1958 Chevrolet Corvettes In the late ‘50s, America’s consumer tastes took a bit of a gaudy turn. General Motors responded in kind with huge Cadillacs, while for the 1958 model year, Chevrolet offered a redesigned convertible that featured new body panels, hood louvers, dual headlights, heavily chromed grill and bumpers, reconfigured dash and gauges, silver wheels and parallel chrome ‘spears’ that conformed to the trunk curvature. This one-year only accent made the ’58 the flashiest of the first generation Corvettes. The reliable 283 cube overhead valve V8 continued to dwell under ’58 Vette hoods, with a 230 hp 1x4 carb unit as the base motor. Optional engines were 245 hp 2x4, 250 hp fuel-injected, 270 hp 2x4 and 290 hp fuel-injected. With a 3-speed on the floor as standard equipment, options were a 4-speed manual or Powerglide 2-speed auto transmission. Addressing safety concerns, 1958 Vettes were factory equipped with seat belts for the first time. Chevy, by then, committed to the Corvette brand with 9,168 convertibles built, expanded the number of available paint, interior and soft top colors palette to include: Body colors: Charcoal, Snowcrest White, Silver Blue, Regal Turquoise, Panama Yellow, Signet Red, Tuxedo Black [...]

1957 Chevrolet Corvettes At last, in 1957, the Chevrolet Corvette truly came into its own. Base-priced at $3,176.32, the sexy body was basically unchanged from the ’56 model, while the addition of optional fuel-injection and, late in the production run, four-speed stick on the floor completed the build of a proper sports car that could be readily tricked out for effective race track use. GM had learned from its European counterparts that success on the track translated into sales in showrooms. The dealer’s motto became “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” Chevrolet increased production dramatically, to 6,339 cars, most of which are still zooming about today. Facing no direct domestic market segment competition then and to a lesser degree even today, the Corvette built on its foundation to establish a market niche GM came to count on for strong sales that burnished the reputation of both Chevy and its parent, General Motors. Now committed to Corvette’s growth, a bigger 283 cube V8 engine came in six configurations: base 220 hp 1x4 carb; 245 hp 2x4 carbs; 250 hp fuel injected; 270 hp 2x4 carbs; 283 hp fuel injected; and for racing, option package 579D, 283 hp fuel-injected with an airbox intake with steering column mounted tach [...]

1956 Chevrolet Corvettes The top brass at GM upped the ante for the 1956 Corvette. For the first time, a Vette could be ordered with a racing package of options that made the car truly fun to drive. With a smaller footprint and a sexy body unabashedly influenced by European aesthetics, the V8 powered ’56 Corvette, with a three-speed manual on the floor, put the Corvette brand firmly in the upper tier of the world’s sports cars. It was quick, handled much better than its longer wheel-based predecessors, and was raced nationally by pros and amateurs alike. Thus, the brand’s foundation as America’s Only True Sports Car was laid. Chevrolet built 3,467 1956 Corvette roadsters, in six color schemes: Onyx Black/red interior; Aztec Copper/beige; Cascade Green/beige; Arctic Blue/beige-red; Venetian Red/red; and Polo White/red. Wheels were painted black, copper, green, blue and red, respectively. Beige or white soft tops were fitted on all examples. For the ’56 Vettes, engine bays were fitted with one of three V8s: 210 hp 1x4 carb; 225 hp 2x4 carbs; or 240 hp 2x4 carbs with high-lift camshaft (Duntov Cam) in the racing set-up engine. With a base price of $3,120 for a 210 hp car with three-speed floor-mounted stick shifted manual trans [...]

1955 Chevrolet Corvettes The 1955 model year brought about a few major changes to the Corvette. However, Chevy was not all that confident that the Corvette brand would fly, as it were, given that only 700 examples were built. The outside of the ‘55s remained basically unchanged, but Chevrolet added a V8 option and 3-speed manual transmission. In fact, there were only seven cars produced with the six cylinder engine. The other 693 ’55 roadsters were powered by a 265 cube, 195 hp V8, which produced sufficient torque to improve performance significantly. And, though records are unclear, about 75 ‘55s were built with three-speed manual transmissions, as they became available mid-production run. Optional paint finishes numbered five: Polo White; Pennant Blue, Corvette Copper; Gypsy Red and Harvest Gold. Other ‘options’ were mostly required, and were the same as in previous years, as was the base price ($2,774). Correcting a key weakness in the initial design, a 6-volt electrical system, V8-powered ’55 Vettes, and all subsequent Corvettes, were and are wired with a 12 volt system, greatly improving reliability and drivability. The ’55 model is a bridge between designs, as the V8 and 12 volt upgrades pointed toward the Corvet [...]