Simon Cars - Chevrolet Corvette C1

aa Chevrolet Corvette 1957 badge

Chevrolet Corvette 1957 - badge on bonnet

aa Chevrolet Corvette 1958 badge

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 - badge

aa Chevrolet Corvette 1960 badge

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 C1 - badge.

aa Chevrolet Corvette 1962 badgeb

Chevrolet Corvette 1962 - bonnet badge

aa Chevrolet Corvette 1962 badgeh

Chevrolet Corvette 1962 - badge on bonnet

aa Chevrolet Corvette 1962 flag badge

Chevrolet Corvette 1962 - badge on bonnet. The crossed flags badge appeared on early Corvettes and has become the brand badge, the right hand flag implying sporting prowess and the left hand flag suggesting a French connection (mistaken) to Chevrolet.

ab Chevrolet Corvette 1958 grille

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 - The 1958 Corvette grille lost 4 of its 'teeth' and appeared with just 9.

ab Chevrolet Corvette 1962 grille

Chevrolet Corvette 1962. Final year for the C1 Corvette, and engine remained at 4.6-litres (283) but there were two fuel-injected options in addition to the less powerful dual-four barrel engines

ac Chevrolet Corvette 1956 C1 head

Chevrolet Corvette C1 1956. in 1955 chevrolet supplemented the straight six engine with a small block V8 engine and by the 1956 refresh this was virtually standard equipment. The 4.34-litre (265) V8 was offered in two states of tune, and the 'V' symbol within the bonnet badge signifies the V8 engine.

Chevrolet Corvette 1956 C1 front

Chevrolet Corvette C1 1956. 1956 Corvettes featured a new body by Bob Cadaret, but underneath the chassis and suspension continued as before - still derived from Chevrolet cars because sales of Corvettes were too small to justify re-engineering

ac Chevrolet Corvette 1958 Coupe head

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 Coupe. Quad lights and 2-inches wider are the hallmarks of the 1958 Corvette. The 4,638cc (283) V8 remained, but there were 16 states of tune offered. The side grilles were there to cool the brakes

Chevrolet Corvette 1957 front

Chevrolet Corvette 1957. For 1956 Carl Renner revised the plain Corvette sides with these scallops, and new vertical headlamps. Power was given by a 4,638cc (283) small block V8 that in fuel injected form could give 283 bhp.

Chevrolet Corvette 1957 interior

Chevrolet Corvette 1957 - interior

Chevrolet Corvette 1957 lamps

Chevrolet Corvette 1957 - 'Frenched' rear lamps were given to the C1 with the new 1956 fin-less body. These were changed for 1958 with flush glazing.

Chevrolet Corvette 1957 rear

Chevrolet Corvette 1957. Chevrolet restyled the Corvette for 1956 under Bob Cadaret, giving it a new tail with rounded rear wings and no fins; this was unchanged for 1957.

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 hardtop front

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 hardtop. Chuck Jordan restyled the 1958 Corvette, making it 9-inches longer, 2-inches wider, and adding lots of chrome. The 4,638cc (283) V8 remained, but there were 16 states of tune offered.

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 hardtop rear

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 hardtop. Restyled for 1958, the Corvette grew 9-inches longer and 2-inches wider. A removable hardtop had been offered by the factory from 1956. The chrome strips down the bootlid were removed for 1959.

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 inside

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 - The passenger grab handle was new for 1958.

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 rear

Chevrolet Corvette 1958. The chrome trunk 'spears' were introduced with all the fashionable chrome for 1958 but deleted for 1959. Chuck Jordan did the 1958 restyle.

d Chevrolet Corvette 1958 vent

Chevrolet Corvette 1958 - these side 'coves' were designed by Carl Renner for the 1956 Corvette, and retained until 1963.

ac Chevrolet Corvette 1959 head

Chevrolet Corvette 1959. Quad lamps were given to the Corvette for 1958 along with dummy grilles below. Behind the grille was the Chevrolet 4,638cc small-block V8 available in 4 versions with the 290bhp fuel-injected version being the most powerful

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 front

Chevrolet Corvette 1959. After all the chrome of 1958, the 1959 Corvette was simplified and lost its false bonnet vents

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 hardtop front

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 hardtop, powered by 4,635cc (283) V8 engine.

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 hardtop rear

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 hardtop. Minor restyling for 1959 involved removal of the chrome strips from the trunk. Flush rear lamps had been given in 1958.

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 inside

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 - interior

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 rear

Chevrolet Corvette 1959. After all the chrome of 1958, the 1959 Corvette was simplified and the chrome trunk spears were deleted to leave a much simpler boot.

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 side

Chevrolet Corvette 1959. The biggest changes were made to the Corvette in 1958 with a 4-inch increase in length and a 2-inch increase in width although the 102-inch wheelbase remained the same. For 1959 only a deletion of some of the 1958 chrome excess was visible.

Chevrolet Corvette 1959 tail

Chevrolet Corvette 1959. Exhaust pipes terminated in the oval cut-outs at the extremities of the bumper

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 front

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 C1. There were few differences in the 1959 and 1960 Corvettes

d Chevrolet Corvette 1960 vent

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 C1 - vent

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 interior

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 C1 - interior

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 lampr

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 C1 - tail lamps. these were faired into the top of the wings from 1958 to 1960

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 rear

Chevrolet Corvette 1960 C1. This was the final year for the rounded tail with lamps on top of the wings becaise a new more abrupt tail treatment was given for 1961

ac Chevrolet Corvette 1962 hardtop head

Chevrolet Corvette 1962. Although there were only modest changes at the front of the 1962 Corvette, behind the new fine mesh grille was a larger 5,354 cc (327) version of the small-block V8 and this replaced the 283 in all Corvettes.

Chevrolet Corvette 1962 hardtop front

Chevrolet Corvette 1962. Changes were minor at the front of the 1962 Corvette as a new model was coming for 1963, but a fine mesh grille was evident

Chevrolet Corvette 1962 hardtop rear

Chevrolet Corvette 1962. Final year for the C1 Corvette, Carl Renner had already given the Corvette its side cove (1956), and would give its ducktail rear end in 1961 with inset quad rear lamps. Corvettes had been available with factory hardtops as an option from 1956