<<
Go Back <<
obvious
that the optimistic plan for 10,000 cars to be built that year would fall woefully
short of expectations. While some in the company looked to drop the Corvette
project altogether and cut losses, the courageous decision was made to forge
ahead. To that end, a few changes were made to address consumer complaints and
to make the car more palatable in the marketplace. Among the minor alterations,
a new camshaft bumped horsepower of the Blue Flame six-cylinder engine from
150 to 155, beige was added to red as an interior option, beige displaced black
for the soft top treatment, and exterior colors were expanded to include Pennant
Blue, black and Sportsman Red. Additional changes included longer exhaust tips
(to correct the exhaust staining typical of the shorter ’53-style tips)
and a single interior hood latch release bumped the two-latch design.
