My name is Paul. I’m a ’57 Corvette junkie, and although I’ve been clean for some decades, I still quaver a bit when I see one. But seeing two, side-by-side? Well, I should just have passed when I saw these posted at the Cohort by LeSabretoothTiger, but the temptation was too great, especially since one is fuel-injected.
When did I have my first dose of the ’57 Corvette? In August of 1960, at the very impressionable age of seven, having just arrived from Austria the day before. A relative took us kids on a tour of Manhattan, in his white-over-yellow ’57 Bel Air hardtop coupe, no less. On Park Avenue I spotted an all-white single-headlight Corvette, being driven by a beautiful young woman, no less. It was an encounter that made me an American on the spot; instant assimilation. My previous automotive passion, the Mercedes 300SL, was abandoned for this plastic fantastic lover.
Speaking of the 300SL, you don’t imagine for a moment that the car under wraps in this 1957 ad is supposed to be anything other than Stuttgart’s finest? It’s no coincidence that the 300SL’s fuel injected six made its peak power (215 PS/212 HP) at 5800 rpm.
The Corvette’s optional fuel injected 283 V8 was rated at 283 hp @6200 rpm. That the pushrod V8 had a higher power peak than the Mercedes six is a bit surprising, but then that’s a gross rating, without mufflers and such. A net rating would probbaly have put them a bit closer in output and peak power.
Any other comparisons are inevitably a bit unbalanced, as the 300SL was vastly more expensive (over $10k in the US), whereas the ’57 Corvette started at $3445. And needles to say, the Mercedes had a much more advanced suspension and stronger brakes, as well as general refinement.
The ’57 Corvette was raced successfully, by privateers with covert factory support, since the racing ban was in effect. And in reality, the Corvette wasn’t likely racing often against 300SLs, as they were actually not that common on the tracks in the US. After Mercedes dropped its factory racing efforts in 1955 after the LeMans disaster, the 300SL, especially the roadster, was not raced all that much by privateers, especially in the US. Jaguars, Maseratis, Ferraris, and other brands were the more likely competition.
The relative pros and cons of these two very different yet publicly high-profile roadsters are infinitely debatable. But in one arena, the Corvette had the 300SL beat hands down: acceleration. Road and Track tested a ’57 (with a high-numerical rear axle ratio), and it yielded spectacular results unlike any they’d ever achieved with a production car: 0-60 in 5.7 seconds, and the 1/4 mile in 14.3 seconds (the 300SL took some two seconds longer in both runs).
This ad is a little hard to read, but it’s pretty clear that Chevrolet thought it had a classic on its hands in 1957. Pretty prophetic.
Which brings us back to today; or August 24th, the day these were shot. This one sports the “Fuel Injection” badges on its front fender, and I’d like to think it’s an original. Realistically, a fair number have been converted to that status.
Here’s what the FI 283 looks like in the light of day. I’m going to restrain myself, but this engine probably made more than a few expensive European sports car makers sweat bullets. For a fraction of the price of their exotic alloy V12s and such, here was an engine that equaled the very best of them for power output. No wonder it became the engine of choice for a number of Euro-American sports/GT/racing cars, never mind what its absolutely overwhelming influence on all aspects of the high-performance automotive scene in the US.
Undoubtedly, that’s the newly-available optional four-speed manual in the FI car, the first appearance of the legendary BW T-10. That was another key step in making the Corvette a genuine world-class sports car. Now all it needed was a frame and suspension not borrowed from a ’53 Chevy sedan. That would have to wait until 1963.
Given the license plates, one wonders if these two are a husband-wife duo? The tail end of these is what lots of folks saw, but viewed straight-on, it’s not exactly their best end, stylistically. It’s a bit too wide, and the proportions are not ideal, a necessity of sitting on that shortened sedan frame and its axles.
That’s better, although the Motorama rear end with the exhaust pipe in the fender blades was looking a bit dated already. The ’61 got a temporary fix, one that might have happened sooner. But Corvette sales were slow in the early years, and what money there was for the program went for other things, like a new front end instead, in 1958, They had their priorities ass-backwards on that.
Yes, this my preferred end, although I’ve come to realize it’s also too wide, for the same reason. The Corvette was an expedient compromise from the beginning, and really didn’t come into its own fully until 1963, when it was designed from the ground up without those limitations. But it made the most of a brilliant engine and an enthusiastic go-get-em face.
I used to lust for one, ironically, when they were still quite affordable. Now I can appreciate them for what they are (and were at the time), but my addiction is truly cured. Of course, I wasn’t the one that found these two in the flesh.
Related reading:
Stunning, and I never knew about the fuel injection option.
I’ve just drafted a post in which I say that my favourite Amerciam car is the 1962 Thunderbird; I might have to rethink that bit!
