The Corvette Story – 1953 Corvette, Dream Car or Nightmare?

Chevrolet put its heart and soul into the production and marketing of its new sports car, with Mauri Rose demonstrating it to the press. But problems with the bodies and slow market acceptance made Chevrolet doubt its new baby’s future.

The Corvette’s enthusiastic reception at its Motorama launch in January 1953 confirmed Chevrolet’s belief that it had a winner on its hands. That appearance also marked a line of demarcation. It would no longer be the protected baby of Carl Renner and his small and sheltered design team Its appearance now became the responsibility of the Chevrolet production studio on the tenth floor of GM’s research building. 

Chevy’s mainstream designers under Clare MacKichan made few changes because the need to freeze the design for production was urgent. A short chrome dart along each front fender grew into a full-length rub-rail, more directly aligned with the wrapped-around front and rear bumpers. This served to mask a seam in the assembly of the production body. A small “fin” was now above the strip instead of below it, adjacent to “Chevrolet” in script.

The two tiny air scoops disappeared from the sides of the cowl. On the show car these had been painted red inside, with exposed portions of the wheel rims also red. Production men confirmed the wire-mesh-effect design of the headlight covers. A more conventional headlamp mounting had been tried on a test “mule” but fortunately not pursued. Plexiglas remained as a cover for the recessed rear license plate; from 1954 cars were delivered with a dessicant in an adjoining chamber to absorb condensation.