1958–1960 Chevrolet Corvette (C1)

 

The Chevrolet war vessel (C1) is that the 1st generation of the war vessel sports automobile created by Chevrolet. 

It absolutely was introduced late within the 1953 model year, and created through 1962. it's normally brought up because the "solid-axle" generation, because the freelance rear suspension failed to seem till the 1963 Sting Ray. The war vessel was rush into production for its debut model year to exploit the evangelistic public reaction to the thought vehicle, however expectations for the new model were for the most part unrealized. Reviews were mixed and sales fell way wanting expectations through the car's early years. The program was nearly canceled, however Chevrolet would ultimately keep the course.

History

Origin 1951

In 1927 General Motors employed designer Harley Earl World Health Organization idolised sports cars. GIs returning when serving overseas within the years following war II were delivery home MGs, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, and therefore the like. In 1951, Nash Motors began marketing a fashionable two-seat sports automobile, the Nash-Healey, that was created in partnership with the Italian designer Pinin meal and British automobile engineer Donald Healey, however there have been few moderate-priced models. Earl convinced gram that they required to create a two-seat sports automobile, and together with his Special comes crew began functioning on the new automobile, "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 the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on January 17, 1953. Production began six months later. The car is now located at the Kerbeck Corvette museum in Atlantic City and is believed to be the oldest Corvette in existence.

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 235 cubage unit (3.85 L) 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 (110 kilowatts). Because there was currently no manual transmission available to Chevrolet rated to handle 150 HP, a two-speed Powerglide automatic was used. 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time was 11.5 seconds.

During the last half of 1953, 300 Corvettes were to large degree hand-built on a makeshift assembly line that was installed in an old truck plant in Flint, Michigan whereas a works was being prepped for a complete 1954 production run. The outer body was created out of then-revolutionary optical fibre strengthened plastic material. though steel shortages or quotas area unit generally mentioned as an element within the call to use fibreglass, no proof exists to support this. In calendar years 1952 and 1953 Chevrolet created nearly two million steel bodied life-size rider cars and therefore the supposed production volume of ten,000 war vessel for 1954 was solely alittle fraction of that.

The body engineer for the war vessel was Ellis James Premo. He given a paper to the Society of Automotive Engineers in 1954 concerning the event of the body. many excerpts highlight a number of the key points within the body material choice:

    The body on the show model was product of strengthened plastic strictly as AN expedient to induce the task done quickly.

 though we tend to were going ahead with the building of AN experimental plastic body so as to induce a automobile rolling for chassis development work – at the time of the Waldorf Show, we tend to were truly concentrating body-design-wise on a steel body utilizing Kirksite tooling for the projected production of ten,000 units throughout the 1954 model year. it absolutely was your time later that we tend to determined to supply this amount in strengthened plastic.

 concerning now, some doubt was expressed that we must always build the 1954 model of steel. individuals appeared to be captivated by the concept of the fibreglass plastic body. moreover, data being given to North American nation by the strengthened plastic business appeared to indicate the utility of fabricating plastic body components for vehicles on an outsized scale.

A fifty five degree raked windscreen was product of glass, whereas the registration number plate holder was set back within the trunk, lined with a plastic window. beneath the new body material were commonplace elements from Chevrolet's regular automobile line, as well as the "Blue Flame" inline six-cylinder engine, two-speed Powerglide transmission, and drum brakes. The engine's output, 136 H.P. (101 kW), was accumulated but from a Carter triple-carburetor system exclusive to the war vessel, however performance of the automobile was by all odds "lackluster". Compared to country and Italian sports cars of the day, the war vessel lacked a manual transmission and needed a lot of effort to bring back a stop, however like their British competition, like Morgan, wasn't fitted with roll-up windows; this could got to wait till someday within the 1956 model year. A Paxton centrifugal compressor became out there in 1954 as a dealer-installed possibility, greatly rising the Corvette's straight-line performance, however sales continued  to say no.

The Chevrolet division was GM's entry-level brand name. Managers at gram were seriously considering shelving the project, going the war vessel to be very little quite a footnote in automotive history, and would have done therefore if not for 3 vital events. {the 1st|the primary} was the 1955 introduction of Chevrolet's first V8 engine since 1919. Late within the model year, the new 195 H.P. (145 kW) 265 small-block became out there with a Powerglide transmission, till the center of the assembly year once a manual 3-speed became out there, coupled to a three.55:1 shaft quantitative relation, the sole one offered. The engine was fitted with one 2218S or 2351S WCFB four-barrel (four-choke) Carter carburettor. the mixture turned the "rather anemic war vessel into a reputable if not outstanding performer". The second was the influence of a Russian émigré in GM's engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov. The third think about the Corvette's survival was Ford's introduction of the 1955 two-seat spirit, that was beaked as a "personal luxury car", not a sports automobile. Even so, the Ford-Chevrolet contention in those days demanded gram not seem to go into reverse from the challenge. the first thought for the war vessel emblem incorporated AN American flag into the look, however was modified well before production since associating the flag with a product was frowned upon.

