1954 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (RHD)

The first production Corvette rolled off the production line in Flint, Michigan on the 30th of June, 1953 and the model has gone on to become an automotive legend, recognised as America's only true sports car for much of its lifetime. Based on a Motorama show car built under the direction of GM's director of design Harley Earl, the Corvette was conceived as a boulevard cruiser more and featured innovative fibreglass bodywork with futuristic styling. Inside, the Corvette came with individual bucket seats and a full array of instruments to enhance the sporting nature of the new model. The Blue Flame 235-cid six-cylinder engine, with triple Carter carburettors, was rated at 150 horsepower and was only sold with a Powerglide automatic transmission in an attempt to broaden the appeal of the Corvette beyond hardened sports car drivers. For 1954, Chevrolet left the Corvette recipe alone apart from minor details like longer exhaust tips, but customers now had a choice of colours - in addition to the Polo White, there was Pennant Blue, Sportsman Red, Shoreline Beige and Black while the soft top was changed from black to beige. The first Corvettes were well received by the press, with the respected Road & Track magazine commending the Chevrolet's straight-line performance as 'the outstanding characteristic' but also praising both the ride and handling. Americans were slow to catch on to their home-grown sports car, which explains why so few were made. In 1953, just 300 examples were completed and with production in full swing the following year, Chevrolet still only turned out the comparatively small number of 3,640 Corvettes and this has made early examples very collectible today.