Roger, since you also expressed surprise at the existence of 2-speed automatics in another article recently, it should delight you to know that there was once a time when fuel-injected Chevy sedans with 2-speed Powerglides roamed the great expanses of North American highway:
Only the 250 hp 283 FI could be equipped with an Auto (PG or TG). The 283-hp was manual transmission only. FI fullsize Chevs are very rare, I’d imaging Powerglide models even more so.
From poking around the internet, it seems that 1,530 ’57 FI cars is the general consensus. That’s quite a few for what was a very expensive option, but of course I’m sure only a fraction actually survived (and even more have been re-created over the years).
While looking that up, I came across another ad for a ’59 Impala 283FI/4-speed – a car I was certain didn’t exist, but apparently did (in very small numbers). How cool is this??
I have seen ’59 Fuelies for sale. Turned lemon into lemonade.
That’s a great ad. In fact, I may have to post it. Did Chevy offer some kind of suspension upgrade?
Saw one at a show a few years ago (’57 Bel Air convertible) and the sign remarked that it was one of 68 convertibles with the injected engine. Didn’t register at the time if it was a manual or auto though.
Interesting. Just out of curiosity, which Euro-American sports/GT cars came with the 283 ? I know that the Opel Diplomat came with a reinforced endurance-racing 283, but that’s a sedan.
I’m not really into GT- and sports cars, but I’m under the impression that Ford and Chrysler V8s were the more popular choices in the sixties and seventies for this breed of fast cars.
Iso, Gordon-Keeble, Bizzarrini…..let me keep thinking. 🙂 Maybe I overstated that somewhat. But the Isos and Bizzarrinis were perhaps the most prominent ones, and they had no problem keeping up with the Italian-engined GTs of their time.
Update: Lister-Chevrolet
There were numerous race cars during the late 1950’s and 1960’s that used Chevrolet engines, but often they were one off swaps. It wasn’t uncommon for a Jaguar or another European sports car to have Chevrolet small blocks swapped in place. Carroll Shelby was originally looking at using a small block Chevrolet for his race car, but GM showed no interest in participating. The small block Chevrolet was and is a truly amazing engine design.
Also don’t forget Jim Hall’s Chaparrals which were pretty successful and always seemed to use Chevrolet’s latest and greatest engines.
Those are gorgeous! I know red is considered the quintessential Corvette color…but the turquoise and white really makes these cars pop to my eye. Never could get behind whitewalls on any car, but on a sports car…just wrong! But its the ‘original’ look that theyre going for…
I have never seen a GM fuely car from this era but I have studied the schematics in case we ever saw one. The system wasn’t that complicated and worked much like the Bosch K-Jetronic system that came out 15 or so years later.
Mechanics of the era were famous for knowing more than the factory and this is the reason most of the FI cars were converted back to carbs. They also couldn’t be bothered learning how to deal with the FI system, so on the first sign of trouble, the FI units were junked. Now they are worth a fortune.
Ive seen exactly one of those FI setups on a 57 hard top claimed as a factory option, yeah they were I know but that one was likely fitted later for the reasons mentioned above
The comment about power windows in the advertisement surprised me. Didn’t know they were available in 57 and would never have imagined that competition drivers used them because they weighed less than the manual mechanisms – seems counterintuitive but what do I know…
My Dad’s good friend had a 57 Bonneville convertible from new with the fuel injection. First car we ever rode in with it, as far as I can remember, and it was pretty quick.
The bright turquoise brings back great memories of 50’s colors.
Came past me like a Stuka!?! Hmmmn well I suppose WW 2 memories were still current back in the ’50’s but a silly comparison given that the Stuka was regarded as a slow aircraft, vulnerable to being shot down due to its speed deficiniency. Perhaps ME 109 would have been more appropriate, or even….Spitfire! That was one aircraft no German would have wanted to see anywhere near them, especially if they were in a Stuka at the time!
I really liked the shape of these early Corvettes and also the Stingray models of the ’60’s. Never understood why they had to be made of fibreglass though, a material I do not much care for in car manufacture.
GM was experimenting with fibreglass during this era. Fibreglass was originally used to bring the car to production very quickly and at low cost since it didn’t require expensive dies and stamps. The show car was being shown in early 1953 at car shows and was in production by the end of June 1953. Originally GM intended to switch to a steel body for 1954, but decided to stick with fibreglass probably to keep costs low.
There is something strange about the fuel injected car? Kit? Restomod? The ride height is lower, and there are big air conditioning vents on each side of the radio, where a regular Corvette of that era would have the heater and vent controls.
Great picture, and beautiful color combination, I like the 1957’s, they are beautiful cars, great catch.
