It was an ordinary day. Standing in the showroom of John Sauder Chevrolet near Akron, Pennsylvania looking at a 1954 Corvette, one of the most beautiful classic cars in history.
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| 1954 Chevrolet Corvette. The fancy grille is a signature part of the car as are the wire-mesh covers over the headlights. |
It was in 1953 that Chevrolet began to manufacture and market the sports car known as the Corvette. It was a front-engine, two-door sports car that served as Chevrolet's halo vehicle and is widely noted for its performance and distinctive plastic - either fiberglass or composite - bodywork. It was given the name of Corvette, since at the time the United States' small maneuverable warship was known by the same name.
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| Notice the exhaust pipes are part of the rear design and the bullet tail-lights are classy! |
The first model, a convertible, was introduced at the General Motors Motorama as a concept car and was followed ten years later by the 1963 second generation, in coupe and convertible styles. It was close to 30 years ago that I purchased a bright red 1987 4th generation Corvette which was produced from 1984 to 1996.
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| The dash carries dials for oil pressure, water temperature, clock and a variety of other dials. The crossed racing flags are in the center of the steering wheel. The rear-view mirror is found in the center of the dash-board. |
As I stood in front of the 1954 Polo White Vette, I couldn't help but wonder if there was ever an American car quite as cool or historic as the Corvette. I know...those of you who are Ford fans will argue the Thunderbird was better, but why isn't it still manufactured today? Recently a 1955 Thunderbird sold for $43,000 while a similar 1954 Corvette sold for $259,995. The car in front of me isn't for sale and when I asked the salesman if I could take a few photos he told me as long as I don't touch the car.
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| The rear-view mirror is mounted on the door of the car. Notice there is no door handle and the gas cap is located directly behind the door. |
The 1953 Corvette only came in Polo White while the 1954 Corvette came in Polo White, Black, Sportsman Red and Pennant Blue. The 1953 and '54 models were the only model years of the Corvette sold with an engine that wasn't a V8. The engine used in these two model years was a 235 Cu. In. (3.9 Liter) version of the second-generation Blue Flame inline-six generating 150 horsepower. The 1955 year model offered a 265 cubic-inch (4.34 L) V8 engine as an option.
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| One of the 1953 Vettes on display at Motorama. |
With a large inventory of unsold 1954 models, GM limited production to 700 for 1955. With the new V8, the 0-60 mph time improved by 1.5 seconds. It was in this year that the Thunderbird and the Studebaker Speedster were introduced. In 1953 the Polo White Corvette with a red interior and a black canvas top sold for $3,498.00, including the federal excise tax and $248.00 for shipping and handling. In comparison, today's 2020 Corvette sells for $58,900 to $77,950 depending upon what options you may want on the car. Check out the photos and see the details that were included in the 1954 Corvette. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and was so glad I had a chance to visit and view this piece of automobile history. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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| The cover of Vette Magazine showing my 1987 Vette. |
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| Another photo of my '87 Corvette Coupe. |
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