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N0KFQ > TODAY 28.06.13 17:00l 54 Lines 2496 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Jun 28
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Sent: 130628/1455Z 948@KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA BPQK1.4.55
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Jun 28, 1953:
Workers assemble first Corvette in Flint, Michigan
On this day in 1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint,
Michigan, assemble the first Corvette, a two-seater sports car
that would become an American icon. The first completed
production car rolled off the assembly line two days later, one
of just 300 Corvettes made that year.
The idea for the Corvette originated with General Motors'
pioneering designer Harley J. Earl, who in 1951 began developing
plans for a low-cost American sports car that could compete with
Europe's MGs, Jaguars and Ferraris. The project was eventually
code-named "Opel." In January 1953, GM debuted the Corvette
concept car at its Motorama auto show at the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel in New York City. It featured a fiberglass body and a
six-cylinder engine and according to GM, was named for the "trim,
fleet naval vessel that performed heroic escort and patrol duties
during World War II." The Corvette was a big hit with the public
at Motorama and GM soon put the roadster into production.
On June 30, 1953, the first Corvette came off the production line
in Flint. It was hand-assembled and featured a Polo White
exterior and red interior, two-speed Powerglide automatic
transmission, a wraparound windshield, whitewall tires and
detachable plastic curtains instead of side windows. The earliest
Corvettes were designed to be opened from the inside and lacked
exterior door handles. Other components included a clock,
cigarette lighter and red warning light that activated when the
parking brake was applied--a new feature at the time. The car
carried an initial price tag of $3,490 and could go from zero to
60 miles per hour in 11 or 12 seconds, then considered a fairly
average speed.
In 1954, the Corvette went into mass production at a Chevy plant
in St. Louis, Missouri. Sales were lackluster in the beginning
and GM considered discontinuing the line. However, rival company
Ford had introduced the two-seater Thunderbird around the same
time and GM did not want to be seen bowing to the competition.
Another critical development in the Corvette's survival came in
1955, when it was equipped with the more powerful V-8 engine. Its
performance and appeal steadily improved after that and it went
on to earn the nickname "America's sports car" and become
ingrained in pop culture through multiple references in movies,
television and music.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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