Championed by General Motors’ legendary styling director Harley Earl and brought to production for 1953, the Corvette was Chevrolet’s first dedicated move into the fast-growing youth market. A daring experiment, the Corvette was an American first with its all-fiberglass body construction. Launched at New York in January 1953, the Corvette saw limited production of 300 cars for 1953, all painted Polo White with red vinyl upholstery. Another 3,640 Corvettes followed for 1954 with bodywork unchanged and numerous subtle, yet welcome refinements. New for 1954 were four available paint colors (Polo White, Pennant Blue, Sportsman Red and black) and a choice of red or beige upholstery. Of the 3,460 Corvettes built for 1954, only 100 were adorned in Sportsman Red like this one. Powered by a 235/155 HP Blue Flame Inline 6-cylinder engine, paired with a Powerglide 2-speed automatic transmission, this example is quite highly equipped with a heater, signal-seeking AM radio, courtesy lights, directional signals, a parking brake alarm, windshield washer and 6.7x15-inch whitewall tires. Bloomington Gold certified in June 2015, this 1954 Corvette went on to cut a veritable swath through NCRS ranks with honors, including 2015 NCRS Regional Top Flight in Lakeland, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and 2015 NCRS Chapter Top Flight status. Additionally, in 2015, the Corvette formed part of the 2015 NCRS Gallery XV Display and received the 2015 NCRS Duntov Mark of Excellence Award at the club’s National Convention. Achievements for 2016 included NCRS National Top Flight honors with a score of 99.3 and coveted NCRS Performance Verification Certification, including a strict 158-point checklist. In 2017, the Corvette was part of the NCRS Regional Duntov Display. Further high-level awards include the 2015 Edison Concours d’Elegance Class Illumination Award of Excellence, the 2016 Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance Class Palmetto Award of Excellence and a 2016 Best of the Best 1910-1967 class win at the Last Cruise Invitational. At the 2017 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, the highly decorated Corvette took Concours Gold and Triple Diamond Awards. Predictably, this prolific first- generation Corvette participated in the 2018 World of Wheels Autorama “65 Years of Corvette History” special display. As offered, this multiple award-winning 1954 Chevrolet Corvette is simply a must-have for any passionate collector of America’s only true production sports car.