Good noticing. The tach is not original either. Which makes the whole car quite suspect. Like I said, there weren’t exactly very many FI ’57s built (in the factory). There’s probably 2-3 times as many now. And this one looks more suspicious than average.
Makes you wonder, though, with that “1957” plate. Maybe they bought it, because that would have gone very quickly when vanity plates first became available.
For Reference, 1040 of the approx. 6300 Vettes were Fuelies in 1957. That’s about 16.4 %, probably a higher percentage than most think.
I noticed the non-stock parts as well. My guess is that it’s a restomod, because no one in their right mind would do that to an original Fuelie ’57. I am sure someone must make reproduction Fuel Injection emblems.
The RFID toll tags alone would be enough to get them laughed out of Bloomington Gold.
Looking at these two beautiful Corvettes and those great ads is making me misty eyed. I really wish I could live in the world GM was selling in the ’50s and ’60s. The “Stuka” one, which I’ve never seen before, is perfect and I think it may now be my favorite Chevrolet ad of all time. “…and playing the radio, too!” HA! Isn’t that great? Artful and witty, but also technical. It’s a perfect representation of everything the car is about.
How did we go from these gorgeous snapshots of an imaginary world to “The Heartbeat of America!” and all the other sentimental bullshit?
“What a beautiful world it will be, such a glorious time to be free.” – Donald Fagen, “I.G.Y.”, which started playing in my head as I read your comment. 🙂
These are one of my all time favourite Vette’s. I never really cared too much for the 1953-55 design, and the 1958-60’s were got a little too long in the hood and over done. The 56 and 57 were just about one of the cleanest cars to come out of Detroit in the 1950’s. Plus the 1956 overhaul really made the Vette into a real car instead of an a production show car. Significant improvements to the suspension and steering were made by Zora, better brakes options, roll-up windows, exterior door handles, a hard top roof. Of course the ’57 is the one to have with the 283, the FI and the four speed.
The comment about the frame being from a 1953 Chevrolet sedan is not quite accurate. The 1953 Corvette chassis share the front suspension components with the 1949-54 sedans. However the frame was very different. The Corvette chassis was fully boxed, had additional reinforcement members including an “X” crossmember that was not compromised by a hole for the driveshaft, a quicker steering box and featured a Hotchkiss drive verses the sedans torque tube drive. On top of that GM’s chassis man Maurice Olley tuned the chassis as best as he could in short order to produce somewhat sports car like handling. Olley did a pretty good job considering the time and budget. However in 1956, Zora Arkus-Duntov further refined the design by altering both the front and rear suspension geometry to provide a much improved handling over the early cars.
Also note that the 1963 Corvette shared its front suspension components with passenger Chevrolets to save money. These savings were put into the independent rear suspension.
That’s a beautiful shade of aqua, probably in my top three of 1950s automotive hues.
Beautiful cars. Personally, I love the width. It gives the cars a swaggar missing from the more typical proportions of most sports cars. Love the colors, too.
1957 really had everyone on a performance roll. Not only was there the fulie Chevy, there was the supercharged 312 in Fords (and supercharged 289s in Studes) and Chrysler was finishing up on its ill fated Bendix Electrojector. The recession would put the brakes on performance for a short time before things picked back up again in the early 60s.
In addition to red, turquoise is my second favorite color.
My 1957 Bel Air convertible model is turquoise. I’m going to have to post a photo of it one of these days.
Those Corvettes are beautiful! Yesterday I got to go for a ride with my next-door neighbor in his 2001 Corvette convertible. Dark red. A real nice and pleasant ride.
In the FWIW dept., I came THISCLOSE to putting crossed flags on my 2012 Impala LTZ because the early top-of-the-line Impalas had them. I would be continuing a tradition if I did.
Looks like I am experiencing the CC effect in reverse, I shot this the weekend before last at the Salzburgring (it was a round of the Austrian Histo-Cup championship). It’s also the total opposite of the two cars Paul found. No idea what engine he was running but the stance was all wrong for a road racer (an ex drag racer?).
Back view
Nice, but not my style. I think I’d rather have the 283hp with a 4-speed in a 57 Chev 150 two door. After all it’s the Engineer’s dream according to the ad.
There’s so many interesting cars in the world, I don’t really get the idea of having multiple examples of the same car, particularly identical looking examples.
Kind of reminds me of the “older couples of distinction” you see walking around in Hawaii where the lady is wearing a dress made from the same print as the gentleman’s Hawaiian shirt. I’ll bet the owners of these cars do that.
Let’s go for a triple here!
I can’t make up my mind whether I prefer single or twin headlights, but I prefer that rear to the snail eyes and duck tail. Nice read.
The cars do belong to a couple and I may have once even known their names. Here’s a photo from 2009 at the Corvette museum in Bowling Green, KY. Note the “His” and “Hers” tags in the windshield and the different colored tops.