This neat little promotional reel for the 1953 Corvette was produced quite early in the car’s development arc. In fact, sharp Corvette fans will immediately recognize that the car on film is not a production model but a pre-production prototype—presumably EX-122, the show car that debuted at the Waldorf Astoria on January 17, 1953. One easy tell is the abbreviated side trim, as shown above. On the 1953 production cars (300 built, all nearly identical) the trim extends from the front wheel opening to the rear. However, the prototype shares the production version’s familiar mechanical details, including the Chevy Stovebolt straight-six engine and Powerglide automatic transmisison.
The golden voice of the narrator in our clip should sound familiar, too. He’s Dave Garroway (1913-1982), the popular host of the original Today show on NBC from 1952 to 1961. A well-known sports car buff and collector (his personal favorite was a 1938 Jaguar SS 100), Garroway was tabbed by Chevrolet to do a series of promotional shorts for the new Corvette. At less than two minutes but packed with images and info, this particular version is ideal for Saturday morning web viewing. Video below.
Although my absolute favorite Corvette will always be the ’60-’62 version, I have to admit that I’m somewhat partial to the ’53 version. That could be partly because I’m the same age. Some people could say that they came into this world the same year as the–Edsel? Some might also say that they debuted with the T-bird. I’m from the year of the Corvette!
Notice in the shot at the end of the guy driving the car just how much see-sawing of the wheel was required to keep a ’53 Corvette going in a straight line.
Cars have come a very long way.