'Rarest Of The Rare' 1957 Corvette Super Sport 'Debuts' At The Amelia Island Concours

February 27, 2017 by Amelia Island Concours

It is the rarest Corvette ever built. The 1957 Corvette Super Sport prototype built for GM's famous Motorama shows of the 1950s will, after six decades hidden from view, break cover in a special exhibit at the 22nd annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance on March 12, 2017.

After its Motorama duties it was sold to Ralph Poole of Albuquerque, NM. The current owner, John Baldwin purchased the car in 1996.

'We've been working on the '57 Super Sport for the last few weeks and have it running nicely for the first time since the 1950s,' said owner John Baldwin.

This special Corvette debuted at the January 1957 New York Waldorf Astoria Auto Show and the Chicago Auto Show, but has not been seen by the public for the past 60 years. The engine is Chevy's legendary fuel-injected 283CI/283HP small block V-8 mated to a 'close ratio' three-speed transmission.

'This unique Corvette is practically unknown,' said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. 'It was the cover car for the June, 1957 issue of Speed Age magazine and then it disappeared. It's been hidden for its entire life. For it to be at Amelia is the sort of thing we dream of.'

About The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

Now in its third decade, the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is among the top automotive events in the world. Always held the second full weekend in March, 'The Amelia' draws over 250 rare vehicles from collections around the world to The Golf Club of Amelia Island and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island for a celebration of the automobile like no other. Since 1996, the show's Foundation has donated over $3.0 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc., Spina Bifida of Jacksonville, The Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Shop with Cops, and other deserving charities. In 2013 and 2016 the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance won Octane Magazine's EFG International Historic Motoring Event of the Year award.The 22nd annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is scheduled for March 10-12, 2017. For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org.