1958–1960

In AN era of chrome and 4 headlamps, the war vessel succumbed to the design of the day. The 1958 model year and therefore the four that followed all had the exposed four-headlamp treatment and outstanding grills, however a faux-louvered hood and chrome trunk spears were distinctive to 1958. the inside and instruments were updated, as well as putting a tach directly before of the driving force. For the 1958 model, AN 8000 rate tach was used with the 270 H.P. (200 kW) and 290 H.P. engines, instead of the 6000 rate units employed in the lower horespower engines. elective engine selections enclosed 2 with twin carburetors (including a 270 H.P. model with Carter 2613S and 2614S WCFB four-barrels) and 2 with fuel injection system. Power output for the very best rated fuel-injected engine was 290 H.P.. Displacement remained 283 CID. For the primary time, seat belts were factory-installed instead of being dealer-installed as on previous models. Rare choices were RPO 684 heavy brakes and suspension (144), RPO 579 250 H.P. engine (554), RPO 276 15"×5.5" wheels (404).
For the 1959 model, engines and HP ratings failed to amendment. Interiors were revised slightly with totally different instrument graphics and therefore the addition of a storage bin to the rider aspect. A positive reverse opposition shifter with "T" handle was commonplace with 4-speed manual transmission. This was the sole year a turquoise convertible prime color might be ordered, and every one 24-gallon fuel tank models through 1962 couldn't be ordered with convertible tiptop attributable to inadequate house for the folding prime mechanism. Rare options: RPO 684 heavy brakes and suspension (142), RPO 686 gold brakes (333), RPO 276 15"×5.5" wheels (214), RPO 426 power windows (547), RPO 473 power convertible prime (661).
Last options to look in 1960 models enclosed tailamps formed into the rear fenders and significant grill teeth. New options embrace Al radiators, however solely with 270 H.P. and 290 H.P. engines. conjointly for the primary time, all fuel-injection engines needed manual transmissions. The Sixties Cascade inexperienced was gold, distinctive to the year and therefore the rarest color at a hundred and forty created. Rare options: RPO 579 250 H.P. engine (100), RPO 687 heavy brakes and suspension (119), RPO 276 15"×5.5" wheels (246), RPO 473 power convertible top(512), RPO 426 power windows (544).

Production notes

	Year   Production	Base Price	Notes

1958       9,168               $3,591     Quad-headlight body and new interior. Fake-louvers on hood and chrome strips on lid. variety of teeth in grille reduced from 13 to 9.
1959       9,670               $3,875    1st black interior and dash storage bin; solely year with a turquoise prime. Louvres and chrome strips from '58 removed.
1960     10,261               $3,872     terribly minor changes to the interior: red and blue bars on the dash emblem, vertical sewing on seats

Engines

Engine                                                            Year                Power
235 cu in (3.9 L) Blue Flame I6                      1953–1954     one hundred fifty H.P. (110 kW)
                                                                      1955               a hundred and fifty five H.P. (116 kW)
265 cubage unit (4.3 L) Small-block V8         1955               195 H.P. (145 kW)
                                                                      1956               210 H.P. (160 kW)
                                                                      1956               240 H.P. (180 kW)
283 cubage unit (4.6 L) Small-block V8         1957               220 H.P. (160 kW)
                                                                      1958–1961     230 H.P. (170 kW)
                                                                      1957–1961     245 H.P. (183 kW)
                                                                      1957–1961     270 H.P. (200 kW)
283 cubage unit (4.6 L) Small-block FI V8     1957–1959     250 H.P. (190 kW)
                                                                      1960–1961     275 H.P. (205 kW)
                                                                      1957               283 H.P. (211 kW)
                                                                      1958–1959     290 H.P. (220 kW)
                                                                      1960–1961     315 H.P. (235 kW)
327 cubage unit (5.4 L) Small-block V8         1962               250 H.P. (190 kW)
                                                                      1962               three hundred H.P. (220 kW)
                                                                      1962               340 H.P. (250 kW)
327 cubage unit (5.4 L) Small-block FI V8     1962               360 H.P. (270 kW)

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