In 1953 Chevrolet introduced the first Corvette to the world, the C1. The C1 corvette had a production run from 1953-1962 and cemented the iconic Corvette name for many iterations to come. 

There were multiple engine and transmissions options available when new. The motor configurations were as follows 235 cu in (3.9 L) Inline 6, 265 cu in (4.3 L) Small-block V8, 283 cu in (4.6 L) Small-block V8, 327 cu in (5.4 L) Small-block V8. The transmission had three-selections, a 2-speed Powerglide automatic, 3-speed manual, 4-speed manual.