While the Corvette’s earliest years were somewhat turbulent, America’s sports car started to hit its stride in 1956 and 1957. Thanks to efforts from Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Corvette was now a true no-excuses sports car. The 1957 model year heralded few changes from 1956 in terms of styling, but the 1957 Corvettes offered a plethora of new colors, power accessories, creature comforts, and most importantly, high-horsepower fuel-injected engines. As the first American production car to ever utilize fuel injection, the new Corvette “Fuelie” was the fastest American car produced that year, and it became an instant collectible. The hottest variant produced 283 horsepower from 283 cubic inches of displacement, with a one-horsepower-per-cubic-inch ratio, which was a truly remarkable figure for a performance car at the time.

According to the car’s original invoice, this 1957 Corvette was delivered new to Palmer’s Granite Garage, a Chevrolet dealer in Fulton, New York. It was purchased new by Dr. Howard Lyboldt, a dentist in Webster, New York, who traded in his 1956 Chevrolet to purchase the Corvette, which was invoiced at $4,601. When purchased, the car had such options as the rare power-operated convertible soft-top, as well as a factory hardtop.

The Corvette would be Dr. Lyboldt’s prized possession until the 1990s. During his ownership, the car was always meticulously maintained and serviced to ensure that it would be preserved for years to come. In 1998, the car was purchased by Gary Reddick, who commissioned a full body-off restoration by noted Corvette experts, Ken and Gary Naber in Houston, Texas. Reddick had the car refinished from its original shade of Aztec Copper to its current shade of Cascade Green. At the same time, he installed a factory-correct and date-coded four-speed manual transmission.

Following the restoration, this car was nothing short of a show-stopper on the Corvette circuit, where it earned its Bloomington Gold certification in 2001 and was awarded the NCRS Duntov Mark of Excellence award the following year. In addition, the Corvette also earned three separate NCRS Top Flight awards and an NCRS Performance Verification, confirming that every mechanical aspect of the car functions as new.

The car, which was purchased for the Andrews Collection in 2010, is still in excellent condition, and it is accompanied by a hearty file of documentation. Not only does this include the car’s awards and certificates but also the Corvette’s original invoice, original owner service policy papers, a pre-delivery inspection form, and judging sheets. It is also important to note that the car still retains its original hardtop.

The 1957 Corvette Fuelie, which is thrilling to drive and still quick by modern standards, is nothing short of a sports car icon. No collection of American cars should be without a fuel-injected Corvette, and this example will most certainly not disappoint.