Pricing: $3120.00
Transmission: 3-speed manual (standard) or 2-speed Powerglide (optional)
Engine: 265-cid small-block V-8
Top speed: 129mph
Units produced: 3,467
Available colours: Onyx Black, Cascade Green, Venetian Red, Aztec Copper, Arctic Blue, Polo White
Highlights of the year:
On February 1, 1955, just as the Ford Thunderbirds were beginning to make an appearance on the streets in serious numbers, Earl had all but finalized a full-scale clay model of a new Corvette body. By Mid-April, having made a number of minor trim changes, Earl approached General Motors management with his model and, upon inspection, the new design was approved on the spot. The results of his new design was a 1956 Model Corvette that would change the direction of Corvette sales for all time.
This “second-generation” styling was based on three concept cars that appeared at the 1955 Motorama: The Chevrolet Biscayne and a pair of showstoppers dubbed “LaSalle II”.
The LaSalle II was a similar-styled hardtop sedan and sporty roadster combo; both versions had prominent vertical-bar grilles as well but sported a styling touch the 1956 Corvette would inherit; an elliptical concave section at the rear of the lower bodysides that was swept back from the front wheel wells. These areas would come to be known as “coves” and would eventually be recognized as signature trademarks of the Corvette
The bodyside “coves” gave the 1956 Corvette a truly unique styling personality. While the body stylings of the 1953–1955 Corvette had led the car to become mockingly called “the plastic bathtub”, this new look helped to correct the long, blocky look of the original ‘Vettes and gave the new design an aggressive look and flow that was clean and attractive. To further accentuate the overall styling of the car, the coves were outlined in chrome and were often painted a different color than the rest of the car. The car’s standard convertible top was improved upon, now providing a tighter fit that virtually eliminated leaks. It was also offered for the first time in beige and white in addition to the standard-issue black cloth top.
A power-operated convertible top was offered for the first time as an option (at a cost of $170.60). While the top was technically only partially automatic – it required the operator to first unlatch and partially collapse the top before activating the fold button – it was still a remarkable improvement over the original convertible tops of the earlier models. A new spring-stroke steering wheel was included in the interior re-design as well a new waffle-pattern upholstery and revised door panels to go with the wind-up windows. The car’s heater was changed from a recirculating variety to a new “fresh air” version after the first 145 production cars were built.
The Corvette had begun to emerge with growing acceptance from both consumers and critics alike. The consensus was that Chevrolet had finally presented a Corvette that was no longer “half-finished” but rather offered genuine sports car performance with smart new styling and a full complement of options and amenities. Interestingly, in order to make the Corvette more commercially viable, members of the Corvette engineering and design teams began looking at other ways that they could utilize this car. After all, having a sports car was of little value if you couldn’t truly use it for sport. By September of 1956, commercial advertisements were exclaiming that “The 1956 Corvette is proving – in open competition – that it is America’s only genuine production sports car.”
Finally, there was no doubt that the true American sports car had come of age While productions numbers were still down from where GM would have hoped they would be, a total of 3,467 Corvettes rolled off the line that year, re-affirming to those within the General Motors family who doubted that the Corvette could ever be made commercially viable that this car was finally on its way – and prepared to do battle for the business that was currently being given to the Ford Thunderbird line
Photos of the 1956 Corvette:
Sources:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15142874/1956-chevrolet-corvette-road-test-review/
https://www.corvsport.com/1956-c1-corvette/#Corvette-engine
https://barnfinds.com/lying-eyes-1956-corvette/
https://www.corvsport.com/1956-c1-corvette-image-gallery/
