Muscle Car of the Week: '53 Corvette!!

Unbeknownst to them in 1953, the engineers at GM were about to hit gold in the form of an iconic American sports car known as the Corvette! Beloved for almost five decades, the 1953 Corvette is a rare and coveted prize for any car rebuilt enthusiast!

Originally, the Corvette was only intended to be a concept show car, but that changed when GM decided to put it into full production in June of 1953. Because of this late start, there were only 300 manufactured for the entire year!

Since '53, the Corvette has been lauded for it's apparent beauty- be if from the general public or in the many varied muscle car restoration circles across the globe. The flagship year itself was no exception. Although the color options were limited to say the least (it was only available in white), most will agree that the Corvette is a masterpiece of design. It was offered with only the two-seat convertible option, and the top had to be manually operated. In the place of windows it had clip on curtains. Another fascinating feature was that the cars didn't come with outside door handles so you had to reach into the inside of the car to get in. Apparently theft deterrence wasn't a major concern in 1953!

As for the engine performance, sadly GM didn't nail it in the Corvette's flagship year. The car came standard with a "Blue Flame" six cylinder that got a somewhat depressing 105 horse power during chassis dyno testing.

With the very limited production run it's highly unlikely that you'll stumble across a '53 Corvette at your local junk yard (it's nice to dream though). Additionally, if you're looking to purchase one, you better have a hefty wallet. We've seen them easily go for $300K!