1953 Chevrolet Corvette
First generation · C1 1953–1962
The original Corvette — launched mid-1953 as a hand-built fiberglass-bodied roadster. Six-cylinder at first; the 265 small-block V8 arrived for 1955, setting the V8 sports-car template.
Photo: “1953 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible” by Mustang Joe / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
The 1953 model year
Overview
The Corvette debuted late in the 1953 model year, first shown as a Motorama concept in January and then hand-built in tiny numbers. Every 1953 car was a Polo White convertible with a fiberglass body and a red interior — a styling statement built largely by hand on a temporary line in Flint, Michigan.
Specifications
- Engines
-
- 235 cu in "Blue Flame" inline-six (triple carburetors) 150 hp
- Body styles
- Convertible
- Base price
- US$3,490
- Production
- 300
Year over year
What changed
- Launch year of the Corvette as a two-seat fiberglass roadster.
- All 300 cars were Polo White convertibles with a red interior.
Living with it
Reliability & ownership notes
- The lowest-volume Corvette year; survivors are heavily documented and very rarely driven.
Worth knowing
Notable
- Only 300 built, all hand-assembled — the rarest and most collectible regular-production Corvette.
Sources
Other First generation years
Explore the C1 generation → All First generation · C1 years →