Chevrolet Corvette C1 of the last model year - more powerful than the Le Mans racing cars with fuel injection

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 of the last model year - more powerful than the Le Mans racing cars with fuel injection

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Created on May 31, 2017

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

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GM Corporation / Chevrolet

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General Motors

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Dave Nicholas

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - almost 4.5 meters long

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - attractive in "Honduras Maroon" color scheme

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - at over 1.3 tons, the C1 was no lightweight

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - small adjustments were also made for the last model year

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the radiator of the '62 Corvette was now matt black

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - this rear end was also retained for the C2

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - with factory hardtop

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - symmetrically designed dashboard

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - View of the interior

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - Seat belts were fitted by the factory from 1958

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - somewhat rugged workplace

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - large steering wheel

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - all matt black

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - huge speedometer with mileage scale

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - six instruments, the rev counter in the center

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - Fuel gauge and water thermometer

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - Ampere meter and oil pressure gauge

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - Clock and factory mid-wave radio

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - classic H-scheme for the four-speed gearbox

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - 4-speed manual transmission, reverse gear is unlocked with the top pull handle

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - Corvette lettering in the cockpit

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - no wasted space in the engine compartment

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the longitudinally mounted V8 engine

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the 5.3-liter V8 delivers around 360 hp

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - with Rochester fuel injection

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the Rochester injection system

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the two flags as a symbol of recognition

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the lettering on the nose

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - indicated fins on the hood

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the Corvette badge on the rear

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - indicated central hubs

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the two-tone paint finish for the flanks no longer existed

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - beautiful wheel covers

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the last incarnation of the C1

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - the factory-fitted hardtop looks good on the Corvette

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - Twin headlights were introduced in 1958

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - four rear lights were available with the 1961 facelift

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - lots of public interest at the presentation

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - production started shortly after the presentation of the prototype

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - the first Corvette C1 produced in 1953

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - a lot of manual work during production

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Chevrolet Corvette (1954) - the lightness of the body - here the underbody, the largest integral part of the body - is presented by Norbert Shemansky

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - taken in San Fransicso

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - with six-cylinder engine

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - the EX-122 prototype, shown at Motorama 1953 at the Waldorf-Astoria on January 17, 1953 in New York, differed only minimally from later production versions

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Chevrolet Corvette (1954) - sold only in the USA - Geneva Motor Show 1954

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - Chassis for mounting the plastic bodywork

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - still with six cylinders

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - for two people in a hurry or for pleasure

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - Presentation in front of an American skyline

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - strictly for two people

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Chevrolet Corvette (1954) - 6th place at the Concours d'Elégance in Geneva in 1954

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Chevrolet Corvette (1954) - the Corvette cuts a fine figure at the Concours d'Elégance in Geneva on May 29, 1954

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Chevrolet Corvette (1956) - in its latest version with V8 engine - Geneva Motor Show 1956

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Chevrolet Corvette (1956) - the dashboard clearly shows Italian influences - Geneva Motor Show 1956

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Chevrolet Corvette (1960) - during training for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

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Chevrolet Corvette (1960) - the near-series Corvette for Le Mans, entered by the American Camoradi team

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Chevrolet Corvette (1960) - four Corvettes competed in the GT class at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans

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Chevrolet Corvette (1960) - rolls onto the starting line at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1960

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12 Hours of Sebring 1961: Chevrolet Corvette C1 1961

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - The Corvette of Delmo Johnson and David Morgan (12 Hours of Sebring 1962)

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Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1962) - The most famous curve in Sebring (Hairpin, today's curve 7) - here with 2 Ferraris and 2 Corvettes (12 Hours of Sebring 1962)

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Chevrolet Corvette (1956) - an early Corvette, already with the steeply raked headlights

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Chevrolet Corvette - Corvette at the Chevrolet stand at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show

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Chevrolet Corvette (1961) - Interior with passenger grab handle

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Chevrolet Corvette (1960) - the Corvette became faster and faster over the years

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Chevrolet Corvette (1959) - later version with twin headlights

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Chevrolet Corvette (1962) - edited picture of a late Corvette

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Chevrolet Corvette (1961) - used in one form or another for the television series Route 66

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Chevrolet Corvette (1961) - as similarly used for the television series Route 66

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Chevrolet Corvette (1962) - the last model year of the C1

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Chevrolet Corvette (1961) - C1 now with new rear end, as was also used on the C2

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Chevrolet Corvette (1961) - a late version, it looks much more elegant

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Chevrolet Corvette (1962) - the '62-C1 Corvette now has a black radiator grille and adapted flanks, seven colors are available

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Chevrolet Corvette (1962) - Advertisement for the C1 in an American magazine

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Chevrolet Corvette (1968) - Zora Duntov with his Corvette engines

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Summary

General Motors built the first generation of the Chevrolet Corvette from 1953 to 1962. Over the nine years, the plastic sports car was continuously refined and the power output increased from 150 to 360 hp. In 1960, the cars showed that they were also competitive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This driving report is dedicated to the last and most powerful Chevrolet Corvette C1 with the 5.3-liter injection engine. Many current and historical pictures and a sound sample provide multimedia enjoyment without remorse.

This article contains the following chapters

Nine years of evolution
The last rigid-axle Corvette
The coup at Le Mans
One from 1918
More power than the Le Mans version

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In 1960, four Chevrolet Corvettes ventured across the Atlantic to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The comparatively heavy and large American sports cars were initially ridiculed by the Europeans, but they soon learned to fear the American thunderbolts. With a class victory and eighth place overall, the near-series Corvette clearly proved that it was a real sports car. And the American plastic sports car only cost a fraction of what the beaten competitors wanted for their cars. When the first Corvette prototype appeared at the General Motors Motorama in January 1953, there was great enthusiasm for the elegant sports car. The company was forced to start production soon and had to develop the show car into a car for series production at lightning speed.

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