The first five Corvettes to come off the
assembly line did not have an outside rear view mirror.
The only thing really new on the 1953
Corvette was the fiberglass body. Everything else was directly off the
Chevrolet parts shelf. Because of this, the first Corvette was essentially
a regular 1952 Chevrolet that looked like a million dollars!
Of the 314 Corvettes hand built in 1953
only 183 were sold because of "average" performance at such a
high price, $3513 the Jaguar Xk120 sold for $3345, $168 less than the
Corvette.
There are 13 vertical bars or
"teeth" are in the grill of 1956 Corvettes.
One of the few ways to differentiate
between a 1956 and 1957 Corvette without opening the hood is to look at
the inside rear view mirror. On the 1956 model, it adjusts with a
thumbscrew, on the 1957 adjustment requires a wrench to loosen the
locknut.
The "Polo White" color was last
used in 1957.
1957 was the first year a limited slip
differential was offered as an option.
1958 was the LAST year of the tach with the
"cumulative engine revolution counter" which first appeared in
the 1953 Corvette. In 1958 the tach was used on 230, 245, and 250 hp cars
and NOT on the 270 and 290 hp cars. The Part number is #1548631 for 1958.
Optional engines in 1956 had nine fin alloy
valve covers, 1957 had seven or nine fin alloy valve covers, and the 1958
had seven fin alloy covers on optional engines.
Before 1958, the only Acrylic lacquer paint
used was on the "Inca Silver" Vettes.
Sun visors became a Corvette option in
1959.
Nylon belted tires first became available
on the 1960 Corvette, prior to 1960 only cotton was offered.
The 1961 Corvette was the last year to
feature "Wide Whitewall" tires.
The 1961 Corvette was the first to not have
the "round" nose emblem.
In 1961, the big grill teeth disappeared
forever, replaced by a fine mesh.
1962 Was the last of the solid rear axle
Corvettes and the last year for the power top on the roadster.
