep customers interested - also an idea from Earl.

 

Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company

 

This Corvette came out with an extended nose, larger exhausts, and new headlights. In addition, the steering wheel was renewed, and all indicators were located directly in front of the driver instead of in the middle console. Later, GM  added different engine options to this model, and production continued into 1960 without any changes.

The success of these measures was reflected in the sales figures, which rose from 3467 to 9168 units annually between 1956 and 1958. In 1960, Chevrolet made its first profit on the Corvette. 

The rear of the Corvette was facelifted again in 1961, four lights now adorned the rear and started giving a glimpse of the second Corvette generation, C2. Because at the time, thanks to the success, production of a sequel was already discussed and agreed upon. A new engine with a volume of 5.3 liters producing 360 horsepower was added to the options and took its place as the last one among the first generation Corvettes.

As early as 1961, however, a new designer was at work: William Mitchell, as Harley Earl's successor, he determined the appearance of the Corvette over the next few years. Incidentally, when designing the Sting Ray, he was inspired by sharks. But this is another story.

 

Protecting a Chevrolet Corvette C1

 

Coverking is the only sensible way to go when you are thinking about the protection of any Chevrolet. They exclusively work with Chevrolet to design the best cover you can use on any part of the car. 

On our time, Chevrolet C1 is a sizeable investment. It’s a very high priced classic and it is also a very delicate machine. The technology is more than 50 years old and anything on this exquisite car can break anytime if you don’t protect it with everything you got. 

You should never keep a Corvette C1 outside but if you have to, you must have the StormProof Car Cover from Coverking. As far as indoor protection goes, you still need the best product on the market and that is the Autobody Armor Car Cover from Coverking.

For the upmost protection of the interior, you should choose the SpartanShield Custom Seat Cover but if you think your classic needs a special touch, you can go for the Specialized Diamond Stitched Custom Seat Cover.


To protect your beautiful dash, we really recommend you to get a Molded Carpet Dash Cover. However, if you want to customize your dash to show more character, you can pick up a Designer Velour Custom Dash Cover.

 

Resources

 

Coverking Links

 

Tankut Basar

Tankut Basar is an ARA (American Rally Assoc.) Racing Driver and an FIA Bronze Category License Holder. His passion for driving began with karting like most racers. He started racing internationally at the age of 22. Tankut loves everything car-related and will keep enjoying the drive until the end.

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