Evolution of corvette 

Chevrolet rushes the Corvette into production following the model's debut at GM's 1953 Motorama show. The two-seat roadster uses fiberglass body panels and relies on Chevy's tried-and-true Blue Flame inline-six for motivation. While the six-cylinder powerplant produces 115 horses in Chevy's sedan, the bow-tie brand tunes the engine to make 150 ponies in the Corvette. A two-speed automatic is the only transmission offered, and all of the cars are painted Polo White and wear a red interior. Chevrolet produces 300 Corvettes in 1953 and sells just 183 of them. Assign blame to the vehicle being neither civilized enough to be a true grand tourer nor engaging enough to appeal to the sports-car crowd. ew life comes to the Corvette in 1955, when Chevrolet finally shoves its 4.3-liter (265-cubic-inch) V-8 under the model's hood in a fit of good sense. The 195-hp engine brings with it an available three-speed manual transmission. For the first time, the Corvette offers drivers proper sports-car performance. Chevrolet fully transforms the Corvette for the 1956 model year. A revised front end is reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL coupe's, while scalloped sides add a more distinctive look. The V-8 carries over but includes a new camshaft design that allows it to produce 210 horsepower with the standard Carter four-barrel carburetor. A second carb is available and raises output to 225 horses. New creature comforts include external door handles, windows that roll into the door panel (1953 to 1955 Corvettes had removable window curtains), and an available power-operated folding roof. The Corvette goes under the knife again and emerges sporting a revised front end with a new dual-headlight design for 1958. Other changes include an updated interior that sees the tachometer move from the center of the dashboard to a location in the driver's line of sight, just below the speedometer. Power continues to rise as well, and the most potent Corvette produces a cool 290 horses from its fuel-injected V-8. That figure rises to 315 ponies for 1960.