-56 Chevrolet Corvette (for sale)

by Asgeir M. Roald September 28, 2018

History

The Chevrolet Corvette (C1) is the first generation of the Corvette sports car produced by Chevrolet. It was introduced late in the 1953 model year, and produced through 1962. It is commonly referred to as the "solid-axle" generation, as the independent rear suspension did not appear until the 1963 Sting Ray. The Corvette was rushed into production for its debut model year to capitalize on the enthusiastic public reaction to the concept vehicle, but expectations for the new model were largely unfulfilled. Reviews were mixed and sales fell far short of expectations through the car's early years. The program was nearly canceled, but Chevrolet would ultimately stay the course.

Soldiers returning after serving overseas in the years following World War II were bringing home MGs, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, and the like. In 1927 General Motors hired designer Harley Earl who loved sports cars, and Earl convinced GM that they needed to build a two-seat sports car. His Special Projects crew began working on the new car, "Project Opel" in late 1951. The result was the hand-built, EX-122 pre-production Corvette prototype, which was first shown to the public at the 1953 General Motors Motorama at Waldorf Astoria in New York City on January 17, 1953.

Design and engineering

To keep costs down, GM executive Robert F. McLean mandated off-the-shelf mechanical components, and used the chassis and suspension design from the 1949–1954 Chevrolet passenger vehicles. The drivetrain and passenger compartment were moved rearward to achieve a 53/47 front-to-rear weight distribution. It had a 102-inch wheelbase. The engine was a 3.85 liter inline six engine that was similar to the 235 engine that powered all other Chevrolet car models, but with a higher-compression ratio, three Carter side-draft carburetors, mechanical lifters, and a higher-lift camshaft. Output was 150 horsepower. The body engineer for the Corvette was Ellis James Premo. He presented a paper to the Society of Automotive Engineers in 1954 regarding the development of the body. Several excerpts highlight some of the key points in the body material choice:

The body on the show model was made of reinforced plastic purely as an expedient to get the job done quickly.

Although we were going ahead with the building of an experimental plastic body in order to get a car rolling for chassis development work – at the time of the Waldorf Show, we were actually concentrating body-design-wise on a steel body utilizing Kirksite tooling for the projected production of 10,000 units during the 1954 model year. It was some time later that we decided to produce this quantity in reinforced plastic.

About this time, some doubt was expressed that we should build the 1954 model of steel. People seemed to be captivated by the idea of the fiberglass plastic body. Furthermore, information being given to us by the reinforced plastic industry seemed to indicate the practicality of fabricating plastic body parts for automobiles on a large scale.

1953–1955

The 1953 model year was not only the Corvette's first production year, but at 300 produced it was also the lowest-volume Corvette. The cars were essentially hand-built and techniques evolved during the production cycle, so that each 1953 Corvette is slightly different. All 1953 models had Polo White exteriors, red interiors, and black canvas soft tops. Order guides showed heaters and AM radios as optional, but all 1953 models were equipped with both. Over two hundred 1953 Corvettes are known to exist today. They had independent front suspension, but featured a rigid axle supported by longitudinal leaf springs at the rear. The cost of the first production model Corvettes in 1953 was $3490.

The quality of the fiberglass body as well as its fit and finish was lacking. Other problems, such as water leaks and doors that could open while the car was driven, were reported with the most severe errors corrected in subsequent units produced, but some shortcomings continued beyond the Corvette's inaugural year. By December 1953, Chevrolet had a newly equipped factory in St. Louis ready to build 10,000 Corvettes annually. However, negative customer reaction in 1953 and early 1954 models caused sales to plummet.

1956–1957

Although Chevrolet struggled to make the Corvette popular, there was no doubt Chevrolet was in the sports car business with the release of the 1956 model. It featured a new body, a much better convertible top with power assist optional, real glass roll up windows (also with optional power assist) and an optional hardtop. The 3-speed manual transmission was standard. The Powerglide Automatic was optional. The six-cylinder engine was gone. The V8 remained at 265 cu in (4.3 L), but power ranged from 210 to 240 hp (157 to 179 kW). The volume was 3,467, a low number by any contemporary standard and still less than 1954s 3,640, meaning this was the third lowest-volume model in Corvette history.

Source: Wikipedia

This specific car was imported from USA in 1986. The car had evident signs of wear and tear, but it was still in a fairly good condition when it was bought. While in the US, the new owner purchased a complete new interior, windscreen, exhaust, wire harness and various other new parts.

After a couple of years the owner decided to restore the car. The 350 cui engine fitted in the car was replaced by a period correct 265 cui / 210 hp engine. Before installation, the engine was completely rebuilt by Widmer Motor in Lillesand, Norway. The body was stripped down, and deteriorated patches/areas of fiberglass was replaced.

The restoration process halted for a few years, before it was completed in 2007. The body was painted, and all movable parts in the front suspension was replaced (kingpins, joints, brakes, steering mechanism).

The car is listed on finn.no at 585.000.- NOK