Motor City Minute: Corvette Turns 58
The President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, proclaimed June 30th, 1953 as “America’s Sports Car Day” in honor of the new Corvette. Today some 58 years later more than 1.5 million Corvettes have been produced.
The first time the public saw Harley J. Earl’s “Dream Car”, the Corvette, was in January 1953 at the Motorama display at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. On June 30, 1953 the Corvette went into full production (each car was built by hand) at the GM facility in Flint, Michigan, where 300 Corvettes were built that year. All 1953 Corvettes were white with a red interior, all had Powerglide automatic transmissions mated to 150 HP, six cylinder engines with three carburetors and dual exhaust. This is the rarest Corvette. Of the 300 built, 255 are accounted for today. Due to a shortage of wheel covers, the first 25 cars were delivered with the standard Chevrolet “baby moon” passenger car wheel cover. All of the 1953 production were convertibles with black canvas tops.
| Wheelbase: 102″ | Track: 57″ Front / 58.8″ Rear | Height: 51.5″ Over Windshield |
| Length: 167.3″ | Width: 69.8″ | Curb Weight: 2,886 lbs. |
| Tire Size: 6.70×15″ | Fuel Tank: 18 gal. | Plant: Flint, MI |
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Serial Numbers: E53001001 through E53F001300
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Corvette Options in 1953
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Code
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Description
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Quantity
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MSRP
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2934
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Base Corvette Convertible
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300
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$3,498.00
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101A
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Heater
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300
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91.40
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101B
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AM Radio
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300
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145.15
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Colors Available in 1953
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| Exterior | Quantity | Soft Top | Wheels | Interior |
| Polo White | 300 | Black | Red | Red |
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1 Comment
……Mai 12th 2009 …………………Fom the time of its introduction as a 1953 model limited to 300 Polo White convertibles the Corvette was intended to be an open roadster. The 1953 and 1954 Corvettes were as was often the case in Detroit still a work in progress when introduced..Such missteps have killed many Detroit makes but the Corvette got a second start in 1955 and a year later a new lease on life that has been running uninterrupted for more than half a century..As a convertible the Corvette was desirable especially after it was powered with a V8 and finally a manual transmission late in 1955.