1953 Corvette Part 3

Above: All 1953-55 Corvettes had removable (as opposed to roll up/down) 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.

Right: 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 was rightly proud of the Corvette's lightweight fiberglass technology and its advantages.

Above left and middle: Back to basics; the 1953 Corvette in pieces. The fiberglass body was highly labor intensive which explains the high purchase price. For production, the parts were positioned in a jig and the pieces were bonded together with fiberglass bonding strips. Right: The taillight fin areas were particularly difficult to work with.

Above and below left: The last 1953 Corvette on display at Pebble Beach Concours, 2008. It was built in the Flint MI plant on December 24, 1953. Below, right: On the Pebble Beach tour, 2008.

Last 1953 Corvette at Mecum auction, August 2019, Monterey CA. It was bid to $320,000 but did not sell. It had previously been to the Barrett-Jackson auction, January 2016, and sold for $533,500.