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Motorama attendees, the
company decided to rush through a limited production run of 300 fiberglass-bodies
roadsters before the official 1954 model year kick-off.
By
the end of june 1953 the first of these "advance" Corvettes were
heading down the temporary Flint, Michigan, assembly line. Regular production
of the Corvette was planned for the St. Louis assembly plant later that year,
but high initial demand required that the first cars be built in Flint. All
good and well, except for the marketing blunders which followed.
Enthusiasm
for the Corvette had gone from a boil at the january Motorama to a low simmer
by the time the cars finally began to roll off of the assembly line. Part
of the problem was that Chevrolet had failed to keep the fire stoked in the
interim, and in an overconfident marketing gaffe, it was decided that only
corporate brass and "VIPs" would be offered these first-run Vettes'
mostly to impart an air of exclusivity to the breed. Early press reviews and
real-world evaluations also pointed out some of the Corvettes detractions,
namely the availability of an automatic-only transmission, leaky plastic windows
and the lack of an exterior door access. Also, Polo White with red interiors
and black tops was the only color scheme going for the "1953" models.
As
1953 neared its end, production finally shifted to the St. Louis plant, although
by this time it became painfully