Though it is certainly difficult to imagine today, some 65 years ago, the Corvette was well on its way to being discontinued after only two years of production. Upon its release, the Corvette rode an initial wave of popularity that died as quickly as it began.
By 1954, critics were relatively unamused with the American sports car’s not so sporty performance. At the heart of the Corvette was the “Blue Flame,” an anemic inline-six powerplant that did well to muster 150 horsepower.
The public’s relative disinterest came as little surprise to then assistant staff engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov. After all, Duntov had pointed out the Corvette’s less than impressive performance attributes a year earlier, in the very letter to Chevrolet Chief Engineer, Ed Cole, that left a sizable enough impression to warrant his immediate hiring.
It should likely have come as no surprise then that Duntov would go on to pen a second memo only two years later, titled “Thoughts Pertaining to Youth, Hot Rodders, and Chevrolet.”
In this memo, Duntov outlined his ideology that the Corvette must exude performance appeal, in order to find favor with consumers of a younger age demographic. Top Chevrolet brass took note, and the Corvette became the benefactor of an optional 195 horsepower 265 cubic-inch, small-block V8. This addition has more often than not, been cited as the Corvette’s saving grace.
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