Design & Engineering
In the last half of 1953, Chevrolet hand built 300 Corvettes at the Customer Delivery Center (now an academic building at Kettering University) in Flint, Michigan. During this time a factory was being prepped for full-scale 1954 production run.
| The outer body was made out of then-revolutionary fiberglass material. It was selected in part because quotas limited the availability of steel, a post-war problem. Underneath, the new body material were standard components from Chevrolets regular car line, including the "Blue Flame" inline six-cylinder engine, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, and drum brakes. The engines output was increased however due to a triple-carburetor system exclusive to the Corvette, but performance of the car was decidedly "lackluster". Compared to the British and Italian sports cars of the day, the Corvette lacked a manual transmission and required more effort to bring to a stop. |  |
The Corvette, however, was not fitted with roll-up windows, unlike their British competition, such as Morgan. This came about sometime in the 1955 model year. A Paxton centrifugal supercharger became available in 1954 as a dealer-installed option, greatly improving the Corvettes straight-line performance.
Sales, however, continued to decline. The Chevrolet division was GMs entry-level marque and managers at GM were seriously considering shelving the project, leaving the Corvette to be little more than a footnote in automotive history. They would have done so if not for three important events. The first was the 1955 introduction of Chevrolets first V8 engine since 1919. Late in the model year, the new 195 hp (145 kW) 265 small-block became available with a three-speed manual transmission, coupled to a 3.55:1 axle ratio, the only one offered. The engine was fitted with a single Carter 2366S WCFB four-barrel (four-choke) carburetor. The combination turned the "rather anemic Corvette into a credible, if not outstanding, performer". The second was the influence of a Soviet émigré in GMs engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov. The third factor in the Corvettes survival was Fords introduction of the 1955 two-seat Thunderbird, which was billed as a "personal luxury car", not a sports car. Even so, the Ford-Chevrolet rivalry in those days demanded GM not appear to back down from the challenge.
A noteworthy addition was optional fuel injection, introduced in 1957. This new induction system first saw regular use on a gasoline engine two years prior on the Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwing" roadster. Although the Corvettes GM-Rochester system was constant flow, as opposed to the diesel style nozzle metering system of the Mercedes six cylinders, the Vette engine nevertheless produced 290 hp (220 kW). This was underrated by Chevrolets advertising agency for the 283 hp (211 kW) 283 small-block V8 one hp per in³ slogan, making it one of the first mass-produced engines in history to reach 1 hp/in³. In 1962, the enlarged 327 small-block produced a maximum of 360 hp (268 kW). Other early options included power windows (1956), hydraulically operated power convertible top (1956), four speed manual transmission (mid 1957), and heavy duty brake and suspension options (1957). The original concept for the Corvette emblem incorporated an American flag into the design, but was changed well before production since associating the flag with a product was frowned upon.
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