The blue scapegoat
03/16/2025
I like six-cylinder engines. And that's exactly why I have to take up the cudgels at this point for the "Blue Flame Special" - that oh-so-slack iron block that is generally blamed for the failure of the first Chevrolet Corvette. I could never quite believe it. Or didn't want to, as I consider the Corvette of the first three years to be the most beautiful this side of the '63 Sting Ray.
It is said time and again that the 3.9-liter and the performance resulting from its meager 155 HP were not worthy of a sports car. Counter question: What was considered a real sports car in 1954? Possibly a Jaguar XK 120 - I don't think anyone will disagree with me. Its 3.4-liter six-cylinder engine produced an incredible 160 HP - also determined according to the SAE gross standard, by the way.
In the Road & Track test, the Englishman sprinted from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 10.1 seconds. The Corvette needed an even eleven seconds - with a two-speed automatic transmission, mind you, while the Jaguar had four manual gears available with virtually no loss. On the quarter mile, the American was still three tenths quicker with a time of 18.0 seconds.
The lousy build quality of the unfamiliar plastic bodywork probably put off most potential customers much more than the driving performance. The fact that the completely unsportsmanlike Powerglide was the only gearbox available will certainly not have helped sales of a sports car either. If I had a '54 Corvette, I would immediately install a four-speed transmission - and compete against an XK 120 at any time.
