1953 Chevrolet Corvette

Harley Earl's two-seat Chevrolet roadster went from a 1951 design study to a Motorama turntable at New York's Waldorf-Astoria in January 1953, and the public response sent it into production within six months. The first Corvette left Chevrolet's Flint, Michigan, assembly plant on June 30, 1953, and the model became the first mass-produced car from a major manufacturer to use a fiberglass body. Only 300 were built that year, largely by hand, and every one was finished in Polo White over Sportsman Red with a black canvas top. Under the hood, a 235ci Blue Flame inline-six with three Carter side-draft carburetors made 150 horsepower when new and sent it through a two-speed Powerglide automatic.

This example is chassis number E53F001076, the 76th serial number of the 300 Corvettes built for 1953. According to the seller, Lloyd Miller and Steve Newsom performed a restoration on the car approximately 25 years ago. It was judged by the National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) in 2003 with a total score of 97.2, earning it a Top Flight Award that year.

It has been refinished in Polo White over Sportsman Red vinyl with has a black canvas top, and it rides on red-painted 15" steel wheels with chrome wheel covers featuring simulated knock-off spinners, mounted with Firestone Deluxe Champion whitewall tires. Interior equipment includes a white-rimmed steering wheel with a chrome horn ring, a 140-mph speedometer, a center-mounted 5,000-rpm tachometer, a clock, and a dashboard-mounted rearview mirror.