Having wowed the public at GM’s 1953 Motorama, the Chevrolet Corvette was rushed to production on 30 June. By year’s end, just 300 had been built, all of them finished in white over red. Underneath was basically a Chevrolet passenger car chassis, complete with Blue Flame six-cylinder engine and two-speed Powerglide transmission, albeit up-rated with three side-draft carburetors, a hot cam, high compression head, and dual exhausts. Because tooling for a steel body would have been time-consuming and expensive, Chevrolet opted for fiberglass instead.

For 1954, more colors were offered, and production increased tenfold, reaching 3,640 units sold. In 1955, Chevrolet’s new small-block V-8 engine became available, and with it a manual three-speed transmission, though few were equipped that way. The iconic Corvette arrived with the 1956 model. Re-styled with a more flowing body, the car was given concave side coves finished in contrasting color. Roll-up side windows provided all-weather comfort and required exterior door handles. Engines were all V-8s, the 265-cubic inch unit from passenger cars making 210 horsepower in standard trim and 240 with dual carburetors. The 283 V-8 was adopted in 1957, making 220 horsepower in standard tune with a single four-barrel or 245 with dual quads (optional fuel injection provided one horsepower per cubic inch). A four-speed manual transmission became available that year as well.

This iconic 1957 Corvette is finished in Venetian Red with India Ivory side coves, with a red interior and white convertible top. According to the Corvette Black Book, just 716 Corvettes were delivered in two-tone Venetian Red for 1957. The engine is the optional 245 horsepower version of the 283 (RPO 469A) with dual Carter 2626/7 S four-barrel carburetors, lightweight cast aluminum intake manifold, and finned alloy valve covers. The engine block has an “FG” suffix, indicating it was originally mated to a Powerglide automatic transmission. However, a period-correct four-speed manual was installed during restoration to better complement the high-performance nature of the dual quad engine. Other equipment includes a Wonder Bar signal-seeking radio, heater-defroster, wide whitewall tires, a Positraction rear end, and spinner wheel covers.