Lot Ended
Description
1954 Chevrolet Corvette C1
Hugely desirable
and pretty early 'E54S' Corvette C1 in classic colours with later 265CU V8
engine and 4-speed manual transmission upgrade
Imported and registered in 2018 this appealing Corvette C1 is
finished in popular Polo White with contrasting Sportsman Red interior and hails
from the first two years of production, arguably the most appealing years for
the C1.
The chassis code E54S003592 denotes the car to (originally) be an
early 6-cylinder example ‘E’, from 1954 ‘54’ and have been built in St.Louis,
Missouri ‘S’ and is production sequence no. 003592. The cars from the first two
years were denoted E54S001001 – E54S004640 of which just 3,640 were believed to
have been built, making this a rather rare car.
However, despite leaving
the factory in ’54 with the Blueflame six-cylinder engine, and mandatory
Powerglide autobox the motor has clearly been swapped out for a V8 at some point
in its life, believed to be 4,343cc according to its registration document. The
transmission is also a 4-speed manual ‘box with Hurst shifter knob.
Unconfirmed, but it looks like the engine and box might well be from the
1956+ C1 which saw the introduction of GM’s then new 265CU Small Block V8 (4.3
litre) which was initially only available with 2-speed PowerGlide transmission
and later a 3 or 4 speed manual (although only 700 C1’s were sold in 1955 making
them also very rare).
That aside, the car here looks well with a few
small cosmetic bits that could be improved as pictured, it’s a rare beast that
sounds nice and should go well given its larger V8 and manual box over standard.
Starting without the key, the car moved around well enough for these shots, but
would no doubt benefit from a good service and set-up by someone who really
knows their onions, or Yank V8’s in this case.
The history file includes
only the V5C showing just 1 former keeper to the current of 2.5 years.
An
unusual opportunity to acquire an earlier ’54 car with later V8 engine and ‘box
giving improved performance and likely, usability.
For more
information contact - will.daniels@brightwells.com
* All charges are subject to VAT