As head of GM’s Art and Color section, Harley J. Earl created the first concept car, the Buick Y-Job. With the positive reception of the Y-Job, Earl began spearheading the production of other one-off styling concepts. Eventually, Earl set his sights on designing a sports car. There were a number of sporty cars being built in the U.S. and Europe, and Earl believed GM could build a superior offering. The little roadster would come to be known at GM as Project Opel; the rest of the world would know it as the Chevy Corvette.
The Chevy Corvette would make its public debut at the New York Waldorf Astoria in January 1953 as part of the GM Motorama car show. The single-piece fiberglass body was hand laid. The car was finished in Polo White with a red vinyl interior. Power came from a 235 cubic-inch inline Blue Flame six-cylinder that produced 150 horsepower. The overwhelmingly positive response turned the concept into a production car. Three hundred 1953 Corvettes were built, largely by hand as the production processes had not yet been perfected, and fiberglass was a new medium to Chevrolet. All three hundred were Polo White over red vinyl with cloth tops, side curtains, and no exterior door handles. The sole powertrain was the Blue Flame six backed by a two-speed Powerglide transmission.
The 1954 Chevy Corvette saw a number of changes. Production had been moved from Michigan to the official Corvette assembly plant in St. Louis, Missouri. Production increased from the three hundred units in 1953 to 3,640 in 1954. New colors available in addition to Polo White were Pennant Blue, Sportsman Red, and Black, although there are rumored to have been some in Metallic Green and Metallic Bronze. It is estimated more than 3,200 1954 Corvettes left the factory in Polo White.
Our feature 1954 Chevy Corvette was the subject of a cost-no-object restoration completed in 2018, and has been driven just eight miles since completion. It is a late production car, and as such is equipped with only two air cleaners for the three Carter carbs. The Corvette has been repainted in its original Pennant Blue hue, one of only 300 to leave the factory. The top and interior are both beige. During the restoration, the electrical system and all gauges were converted to twelve volts. The Corvette is equipped with a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, a Wonderbar signal-seeking AM radio, full-size wheel covers, wide whitewall bias-ply tires, and the restored original side curtains.
This restored 1954 Chevy Corvette Sting Ray coupe will cross the Mecum Auctions block at their Dallas, Texas sale taking place September 20th through the 23rd.
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Comments
Beautiful color combination. I’m not an expert by any means on Corvette history, but I don’t believe they were referring to the Corvette as a “Stingray” in 1954? Please correct me if I’m wrong.
1963 was the first year Sting Ray was used
Beautiful for Rich guys which has a lot in this hard world
If you’ve never driven an original C-1 with the Blue Flame 6 cylinder and 2 speed Powerglide transmission with the top down on a sunny warm day you’ve missed out on a real treat. I say that because this is the type of “Sporty Vehicle” that was imagined “back in the day”, not a road racer, not a drag machine, but a really sweet ride and a car to be seen in and admired by your friends and others who “get it”. As a Corvette owner for more years than I can remember, and one who’s owned just about every body style and year of Corvette (well, up to my current C5 anyway, everything newer I’m sure has it’s merits but this has been my all time favorite Corvette) I could see Harley Earl’s Dream Machine coming to life in his mind, and of course we can look back and now and ask “why didn’t he include a stick shift transmission or roll up windows, and some sort of a corporate V8 engine (because it was a Chevrolet and Chevy had to V8 engine at the time, until 1955) would have worked rather nicely. However, the end results of Mr. Earl’s vision was still a stunning vehicle in it’s own right.
In truth the early C-1’s with that Stove Bolt Six Banger are a about as charming a vehicle as one could imagine, fun to just cruise around in (nice weather preferred), it’s obviously secured it’s popularity with the motoring public, sports car enthusiast of all generations and Corvette admirer’s for many years and generations of Americans to come. I say “bravo GM engineers, designers, and most of all Harley Earl” for having the imagination and the ability to bring this particular Generation of Corvette body style of “America’s Favorite Sports (sporty?) Car” to life.
Sweet machine!