click to enlarge image
Corvette in Allen Motors Showroom
Unpublished Tribune photo from February 17,
1954
click to enlarge image
Corvette in Allen Motors Showroom
Unpublished Tribune photo from February 17,
1954
The Chevrolet sports car, the Corvette, shown above is featured on the display floor of the Allen Motor company here. The Corvette, which was clocked at 137 mph, is powered by a regular Chevrolet motor which develops 160 hp due to the three carburators and the split manifold. A Power-Glide transmission is used. The body of the two-passenger car is made of plastic, the windshield is the new wrap around and has a hide-away canvas top. View photos of Allen Motor Company on the corner of Fifth and Douglas.
1954 was the first full model year for the Chevrolet Corvette. A Chevrolet six cylinder engine, fiberglass body, removable plastic side curtains for windows and a two speed automatic transmission were featured, but were not noteworthy. The plastic side curtains were popular on foreign sports cars at the time such as MGs, but the sports cars could boast a four speed manual transmission, not the Corvette's two speed automatic that was more appropriate for boulevard cruising than performance. Sales figures in 1954 also lagged because of the price. The 1954 Corvette cost $2,774.00 without options, more than a Cadillac that featured a V8 engine and a top that didn't leak. Or you could purchase a real sports car, the Jaguar, that cost less than the Corvette but featured a sophisticated, more powerful engine along with a genuine four speed transmission.
General Motors had prepared an all new just-for-Corvette assembly plant in St. Louis that was equipped to produce 10,000 Corvettes a year. The new factory cranked out only 3,640 1954 Corvettes, a full one-third of which were unsold at the end of the model year. It is reported that dealers were forced to sell many for below their cost.
Chevrolet attempted to widen the appeal of the Corvette by offering new colors, including Pennant Blue and Guardsman Red, although the majority were still Polo White. A few black cars were also built. All of the soft tops were beige, and the Pennant Blue offered a beige interior. The other interiors were red. In the middle of the 1954 model a more aggressive camshaft boosted the horsepower from 150 hp to 155 hp.
Tribune photo published February 17, 1954 |
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1954 Corvette brochure photo |
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| 1. ENGINE -- 150-h.p., high compression, 6-cylinder,
valve-in-head engine with triple side-draft carburetors.
2. EXHAUST SYSTEM--Dual, exhausting through two ports in rear of body. 3. TRANSMISSION--Powerglide Automatic Transmission 4. REAR AXLE--3.55 to 1 ratio hypoid axle. Hotchkiss drive. 5. FRONT SUSPENSION--Knee Action with direct double-acting shock absorbers and ride stabilizer. 6. REAR SUSPENSION--Outrigger-mounted, 2" x 52", 4-leaf springs; direct double acting shock absorbers. 7. FRAME--X-braced Box Girder frame. 8. STEERING--Full anti-friction gear; 16 to 1 ratio. Center-Point linkage. 9. BRAKES--Hydraulic, 4-wheel, 11", self-energizing brakes with bonded linings. Mechanical parking brakes. 10. TIRES--6.70-15. White Sidewalls. |
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ENGINE - "Blue-Flame 150," 150-horsepower, high-compression, 6-cylinder
valve-in-head engine; three side-draft carburetors, shielded ignition,
dual exhaust system, reserve water tank.
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General Motors photo |
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| As introduced in 1953,
the Corvette was mostly a thrown together experiment. Production
was limited to 300 units total, so sales of the entirely new model was
not a problem. The first Corvette reached the end of the assembly
line on June 30, 1953. The first 15 cars were built, all by hand,
in the back of a customer delivery garage in Flint Michigan. The
rest came from a new facility devoted to Corvettes in St. Louis which had
a capacity to build 10,000 cars a year. The first two were engineering
test cars and according to official records, were destroyed. Of the first
300 Corvettes, approximately 225 are known to exist today.
All 1953 Corvettes were Polo White with a red interior and a black canvas top. There were two options offered: a signal seeking AM radio ($145.15) and a heater ($91.40). Although listed as options, all 1953 Corvettes were equipped with both items. The base price was $3,498.00, including the federal excise tax and $248.00 for shipping and handling. The radio had an interesting feature: since fiberglass is electrically inert, the antenna was simply incorporated in the trunk lid. This would not be possible with a conventional steel body. When introduced in 1953, the Corvette featured the "Blue Flame" six cylinder engine. This is not as the Chevrolet engineering team wanted things, but they had no choice. Although other GM marques featured V8 motors they were not willing to share; a very different situation compared to years later when various divisions would feature the same powerplants. It was renowned for reliability but with a rating of 105 HP, performance and sportiness was not included. The engineering staff responded with the usual engine upgrade methods. A more radical camshaft rubbing on solid lifters, dual valve springs, and a higher compression ratio cylinder head (8.0:1; previous was 7.5:1) all contributed to the effort. The largest gain was achieved via an upgrade to the induction system. Three Carter type YH sidedraft carburetors featuring "bullet" air cleaners with an aluminum manifold were incorporated and the output soared to 150 bhp at 4,500 RPM. from The Corvette
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