1954 Corvette Convertible VIN: E54S003461 (Sequence Number 2,461) Total Production: 3,640 Manufactured at St. Louis: Approximately Late Summer, 1954 Exterior Color: Polo White Interior Trim: Sportsman Red Soft Top: Beige Canvas Engine: 235 Cubic-Inch, 155 Horsepower, L-6, “Blue Flame 150” Engine Suffix Code: F54YG Carburetion: Three Single-Barrel Carter Model YH 2066SA Side Draft Transmission: RPO 313M Powerglide Automatic (required - $178.35) Differential: Code “MW” 3.55:1 Axle Ratio Additional Accessories & Options (required): FOA 100 Direction Signals ($16.75) FOA 101A Heater ($91.40) FOA 102A Signal-Seeking AM Radio ($145.15) RPO 290B 6.70-15 Whitewall Tires ($26.90) RPO 420A Park Brake Signal ($5.65) RPO 421A Courtesy Lamps ($4.05) RPO 422A Windshield Washer ($11.85) MSRP: $2,774 Base, plus $480.10 in options - $3,254.10 Total Mileage: 109,074 Purchased: January 2007, Barrett-Jackson Auction; Scottsdale, Arizona .

1954 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

The year 1954 saw Bill Haley & His Comets record “Rock Around the Clock”, the New York Yankees win four straight games against the Cleveland Indians to take the World Series, and Bill Vukovich win his second straight Indianapolis 500 posting an average speed of 130.8 MPH.

That year also saw new Corvettes built on a Chevrolet production line in a 100,000 square-foot building located near Union Boulevard and Natural Bridge Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. This plant was already steeped in tradition dating back to 1917, then known as the “mill building” for producing the many wooden parts required for Chevrolet car and truck bodies. The building’s historic tradition would continue…

“Out-with-the-old & in-with-the-new”, as Corvette was the first volume-produced fiberglass reinforced plastic (FPR) bodied car in the world, and Chevrolet designed the plant to produce 1,000 new Corvettes a month. That figure, though, turned out widely optimistic. The car’s public excitement the previous year didn’t quite equate to the anticipated sale’s forecasts, as only 3,640 were built. But, that’s another story.

Chevrolet advertising suddenly described… “First of the dream cars to come true. Own a Corvette now! It packs more sheer fun into every mile than any car you’ve ever driven! Here’s the car for fun… a swift-looking low-slung beauty that stands only 33 inches at door top, extends a compact 167 inches in length, and packs into a rugged sports-car chassis all the responsive power of a special 150-horsepower ‘Blue Flame’ engine with triple sidedraft carburetion. And now you can enjoy the thrill of owning a Corvette. It’s on display by Chevrolet dealers - the same dealers who make Corvette parts and service available wherever you go. See your dealer and place your order now…”

Corvettes finally hit the streets in 1954. Polo White with red interior was still the norm, with a handful of Black and Red painted jobs built, as well as a fair quantity of the new Pennant Blue metallic color with beige trim. All ’54 Corvettes came with beige canvas convertible tops, opposed to black in 1953. Other than that, both models were almost alike.

The Corvette was powered by Chevrolet’s dependable 235.5 cubic-inch, in-line, valve-in-head, “Blue Flame” six-cylinder engine. However, high-performance modifications over the passenger car version were numerous… cylinder head compression ratio was raised to 8:1, a high-lift camshaft utilizing an aluminum (rather than composite) timing gear was used, a true split “dual” exhaust manifold was designed, new aluminum pistons installed as well as mechanical tappets and dual valve springs for higher engine speeds, including high efficiency water pump with 18-inch cooling fan, and an aluminum intake containing three Carter YH one-barrel side draft carburetors, each feeding two cylinders. This Corvette “Blue Flame 150” engine was rated at 150 horsepower (the passenger car was 125), developing 223 ft. lbs. of torque. And, a slight cam change during the run increased horsepower to 155.

The Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission was tailored to fit Corvette’s exposed Hotchkiss drive, and “tweaked” to achieve full-throttle up shift to Drive from Low gear at 55 mph. Unlike a passenger car unit, a fluid-cooling device was unnecessary due to Corvette’s light curb weight of just 2,840 pounds.

Contrary to public misperception at the time, the chassis was NOT a shortened full-sized passenger car unit… the rugged Corvette frame was unique, utilizing full box-section side girder rails with central X-member and additional crossmembers for the rear springs and axle “kick-up”, for mounting rear shock absorbers. New “outrigger-design” leaf springs supported a true Hotchkiss-drive rear axle with exposed driveshaft (as opposed to the passenger car’s rigid torque tube setup). The only Corvette chassis parts shared with a full-sized Chevrolet Bel Air were the front suspension, modified for quicker steering, road wheels with 6.70-15” whitewall tires, and brakes that easily stopped a 2,840-pound car just fine.

Chevrolet was justly excited and proud with the new fiberglass Corvette. It was a car not only fun to drive, but fun to build. Chevrolet Assistant Chief Engineer Jim Premo said it best in 1954 to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), “The whole history of the automobile industry is one of challenge to man’s inventive genius. And, whatever the future role of reinforced plastics in the automotive field, the story of the Corvette body is, I believe, thoroughly in keeping with the tradition of continually finding new ways to do new things.”

Dave’s All Original, Unrestored 1954…

Yes, the Polo White paint is a little chipped, faded and polished through, the interior trim is a bit worn, and the canvas soft top is threadbare, making the casual observer think this car “out of place” among the Ressler Family Corvette Collection of pristine examples. It certainly is not! It’s an all-original, virtually untouched example of a 50-plus year old automobile driven over 100,000 miles. Sure, the tires are replacements, as is the battery and the top’s rear backlite, and the lower radiator coolant hoses didn’t come from the factory… but everything else did! This is the finest example of a St. Louis built 1954 Corvette in existence, and will be forever preserved.

This 1954, the 2,461st produced out of 3,640 St. Louis Corvettes, was delivered new to a Chevy dealership in west-central New Jersey, being driven by the dealer’s wife during its first year. As soon as the new 1955 Corvette came out, the dealer sold it to Albert E. Allgrunn in nearby Philadelphia. Albert drove it over 100,000 miles, moved to Salt Lake City circa-1972, where he put it into storage for 17 years, never registering or driving it in Utah. In 1989 he sold it. By then, an original, unmolested 1954 Corvette was unheard of… something to behold.

This 1954 Corvette is one of less than a handful among the first early series today to have attained the stringent requirements to achieve both the Bloomington Gold Survivor Award (in 1991) and the 5-Star NCRS-Chevrolet Bowtie Award (in 2002), presented to only the best original, unrestored examples. Oh, yes, there is one other addition that didn’t come from the factory… in 1990 famed Corvette Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov autographed the trunk lid.

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