After World War II, Americans were eager for fun and excitement, fueling the growing demand for convertible sports cars. The Chevrolet Corvette, designed as “America’s Sports Car,” was introduced as a show car at the 1953 Motorama. The overwhelming interest led GM to quickly move it into limited production.
The Corvette first appeared in late 1953 as a two-seater convertible with a 235 CI inline 6-cylinder engine. By 1955, this was upgraded to a 265 CI small-block V-8. Over the next nine years, the first-generation Corvette saw continuous upgrades and design enhancements, including increasingly powerful engines.
In 1958, the Corvette received significant body and interior updates, featuring a four-headlamp design, centrally exiting exhaust tips, a sportier steering wheel, and a redesigned dashboard with gauges positioned directly in the driver’s line of sight.
This particular 1959 Corvette, with its striking black exterior and red interior, comes with a factory black hardtop and period-correct “spinner” hubcaps on vintage Lester Tire Company wide whitewall tires. It is powered by a 283-cubic-inch V-8 engine, stamped with a “CT” suffix, indicating a 245-horsepower engine paired with dual Carter four-barrel carburetors and a four-speed manual transmission.
Unlike many Corvettes of its era, which were driven hard, this car has been well-preserved, remaining largely original inside and out, with no signs of major restoration. This C1 Corvette with fewer than 11,300 miles at the time of cataloguing will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s this week and is expected to fetch up to $120,000.
Source: RM Sotheby’s
