P.O. Box 9445, Springfield IL 62791-9445 Sponsored by Friendly Chevrolet, Inc. in Springfield since 1968

Corvette Trivia

If you have an interesting piece of trivia, it in. Tuesday, June 30, 1953: Corvette #1, Serial Number E53F001001 rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan. Early production Corvettes came off the assembly line without an outside rear view mirror. The price for a 1953 Corvette was $3,513. The National Corvette Museum opened in Bowling Green, Kentucky near the Corvette plant on September 2, 1994. Before that it was a small store in a shopping area south of the museum. Seat belts became available for the first time in 1956 as a dealer installed option. In 1976, the same steering wheel for the Corvette was also used in the Chevy Vega! There are 13 vertical bars in the grill of 1956 Corvettes. Sun visors became a Corvette option in 1959. Only the driver's side vent on the 1964 Corvette is functional. In 1963, approximately 199 Corvettes were built with the Z06 high performance option. In 1967, the "knock off" aluminum wheels were actually bolt ons. The 1967 model year was the first to ship the build sheet (AKA Tank Sticker) attached to the top of the gas tank. 1967 was the last year for the big tank (36 gallon) option which first appeared in 1963. In 1969, the ZL-1 all aluminum engine was introducted but sales of this option were very poor. The ZL-1 engine option cost an additional $4,718.35 in 1969. How much is it worth now? 1972 was the last year to have chrome bumpers at both ends of the car. The Silver Anniversary paint scheme in 1978 cost an additional $399.00. In 1983, only 43 Corvette were built but there were so many quality control problems it was decided to halt production. No 1983 Corvettes were ever released for public sale but rumor has it that two were shipped to England as test vehicles. 1985 was the last year you could order the factory CB Radio. In 1990 the ZR-1 was finally available to the public. The engine was built by Mercury Marine and debuted at 375HP. On July 2nd, 1992 the one millionth Corvette came off the assembly line, a white convertible. On January 6th, 1997, Chevrolet unveils the 1997 C5 Corvette. The new LS1 small-block V-8 engine has 345 hp, and 10:1 compression ratio. April 28, 1995, the last ZR-1 Corvette rolls off the assembly line. During its six year lifetime, 6939 ZR-1 Corvettes were built. The retail sale price for a base model 1957 Corvette was $3,176.32. In 1966, a rear axle code of FC1016W indicated a gear ratio of 4.56:1. 1961 was the first year a Corvette had painted headlight bezels. In 1967, only 20 Corvettes were built with the L-88 option. The telescoping steering column was first made available in 1965. In 1972, air conditioning could be ordered with the LT-1. Unfortunately, smog controls had really reduced it's horsepower and 1972 was the last year for this great engine. Kilometers or "clicks" first appeared on Corvette speedometers in 1975. On June 1, 1981, the first Corvette was built at the new Bowling Green Assembly Plant.