Beschreibung:

As early as 1950, Harley Earl, GM’s legendary Vice-President of Styling, was sensing there could be a market for a quasi-sports car that would compete with European designs in appearance, while offering the reliability and simplicity of an American powertrain—all at an affordable price. By 1951, he had established a small and secret studio where he and a carefully chosen group of designers could pursue his vision. At first, a conventional steel body was planned, but the low production volume anticipated eventually caused Earl to favor molding the new car’s body in fiberglass, a then-new lightweight material. A bonus was that molded fiberglass was well suited to producing the unusually smooth and rounded contours of the new car. Earl’s sport roadster, which had been named the Corvette, debuted as a “dream car” at the 1953 General Motors Motorama in late 1952. GM researchers surveyed show goers, asking them what they thought of the car. The responses were overwhelmingly positive: they loved the car. Following the show, GM made it known that a production version of the Corvette showcar would be built. This announcement created much anticipation, as a GM concept car had never before been put into production. The first 300 Corvettes were completed in Flint, Michigan before the end of 1953. Production was then transferred to St. Louis, Missouri, where assembly of 1954 Corvettes began shortly after the New Year’s holiday. A total of 3,625 1954 Corvettes would be produced. The first generation Corvette was powered by an overhead-valve 235.5cid Chevrolet Blue Flame Six, equipped for its special application with three side-draft carburetors, solid lifters and dual exhausts, all of which helped push the horsepower rating to 150. A 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission was a “required option, ” baked into the car’s $3,440 base price. Even with the automatic transmission, the Corvette’s 0-60 time of around 11 seconds was quite respectable in 1954. The car also cornered flat and handled well, according to road tests of the period…although not a “true” sports car, it was fun to drive. The 1954 Corvette offered here was purchased new in Sacramento in June 1954 and remained in the original owner’s family for 51 years. It was stored for more than two decades during that time. The vendor reports the Corvette is a “matching numbers” car, and states the odometer reading of less than 43,000 miles accurately reflects the original mileage. The Corvette changed hands in 2005 and was subsequently completely restored, using NOS and original parts, during the following two years. It was refinished in its original Polo White exterior color and refurbished with an authentic red interior. Following restoration, the Corvette scored 97.9 points in National Corvette Restorer Society (NCRS) judging. Documentation included with the sale includes two binders filled with restoration details, receipts and photos. Original sale and registration documents are also included, as are both paper and CD copies of the factory service manual. First generation Corvettes have enjoyed renewed collector interest in recent years, as the smooth and clean lines of the Harley Earl-era styling continues to gain new admirers. An example such as the offered 1954 roadster, with its fully documented provenance and high-point restoration, presents an exceptional opportunity to acquire one of Harley Earl’s most significant designs.