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Corvette: Year By Year

    

About The Corvette

    

Corvette Specs

    

1957 Corvette

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Brochure

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Brochure

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1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection

Close1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection
Right: Chevrolet pulled something amazing out of the hat for 1957: Fuel Injection. First run in 1956 at the Sebring race, the Rochester Ramjet injection was an answer to Mercedes-Benz which featured fuel injection in the 1954 300SL. The innovation solved a fuel starvation problem caused by sloshing while cornering with carbureted engines under race conditions. The fuel injection system, displayed in a cutaway drawing above, also enabled Chevrolet to boast of 1 hp per cubic inch of displacement with the 283 cu. in., 283 hp engine.

To keep this development in perspective, consider this. Almost all of the high priced supposedly advanced competition -- including Jaguar, Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini -- did not go with fuel injection until the 1970s or later.

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection - Cutaway drawing by David Kimble

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection - Cutaway drawing by David Kimble

Close1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection - Cutaway drawing by David Kimble

The new system was complex and costly however. At $484.20, the one option added over 15% to the price of an entire Corvette. Buyers found it irresistible however, with 1,040 checking the box on the order form. The complexity also resulted in a high maintenance reputation.

Not up for debate is the way the market treats fuel injected Corvettes of the era. Corvette enthusiasts went for it in a big way in 1957 and more so 50+ years later as a collectable; the price premium for a "Fuelie" as they are often called is significantly higher than their more mundane carbureted cousins.

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection

Close1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection

Above: Fuel Injection as installed in an early Corvette; Below: Later Fuel Injection system on display.

Later Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection

Later Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection

CloseLater Chevrolet Corvette Fuel Injection

1957 Corvette Trunk Fuel Injection Emblem

1957 Corvette Trunk Fuel Injection Emblem

Close1957 Corvette Trunk Fuel Injection Emblem
1957 and subsequent Corvettes proudly wore their new technological identities on the front fenders (above) and trunk lids (below).
1957 Chevrolet Corvette Four Speed Transmission

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Four Speed Transmission

Close1957 Chevrolet Corvette Four Speed Transmission

There was more good go-fast news for Corvette buyers in 1957. Just south of the clutch, a new four speed manual transmission became available as of April 9, 1957. 664 1957 Corvettes were so equipped at an extra cost of $188.30. Special four speeds had been installed in some race cars, so apparently the "More is Better" philosophy applied.

1957 Corvette Four Speed Transmission T10

1957 Corvette Four Speed Transmission T10

Close1957 Corvette Four Speed Transmission T10

The importance of this development cannot be overstated. A four speed was the ticket to sports car street cred; as of the introduction of the four speed the Corvette started to be take seriously by the high performance sports car community.


Also available in 1957: RPO 684, a racing suspension intended for serious racers. The cost was $780.10 and was installed on only 51 Corvettes in 1957.

1957 Corvette Fuel Injected Airbox

1957 Corvette Fuel Injected Airbox

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Above is a very special fuel injected 1957 Corvette with an airbox intake. It is RPO 579E and only 43 were made. As a racing option, it cost a whopping $726.30 or $242.10 more than the standard fuel injection system.

1957 Corvette RPO 579D Racing Tachometer

1957 Corvette RPO 579D Racing Tachometer

Close1957 Corvette RPO 579D Racing Tachometer

Special steering column mounted competition mechanical tachometer was part of the package.

1957 Corvette Fuel Injected Airbox

1957 Corvette Fuel Injected Airbox

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1957 Corvette C1 Fuel Injected RPO 276 Wheels

1957 Corvette C1 Fuel Injected RPO 276 Wheels

Close1957 Corvette C1 Fuel Injected RPO 276 Wheels

Notice the small wheel covers in this 1957 fuelie? It's RPO 276 and was a 15" x 5.5" wheel; stock wheels were 5.0".


1957 Chevrolet Corvette Magazine Ad

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Magazine Ad

Close1957 Chevrolet Corvette Magazine Ad

The marketing people had started to become aggressive with the competition. This was the start of a series of ads that continued for many years, pointing out that the imports did not entirely own the sports car world.

1957 Chevrolet Corvette with Convertible Top (brochure illustration)

1957 Chevrolet Corvette with Convertible Top (brochure illustration)

Close1957 Chevrolet Corvette with Convertible Top (brochure illustration)

Convertible Corvette with hardtop (below) and convertible top (above). Buyers actually had a choice of either top as part of a Corvette purchase. If they wanted both, Option Code 419 was selected for an additional $215.20. Thus it was possible to purchase a Corvette with a hard top only.

1957 Chevrolet Corvette with Hard Top (brochure illustration)

1957 Chevrolet Corvette with Hard Top (brochure illustration)

Close1957 Chevrolet Corvette with Hard Top (brochure illustration)
1957 Chevrolet Corvette Interior

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Interior

Close1957 Chevrolet Corvette Interior

1957 Corvette interior, in person (above) and per the brochure (below). The seats may appear to be bucket style but were closer to a bench seat in practice. There was no lateral support and the seat back, which was mostly vertical, did not adjust. The comfort level was poor making long trips a challenge. The interior had changed little since the introduction of the 'vette in 1953; the tachometer was still in the center and the other gauges / controls were a long reach. The dashboard was essentially the same as used in other Chevrolet models.

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Interior

1957 Chevrolet Corvette Interior

Close1957 Chevrolet Corvette Interior

1958 Corvette

1953 thru 1955 Photos


1957 Corvette Options