Chevrolet Corvette Roadster 1953, Estados Unidos

Chevrolet Corvette Roadster 1953, Estados Unidos
Motor: 235 CI
Exterior: Branco (Polo White)
Interior: Vermelho
Fotografia

HIGHLIGHTS

No. 299 of 300 produced

Purchased by the seller's father in the early 1980s

The plan was to treat the car as a piece of art and put it in their house, but the car was placed in storage instead

The car was passed on to his son in 2004 and it remained in storage until 2016

In 2016, the car was removed from storage and the mechanicals were gone through

The engine was rebuilt and the transmission and brakes were serviced

The carpets and seats were replaced

Matching numbers 235 CI Blue Flame Six engine

Triple side-draft carburetors

Powerglide automatic transmission

Polo White lacquer paint

Red interior

Black soft top

The popularization of European sports cars in America was already well underway when GM Design Chief Harley Earl arrived at the 1951 Watkins Glen International Sports Car Grand Prix to oversee the display of his Buick Le Sabre concept car. However, his focus soon turned to the flock of racing machinery that assembled for the race. The spectacle of the race left a deep impression on Earl that he took back to corporate headquarters, where he tasked his styling department with drafting a small, inexpensive sports car with a clearly American character. With the enthusiastic backing of GM President Harlow Curtice and Chevrolet’s top executives, Earl’s creation famously debuted on November 13, 1953, at the GM Motorama in New York City, establishing the signature blend of Polo White paint, red interior and black soft top that completed all 300 of the first-year Corvettes. The Corvette, however, ran into increasing internal resistance as it stumbled out of the gate, and it would require the efforts of Earl, incoming Chevrolet President Ed Cole and engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov to remain faithful to the cause until it took flight on its own. From 1956 on, Corvette has remained a fixture as America’s Sports Car, and that first edition continues to enjoy great appeal with collectors. No. 299 of the 300 built, this 1953 Chevrolet Corvette was purchased by the seller’s father in the early 1980s with a plan to display it in the family home as an “objet d’art.” Instead, it was placed in storage, where it remained after it was passed on to the son in 2004. Once the Corvette was removed from storage in 2016, it received a thorough mechanical inspection. The triple-carbureted 235 CI Blue Flame Six was rebuilt, the Powerglide 2-speed automatic transmission and brakes were serviced, and the seats and carpets were replaced. Otherwise unchanged, this penultimate 1953 Corvette has passed the years in fine fashion as a wonderful artifact of Corvette history.