It's a Corvette!

Here's something for the guys out there.

Just as they are today, sports cars were popular during the 50s, if you could afford them. And when you're talking about sports cars, few compare to the Corvette. Many Corvette enthusiasts consider the 1957 Corvette the most aesthetically pleasing body style of the pre-1963 Corvettes, while others believe it was the best styling of all time. And this writer agrees.

But this Vette had a lot more to offer than style and beauty. In May 1957, the true performance version of the 283 made its debut. Sporting an advanced fuel injection system, the new "fuelie" 283 produced 283 bhp. Its 1 horsepower per cubic inch output was a record in 1957, and it was played up by the advertising and media.

At the same time, Chevrolet introduced its new four speed manual transmission, and the Corvette was on its way to stardom. When equipped with the 283 fuel injected engine, 4.11:1 rear axle, and the new four-speed Borg-Warner T-10 transmission, the Corvette could accelerate from 0-60 in less than six seconds, and do the quarter mile in the low 14 second range at over 100 mph.

After winning a few major races in 1957, sales for the year jumped to a total of 6,339 units, up from 3,467 for 1956. (But there were only 487 painted Arctic Blue like the one above.) It was an amazing automobile in its day, and it continues to be one of the most sought after classics.

The photos used in the article are an example of that beautiful vintage Corvette. It’s owned by my friends Bob and Kathy Willis, of Picton, Ontario, Canada. If you have an interest in all things Corvette, check out my other blog at Corvette - An American Dream Car. And if any of the ladies are still reading at this point, I wanted to let them know that I'm not starting a Betsy Wetsy blog. Ever.