The 1961 Chevy Corvette received a facelift in the form of a new grille and new rear-end styling. The heavy chrome grille teeth of previous years were gone. The new grille featured argent silver horizontal mesh with a single heavy horizontal bar in front of the mesh. Headlight bezels were painted rather than the chrome of previous years. In the cabin, the transmission tunnel width was narrower, and door sills were a single-piece design. This was a change from the earlier two-piece arrangement. The rear-end styling was completely revamped, with the lower half upswept to meet the upper section, and sporting four taillights. The reshaped rear end resulted in a more voluminous trunk. As the styling had changed, Corvette exhaust exits were relocated beneath the body as opposed to exiting through the rear bumper as in previous years.
The Chevy Corvette for 1961 also had a broader list of standard equipment. The parking brake warning light, courtesy lights, windshield washers, sun shades, and temperature-controlled radiator fan were all standard fare. Windshield washer reservoirs were located on the left side in all cars save for fuel-injected models that placed the reservoirs on the right with a heat shield. Other base equipment included the 283 cubic-inch, 230-horsepower Small Block V8, three-speed manual transmission, vinyl interior trim, and a soft convertible top. RPO 419 Auxiliary Hard Top could be substituted for the soft top at no additional charge. 2,285 Corvettes were so equipped. 1961 was the final year for the 283 cube engine.
Chevy Corvette base engines displaced 283 cubic inches, made 230 horsepower, and had painted valve covers with the Chevrolet script. All optional engines featured seven-fin cast aluminum valve covers. All valve covers were affixed with Phillips head screws. Corvettes had radiators with a new aluminum crossflow design and a separate side-mounted expansion tank. Early production cars still used the copper and aluminum radiators from the 1960 model year, as the new design was not yet available. The copper units were used for base engine models until the supply was exhausted.
1961 would be the final year for wide whitewalls on Chevy Corvettes. Tire models included BFGoodrich Silvertown, US Royal Air Ride, and Firestone Deluxe Champion. RPO 276 got the customer 5.5-inch-wide wheels, a half-inch wider than standard. The wheels included 1960 passenger-car hubcaps instead of the standard full wheel covers.
Our feature 1961 Chevy Corvette has been lovingly restored in its original shades of Roman Red with an Ermine White cove over a black vinyl interior. It is powered by the 315-horsepower fuel-injected 283 V8 backed by a four-speed manual transmission. The Corvette is equipped with a heater/defroster, clock, Wonderbar AM Signal Seeking radio, wide whitewall tires and full wheel covers. Included in the sale is the original owner’s manual.
This handsome 1961 Chevy Corvette will cross the Mecum Auctions block at its Tulsa, Oklahoma event Saturday, June 7th.
Comments
A number of years back in one of the Corvette Magazines there was a small article by GM searching for one of those cross flow aluminum radiators. I think they wanted to check how well it had survived.
I replaced my leaky aluminum radiator with a copper one. I passed the aluminum one on to the next owner.
I also passed along the original 283 block (serial number), having replaced it with a 327 along with matching heads, intake/carb, and the Corvette “off road” exhaust system.
I bought the car in ’64 and sold it in ’78.