'Corvette C1: 1953-1962 C1 Corvette History This first generation corvette over time became widely known as the C1 Corvette. The C1’s production run lasted from 1953 – 1962 with the first year just turning out 300 units. You could order any color in 1953, as long as it was in white, and all 300 were convertibles. By the end of the run though, Chevrolet was producing greater than 14,000 C1 Corvettes per year and in multiple colors, but all still as convertibles. The Corvette was invented in 1951 by GM designer Harley Earl, who was inspired by the great European sports cars of the day and wanted to create an American sports car that could compete and win at the race track. The name "Corvette" was borrowed from a line of small, fast navy ships used in World War II. For many of us, our first recollections of this iconic vehicle are tied to the classic TV short, Route 66, in which two buddies traveled the country in a 1960 Baby Blue C1 searching for adventure. For many, the C1 Corvette still embodies the perfection of the true American sports car – a two-seater convertible with a tremendous combination of speed and handling. The C1 saw multiple cosmetic refreshes during its 10 year production run with perhaps the most significant being in 1958 where it received an external and internal facelift - the nose was noticeably lengthened, the single headlights gave way to dual side by sides, and the interior and dash were redesigned. From a performance standpoint, the early C1 Corvettes came with an inline-6 but by 1955 Chevy was offering a 265 cu. In. V8’s as well. Soon after came four speed manual transmissions and beefier brakes and suspension, perhaps a hint of what was ahead for America’s most popular sports car. The last year of production, 1962, also saw the replacement of the 283 with a 327 cu. In. small-block V8. Chevrolet was proud of the increase in horse power that made the ’62 the fastest of the C1 corvettes. With its combination of limited production numbers and significance as the birth of the American sports car, the C1 Corvette is arguably the most coveted and collectible of all the Corvette generations. The good news for the C1 enthusiast is that Eckler’s specializes in C1 Corvette parts and has been a trusted source for more than 50 years. We have all the C1 Corvette parts you need to restore your C1 Corvette to as new condition. And, we have the C1 Corvette parts to keep your classic piece of Americana maintained and tuned to perfection.