-THE BORACAY ISLAND LIFE-
The 1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie made automotive history as the first American production car delivered to customers with factory-installed fuel injection, using a Rochester Ramjet system to produce 283 horsepower from a 283-cubic-inch V8 engine—achieving the landmark goal of one horsepower per cubic inch
he Corvette was nothing less than a game changer for Chevrolet. Overnight, it transformed the “Bow Tie” brand from an economical car builder to an excitement car maker. Up to that time, Chevrolets were considered staid commuters with six-cylinders and pleasing — but not necessarily exciting — style.
Now, there was an exhilarating Chevrolet bodied in exotic fiberglass and made for just two people at a time when economy brands regularly touted a car’s maximum seating capacity.
For 1953, the Corvette’s first model year, just 300 were hand built in Flint, Mich. They were expensive, and to add to the exclusivity, not everyone could buy one. These first Corvette deliveries were limited to celebrities and other people of renown who would bring added exposure to Chevrolet’s new halo car.
The new Corvette cost about 75 percent more than a new Bel Air convertible, which shared its conservative styling with all other Chevys — even station wagons. For 1954, the Corvette was hardly changed, although production (now at the St. Louis assembly plant) was bumped up to allow “average” Americans a chance at the Corvette dream. However, Chevrolet overestimated sales, and even though the price was dropped to $2,774, many of the 3,640 1954 Corvettes were still unsold going into the 1955 selling season.
As a result, 1955 production was lower — between that of the 1953 and 1954 Corvettes — and not trending in the direction General Motors and Chevrolet had hoped. The low 1955 sales of just 700 cars was especially disappointing considering that the Corvette finally had a hot engine to match its looks with Chevrolet’s new and entirely modern, overhead-valve V-8. The new V-8 engine was an option, but was installed in nearly every 1955 Corvette.
For all three of those first model years, Corvettes were little changed from one selling season to the next. All wore the styling of the original GM Motorama dream car that was unveiled at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in January 1953. While the styling was exciting, some of the first-generation Corvette’s features were not. There were no side windows — the cars used antiquated side curtains for protection in inclement and cold weather.
They lacked the security of exterior door handles and locks, so owners (and thieves) only had to reach into the interior to open the doors. While the first Corvettes of 1953 and ’54 had a hopped-up, triple-carburetor version of the standard Chevrolet mill — the Blue Flame Six Special — it was still a six-cylinder. Especially when coupled with a Powerglide automatic — the only available transmission until late in 1955 — the first Corvettes were not considered exhilarating to drive.
Corvette sales for 1955 were not only hindered by stale 1954s on the lots and side curtains for the side windows, the ’Vette was also facing new competition from Ford. For the 1955 model year, Ford launched its new two-seat Thunderbird competitor with roll-up windows, outside door handles, trusted steel construction, a removable hardtop and a V-8 from a proven builder of V-type engines.
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