1956 Chevrolet Corvette C1

America was introduced to the Chevrolet Corvette sports car in 1953, and over the years, it would go on to dominate racetracks and drag strips from Riverside to the Circuit de la Sarthe. Conceived by Harley Earl, the original Corvette's design was attractive and sporty but its performance was lacking. The Chevy Blue Flame Six engine excelled in providing economical transportation to Chevy's more pedestrian models but did little to bolster the Corvette's performance credentials. Paired with a two-speed Powerglide Automatic transmission, the Corvette was more 'show' than 'go.'

GIs returning after serving overseas in the years following World War II were eager to buy the latest sports car, and GM wanted to capitalize upon this enthusiasm. Harley Earl and his Special Projects crew began working on the new car, 'Project Opel' in late 1951, and the result of their labor was displayed two years later at the GM Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on January 17th of 1953. On display was the hand-built, EX-122 pre-production Corvette prototype that entered production six months later.

Chevrolet hand-built 300 polo white convertible for the 1953 year. Slow sales due to the vehicle's lackluster performance nearly convinced GM Management to shelve the project. However, the Corvette would survive due to the 1955 introduction of Chevrolet's first V8 engine, the arrival of Ford's two-seat Thunderbird in 1955, and the influence of a Russian émigré in GM's engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov.

For 1956, the Corvette's sporty appearance was now backed by sport-tuned underpinnings, with a three-speed manual transmission being standard, and the PowerGlide automatic was optional. The six-cylinder engine no longer resided in the engine bay, displaced by a 265 cubic-inch V8 engine that offered 210 to 240 horsepower, depending on the configuration. The overhead-valve V8 had solid valve lifters, five main bearings, a 9.25:1 compression, and a cast-iron block. It weighed about forty pounds less than the six-cylinder engine and it was shorter and lower which translated to better weight distribution and improved performance. Displacement would grow to 283 cubic inches the following year, and fuel injection became optional. A 4-speed manual transmission was available after April 9, 1957. Although the Corvette's GM-Rochester injection used a constant flow system, as opposed to the diesel-style nozzle metering system of the Mercedes', the Corvette's engine nevertheless produced about 290 hp.

The Corvette's performance continued to improve principally by Zora Arkus-Duntov whose racing exploits had begun to unlock the car's innate potential and develop it into a genuine race-winner. Chevrolet's investment in performance and its racing successes were rewarded with significant improvements in sales, ensuring the car's survival and enabling it to go on to become the world's best-selling and longest-lived sportscar.

Stylistic updates for 1956 were directed by GM designer Bob Cadaret, endowing the Corvette with more aggressive bodylines and the debut of the Corvette's bodyside coves. The same basic grille design remained, but the chrome-rimmed headlights were new, along with new front fenders. Among the detail changes were the addition of external door handles, roll-up side windows, and a new factory-available hardtop ($200). At the back was a sloping rear fender with integrated tail lights. A power convertible top ($100) and power windows ($60) were optional, while the interior remained mostly unchanged. The heater was a $115 option and the signal-seeking AM radio at $185. The list of upholstery colors included beige or red. Among the six nitrocellulose lacquer exterior body colors were Arctic blue, Aztec copper, Onyx black, Polo white, Cascade green, and Venetian red.

Among the high-performance optional parts were the Regular Production Option (RPO) 469, the $172 'Dual-Quad' intake system, which raised the 265 V-8's output to 225 horsepower. 3,080 of the 3,467 Corvettes built in 1956 were fitted with the 'Dual-Quad' engine in 1956. Just 111 owners selected the special high-lift, solid-tappet camshaft, which gained instant fame as the 'Duntov Cam.' Labeled option 449, it was only available with the 'Dual-Quad' engine and added an additional 15 horsepower, bringing output to 240 bhp.

The standard transmission was a close-ratio three-speed manual floor shift unit, and an optional automatic was $175. A 3.27:1 gear ratio was optional.

Pricing and Production
The 1953 Chevrolet Corvette was priced at $3,498 which made it approximately $500 less than the 210 cubic-inch six-cylinder Jaguar XK120. Several other British sports cars of the era were priced lower, with the MG TD selling for around $1,945 and the Austin-Healey 100 at $2,985. Prices on the Corvette increased slightly for 1954, even though the 1953 and 1954 models were essentially the same. Priced at $3,525, Corvette sales increased significantly to 3,640 units.

In 1955, the price of the Corvette fell significantly, now listing for approximately $2,935. Despite the lower price and the addition of an optional V8 and three-speed manual transmission, production fell to just 700 units.

The 1956 Corvette had a base price of $3,120 and 3,467 examples were built, slightly less than the number produced in 1954 but considerably higher than in 1953 and 1955. In comparison, Ford's 1956 Thunderbird was listed for $3,150 and 15,631 examples were built that year. Corvette sales would nearly double a year later, and the Corvette would continue to be priced at less than $4,000 through 1961. The 1962 Corvette listed for $4,038 and 14,531 was built that year, the highest and final year of the original 'C1' Corvette. The total production, from 1953 through 1962, was 69,015 units.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2016