The Corvette Story

Corvette: Year by Year

1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Part III

Above: All 1953-55 Corvettes had removable (as opposed to roll up/down) plastic windows. Black oilcloth bags were used for storage.

Below: Along with the Polo White exterior, all 1953 Corvettes came with a black canvas soft top.

The 1953 thru 1957 Corvettes featured full instrumentation, which included oil pressure, battery, water temperature, fuel and tachometer. The bad news was that they were centrally located. The joke of the day was that the passenger had a better view of the tachometer.

Left: Bumpers, both front and rear, were purely decorative and offered no protection. Right: Tube type whitewall tires were mounted on steel wheels. Wheel covers were a faux knock-off design. A few cars came from the factory with dome wheel covers.

Despite what these official press photos may imply, hardtops were not an option supplied by Chevrolet. Aftermarket sources did supply them and in some cases they were sold by Chevrolet dealers.

GM press photos courtesy Skip Marketti of The Nethercutt Collection

Above left: Back to basics; the 1953 Corvette in pieces. The fiberglass body was highly labor intensive which explains the high purchase price. The tail light fin areas were particularly difficult to work with. Middle, right: the production line, with not a robot in sight.

1953 Corvette, Part I
1953 Corvette, Part II

1953 Corvette Options

Next: 1954 Corvette

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Corvette: Year by Year

Part III

Just Announced!