Each Corvette engine is meticulously refined to the point of near-perfection before being greenlit for production. This tradition dates back as far as the Corvette itself—taking root in pre-production efforts of 1952-1953, with the development of the "Blue Flame" inline-six. Amazingly, less than a decade later, consumers could choose to have their Corvette equipped with a 327CI fuel-injected V8.
Often referred to as the “The Blue-Flame”, the Stovebolt-Six’s performance characteristics were anything but “fiery”. The Corvette, in its earliest form, was often ridiculed for being underpowered. Nonetheless, the Blue-Flame Stovebolt-Six served as the Genesis of Corvette power, if only for a brief period of time.