The first generation of Corvettes, 1953 to 1962,
are referred to as the "straight axle" cars, noting
they had solid rear axles, rather than an independent
rear suspension.
The initial three years can genuinely be called
"roadsters", a term that is still applied to
Corvette convertibles. What made the 1953-55 cars
real roadsters was the lack of roll-up side windows.
The first generation of Corvettes saw the
introductions of manual transmissions, first as
three-speeds, then as four, fuel injection, and
three displacements of Ed Cole's small block V8.
1953 - The Motorama Special
General Motors Photo
Who would have imagined following the 1953 GM Motorama
a show car would spawn one of the longest lasting
nameplates? The car is called Corvette.
1954 - Continuation
1955 - Ed Coles Magic V-8
1956 - Sports Car Renewed
1957 - Fuelies and Four Speeds
1958 - Longer, Lower, Wider
1959 -
1960 -
1961 - Ducktails become fashionable
1962 - The Imortal, the 327
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