Introduced in 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette was a bit of a disappointment at first due to its anemic inline-six engine. Some say GM almost pulled the plug in 1954. Fortunately enough though, Zora Arkus-Duntov arrived that year and persuaded Chevrolet to drop a small-block V8 in the Corvette. And the nameplate took off and became America’s most iconic sports car.
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Come 2022, and the first-generation Corvette is a sought-after collectible. While cars produced after 1956 aren’t particularly rare at 6,000 to 14,000 units built per year, pre-1957 models are hard to come by. Especially first-year and 1955 Corvettes.
Chevrolet managed to put together only 300 cars in 1953, a model year that comes with a hefty premium. The 1955 Corvette is the second-rarest with only 700 built. And because it also had a V8, it’s usually as desirable as the first-year, inline-six-powered C1.
And while the 1953 version was only available in Polo White, the 1955 Corvette arrived in showrooms with a few cool paint jobs. Sure, the color palette wasn’t as rich as the 1955 Bel Air’s, which came in more than 30 single and two-tone combinations, but it included flashy and lovely hues like Pennant Blue, Corvette Copper, and Harvest Gold.
A bright yellow hue with a touch of gold to it, the latter is my favorite Corvette color ever. And this finely restored 1955 sports car is proof that a Harvest Gold Corvette will stand out no matter where you drive or park it.
Recently featured by YouTube’s “Barcroft Cars,” this 1955 ‘Vette was once a derelict classic that looked like a car that spent way too much time off the road. But that’s no longer the case because it’s been through a no-expense-spared restoration that turned it into a Concours-winning Chevy.
Restored and completed with original 1955 Corvette parts, it now rocks a fresh layer of Harvest Gold, while also rocking a matching interior with dark green accents. And, of course, it uses a rebuilt 265-cubic-inch (4.3-liter) V8 to move around. Yeah, it’s not overly powerful at 195 horsepower, but it purrs like a kitten when idling and roars like a lion when the pedal hits the floor.
Simply put, it’s an astonishing classic that just screams for attention. But you don’t have to take my word for it, go ahead and hit the play button below to see for yourselves.
