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The EX-122 prototype - the oldest Chevrolet Corvette in the world

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Created on June 21, 2012

Text:

Stefan Fritschi

Photos:

Richard Spiegelmann

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Richard Spiegelmann

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Archiv

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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 EX-122 (1952) - at the Meadow Brook Concours in 2005, looking like it did in 1952

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Chevrolet Corvette EX-122 (1952) - at the Meadow Brook Concours in 2005, again white as in 1952

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Chevrolet Corvette EX-122 (1952) - at the Meadow Brook Concours in 2002, then still red and with the bodywork from later production

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Chevrolet Corvette (1953) - the final prototype shown at the Waldorf-Astoria on January 17, 1953

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

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

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

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Summary

On January 17, 1953, the very first hand-built prototype of the Corvette made its debut at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York on the occasion of the GM Group's "Motorama" show - after just seven months of preparation. The EX-122 concept car was already essentially identical to the later production Chevrolet Corvette (C1) and marked the start of a model series that continues to this day. This report briefly recounts the creation of the first Corvette and the life of the EX-122 concept car, illustrated with historical and current images

This article contains the following chapters

A new model in just seven months
Positive response from Motorama visitors
V8 engine in the EX-122 saved the Corvette from extinction
EX-122 is converted into an endurance test vehicle
Restore or preserve?
The new EX-122 home becomes a place of pilgrimage for the Corvette community
Further information

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

On January 17 , 1953, the very first hand-built prototype of the Corvette made its first appearance at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York on the occasion of the GM Group's "Motorama" show. The EX-122 concept car was already essentially identical to the later Corvette C1 production car. GM Vice President Harley Earl was a big fan of sports cars. However, these were not available in-house, and so a project was launched to close this gap. On June 2, 1952, the project was given the green light and work on the concept car could begin. A Jaguar XK 120 was on hand to provide inspiration. The result was a very pretty plastic roadster that was obviously based on British and Italian design models. However, Earl's enthusiasm was not shared by all GM managers. They had no experience in series production with the new material fiberglass, and besides, a small sports car was less profitable than the larger cars. So EX-122 was only given a chance as a show object and experimental vehicle.

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