The 1st generation Corvette was introduced late in the 1953 model year.
Originally designed as a show car for the General Motors Motorama of 1953, it generated enough interest to induce GM to fast-track a production version to sell to the public.

On June 30 of the same year, the first production Corvette rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan. Production was capped at 300 units, all in the now iconic Polo White/Sportsman Red exterior/interior color scheme and powered by the 150-hp, 3-carb “Blue Flame” inline-six and a two-speed Powerglide transmission. The only options were a heater and an AM radio.

A man by the name of Zora Arkus-Duntov had attended the 1953 Motorama in New York. Arkus-Duntov was so struck by the beauty of this little car that he wrote a letter to Chevrolet chief engineer Ed Cole to compliment him on a job well done and to make a few suggestions as to how the future production model could be improved.

While Arkus-Duntov was taken by the appearance of the roadster, he was somewhat disappointed by what he saw under the hood: the under-powered Blue Flame six-cylinder engine. Cole and his second-in-command Maurice Olley were so impressed with the letter that they extended an employment opportunity to him.
Arkus-Duntov began his career at Chevrolet on May 1, 1953 as an assistant staff engineer. He worked on many projects during his early days at Chevrolet but always had his eye on the Corvette and racing.

On December 16, 1953, he wrote a memo to Ed Cole with the subject line of “Thoughts Pertaining to Youth, Hot Rodders and Chevrolet” in which he touted the importance of advancing the development of the V8 engine and promoting Chevrolet to the ever-growing youth market.

These thoughts were taken seriously and were echoed by many within the Chevrolet ranks including chief engineer and future general manager Ed Cole. By 1955, Chevy V8s had found themselves into the Corvette and into the winner’s circle on the stock car circuit.

By pushing for increased performance and the installation of the V8 in the Corvette, Arkus-Duntov is credited with saving that model from an early demise as sales of the first generation of Corvettes (1953-1955) were quite poor.

Arkus-Duntov was a brilliant engineer, a daring racecar driver, and became the “godfather” of the Corvette. He was the first man to hold the title of chief engineer for the Corvette program and was responsible for transforming that car from merely an attractive-looking roadster to the powerful American sports car it has become.

In 1957, Arkus-Duntov was promoted to become director of high performance vehicles. During the prior year, he boosted his performance credentials with the development of the SR-1 and SR-2 Corvettes.
His next project, the magnesium-bodied Corvette Super Sport (SS), was built with the intention of competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was tested at that race’s American counterpart, the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Despite setting a lap record, the Corvette SS was forced off the track after only 23 laps due to suspension and other mechanical problems. While the event was eaten up by the press and Chevrolet’s image as a builder of performance cars bolstered, Le Mans would have to wait.
Shortly after the Sebring race, the GM executive leadership, along with that of Ford and Chrysler, signed on to the Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (AMA) ban of factory-supported racing thus halting all overt support for racing at Chevrolet.

However, the AMA ban on racing did not stop everyone at Chevrolet from helping privateers with racing endeavors such as the 1960 Corvettes at Le Mans. Urged by Arkus-Duntov, racer Briggs Cunningham entered three mostly stock Corvettes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans each powered by the innovative 283 “Fuelie” mechanically fuel-injected small block V8 engine.

In a race dominated by European factory teams, Cunningham’s No. 3 Corvette, driven by John Fitch and Bob Grossman, won the large-displacement GT class and finished eighth overall. In fact, the top 10 finishers included six Ferraris, two Aston Martins, a Porsche and the privateer Corvette.
The Corvette was completely restyled for the 1963 model year.

Again, the car’s performance was improved and with the introduction of the famed Z06 special performance equipment package, Arkus-Duntov stated that Chevrolet had finally built a Corvette that he would be proud to drive alongside the grand sports cars of Europe.

The Z06 package consisted of a 327 cid, 360 horsepower fuel injected V8 with 4 speed manual transmission, a posi-traction rear-end, a whopping 36-gallon fuel tank, heavy duty shocks and springs, and power brakes with finned drums.

To compete better on the GT-class circuit, Arkus-Duntov took the ’63 Corvette a step further with the development of the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport.
The Grand Sport was a lightweight version of the 1963 model featuring an aluminum block 377 cid V8 engine that developed more than 550 horsepower.

The original Corvette Grand Sport race cars were targeted for the 1963 Le Mans race.
The plan was to build at least 125 ultra-light, high-powered cars to satisfy homologation rules for the GT production class.

Unfortunately, production of the Grand Sport was halted at five as GM’s management increased their enforcement of the AMA racing ban.
The Grand Sport program officially died before the car made it to Le Mans.
Despite GM’s racing ban, Arkus-Duntov let the original Grand Sports slip into the hands of private racers, providing the real-world evaluation and technology transfer the gifted engineer was seeking. Roger Penske, A.J. Foyt, Jim Hall and Dick Thompson were among the racing luminaries who drove them.

Before the cars went to private hands, GM pulled the 377 cubic inch motors.
In the hands of privateers, they were mostly run with the big block 427 motor. Initially, even though the 427 was heavier than the small block 377, the Grand Sports ran with some measure of success.

At Nassau in 1963, they put on an exciting show besting the Cobras and finishing third and fourth behind two prototypes.
Roger Penske returned to Nassau in 1964 and won the Nassau Trophy race, serving pretty much as the Grand Sport’s swan song.