![\"bubbletop-1\"](\"http:\/\/www.desert-motors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/bubbletop-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe first Corvettes were hand assembled and thus, limited to a production run of just 300 cars, all Polo White over Sportsman Red interiors.\u00a0 In December of 1953, production was moved from Flint, Michigan to a dedicated assembly plant in St. Louis, Missouri, capable of rolling out 10,000 cars a year.\u00a0 With the move to the new plant, Chevrolet ramped up production more than tenfold, with a final production number of 3,640 cars for 1954.\u00a0\u00a0 Unfortunately for Chevrolet and its dealerships, demand didn\u2019t meet supply.\u00a0 It\u2019s said that at the start of 1955, more than one-third of the \u201954 Corvettes hadn\u2019t left showroom floors and that a number of those that had were let go below cost.<\/p>\n
While billed as \u201cThe First All-American Sports Car\u201d, the Corvette suffered from a bit of an identity crisis.\u00a0 Its rear-wheel drive, two-seat, open top layout is the definition of a sports car and its fiberglass body and lean proportions created a low curb weight of just 2,886lbs.\u00a0 However, the Blue Flame Six power plant lacked the sophistication and output of many of the Corvette\u2019s competitors and was mated to a two-speed automatic that was more at home in a plush cruiser than a svelte sports car.\u00a0 On top of that, its base price sat at $2,774; a number that eclipsed V8 Cadillacs and approached the more refined and powerful Jaguar XK120.<\/p>\n
The \u201954 Corvette\u2019s Blue Flame Six, a 235ci inline six with three sidedraft Carter carburetors, produced 150hp (upped 5hp mid-year by way of a revised camshaft) and 223lb-ft of torque.\u00a0 1954 was the final year for the Blue Flame as 1955 saw the introduction of what is now considered a cornerstone of the modern Corvette, the small-block V8.\u00a0 While the straight-six may lack the grunt of the larger displacement V8 (an increase of about 40hp and 35ft-lb of torque), it\u2019s unique characteristics and limited run are part of what make the very earliest Corvettes most desirable to many collectors.\u00a0 Other interesting features include the optional AM radio with its antenna coming in the form of a wire mesh sandwiched into the fiberglass of the trunk lid and lack of exterior door handles, as the doors are opened with inside release levers, a feature possible due to the lack of traditional side windows.\u00a0 Like many European sports cars of the era, side windows came in the form of plastic side curtains which are stored in a bag in the trunk.<\/p>\n However, without question, the standout feature of this stunning Pennant Blue example is its green-tinted acrylic bubbletop. \u0639\u0627\u064a\u0632\u0647 \u0644\u0639\u0628 \u0639\u0627\u064a\u0632\u0647 \u0644\u0639\u0628<\/a> \u00a0 During the \u201850s, Model Builders, Inc of Chicago, Illinois was contacted by Eugene Kettering, Chief of GM\u2019s Electro-Motive Division, for one of his personal cars and word has it that Chevrolet actually fitted one for testing, entertaining the idea of making it a factory option.\u00a0 With a production of only 15-20 (only five being green-tinted, the remainder being clear) at a price of $500 each, originals are a very, very rare sight.\u00a0 And as is the case with virtually everything on the car, this is one of the five original green-tinted tops.<\/p>\n That being said, this beautiful bubbletop wasn\u2019t always so beautiful. 1xbet<\/a> \u00a0 In fact, when the current owners picked the car up in St. Louis two years ago, the car was literally in boxes.\u00a0 And not clearly labeled, organized boxes.\u00a0 Bolts and screws were randomly thrown in with other random parts and while nearly every original piece was there (including the 55 year old, original windshield), many of them needed more than a little TLC.\u00a0 For example, the show-stopping bubbletop had been painted silver and given the nature of the top, required an extremely careful and even more time consuming sanding process that took six months alone.\u00a0 The meticulous, exhaustive restoration took more than two years to complete and as they say, a picture speaks a thousand words.<\/p>\n It\u2019s funny how many of the features and \u201cshortcomings\u201d that caused such poor sales for Chevrolet and the Corvette in 1954 \u00a0seem so minor and trivial today and in fact, today, some of these particulars are what actually make the car as interesting and unique as it is. \u0641\u064a\u0632\u0627 \u0627\u0641\u062a\u0631\u0627\u0636\u064a\u0629 \u0643\u0627\u0634 \u064a\u0648<\/a> \u00a0 Regardless of whether things like the Blue Flame Six are viewed as a negative or positive, one thing is undeniable; while the earliest Corvettes may not be the powerful, dynamic driving machines that the Corvettes of today are, they are some of the most interesting cars in the model\u2019s rich history and are true American classics.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n