The Chevrolet Corvette was introduced on Jan. 17, 1953, at the General Motors Motorama Show in New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
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It’s been reported that the original purpose of this first Corvette was to show the world that Chevrolet and GM knew how to build good-looking sporty cars to compete with some of the European manufacturers after World War II. Many of the people exposed to the fiberglass Corvette at that Motorama show wanted to buy one, so Chevrolet promised it would be available in a year or less.
It was the first model of seven Corvette generations. Chevrolet produced 300 hand-built Corvette Convertibles for model year 1953, all were white with a red interior — and they weren’t very good. Quality was lacking, as was fit and finish. Water leaks were reported, as well as doors opening when the car was moving.
Those first Corvettes were powered by Chevrolet’s in-line six-cylinder, 136-horsepower engine with Powerglide automatic transmission and sold for $3,490 or about $40,315 in 2024’s dollars. Many needed improvements were made during the first generation that was 1953 through 1962.
Corvette didn’t get a V8 engine until 1955, though, when the three-speed manual transmission was also offered for the first time. That’s when many considered the Corvette a true sports car. The second generation (C2) was from 1963 through 1967 and introduced the Sting Ray Coupe, which still has an impressive following today.
It had become a true performance car with a “big block” V8 engine option and four-wheel disc brakes in 1965. The 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe had a split rear window, but Corvette’s chief engineer at the time did away with it in favor of a full curved rear window.
Today, the split-window Corvettes bring a premium price. In addition to the Sting Ray Coupe, Corvette continued to offer a convertible. A major C2 appearance change was the front-end look, with hidden headlights. The car’s ride and handling were improved with more room for passengers and luggage. However, even though the luggage space was increased, luggage had to be loaded from behind the front seats, as there was no external trunk.
This issue’s featured car looks like it could have been the one pictured in Corvette Sting Ray literature for the 1966 model year. Robert Shahan, a Dublin resident, has owned this car for about 10 years and is only its second owner.
“I’ve always loved Corvettes; I just couldn’t afford one,” Shahan said. “As a kid I used to get Camaros because they were affordable and hop ’em up. Then people would want them because they were all set up. In high school I went through about 15 cars.”
Marriage and kids curtailed this automotive hobby, but once retired Shahan’s wife encouraged him to buy a Corvette. He wanted a 1967 Corvette, but this 1966 model showed up on Craig’s List. He and his wife drove to Vacaville, were the first to contact the owner, paid $36,000 and drove it home. It was a good car to buy.
“It had never been hit, it had never had a problem, the owner had every receipt for everything done on the car,” Shahan said.
Except for the air conditioning unit, this car has no after-market parts and is nearly all original, with genuine GM parts for anything that’s been replaced. Shahan has done almost all the repairs himself, except for having the car aligned properly.
The Corvette has a somewhat rare L72, 427-cubic-inch V8 engine rated at about 500 horsepower with a four-speed manual transmission. Even though the vehicle was already in good shape, Shahan, a perfectionist, put some serious bucks into the car to make it perfect.
He says he doesn’t know or even want to (nor does he want his wife to know) what he has spent, but I think it was wisely invested, as he estimates the car is now worth somewhere between $100,000 and $125,000. The final upgrade he wants to do now is put in leather seats to replace the standard vinyl seats.
Shahan says he loves his 1966 Corvette and has no plans to sell it but that his 26-year daughter has her eye on it.
Have an interesting vehicle? Email Dave at MOBopoly@yahoo.com. To read more of his columns or see more photos of this and other issues’ vehicles, visit mercurynews.com/author/david-krumboltz.