While many volumes have been written about famed engineer and racer Zora Arkus-Duntov and his successful drive to turn Chevrolet’s stylish but relatively tame early Corvette into a true high-performance machine, the importance of his work cannot be overstated. During only his first three years on the job at GM, Arkus-Duntov prevented the Corvette’s early demise and convinced top Chevrolet management to commit to building exciting cars and proving them in competition. Working closely with Ed Cole, Chevrolet’s engineering chief, Arkus-Duntov tirelessly—and often at great risk to his personal safety—tested and raced the Corvette, methodically developing it into a world-beating legend. One of the early fruits of Zora Arkus-Duntov’s one-man crusade is this 1957 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible. One of just 6,339 examples built in all for 1957, it demonstrates the Corvette’s fast-growing potency with its dual-quad 283/245 HP V-8 engine breathing in deeply through dual 4-barrel carburetors. With just 21,435 actual miles at the time of writing, it is offered from the past owner of 40-plus years and is thought to have been sold new in California. Equipped with a matching-numbers dual- quad 283/245 HP V-8 engine, 3-speed manual transmission and 3.70 rear end, this Corvette sports a body-on restoration that carries the appearance of having been performed with the body off the frame. Finished in Onyx Black paint with a Venetian Red interior, this potent early Corvette is equipped with a removable auxiliary hardtop, Wonderbar radio, windshield washers and courtesy lights. Most all of the correct factory-type components are present, including the spare, jack, wheel tools, trunk mat, trunk liner, rebound straps, washer system, shifter, shielding, air cleaners, generator, distributor, spark plug shields, hoses, hose clamps, hood alignment blocks, nine-fin rocker covers, hood pop-ups, fuel filter, dated carburetors, No. 022 master cylinder, dated radiator, grooved rear springs, gas cap, Guide Y-50 mirror and T-3 headlights. Riding on steel wheels mounting hubcaps and vintage 6.70x15-inch wide whitewall tires, this high-specification, dual-quad 1957 Chevrolet Corvette is documented with the 1985-dated title, plus a numbers sheet, a photo of the engine-number stamping and a three-ring binder.
