Racing Corvettes, the Early years

In 1953, the very first Corvettes hit Chevrolet Dealers’ show rooms. Hailed by some as the long-awaited American sports car, for the most part they were derided by “purists.” I can see why. During that time, my father was working as a salesman for a Chevy dealer and he was assigned a Corvette demonstrator. Having recently left the Army, I had used my mustering-out pay for a down payment on a used 1952 XK120.

When my dad let me drive the Corvette, I was sorely disappointed. The “shlushomatic” transmission was a far cry from the magnificent Jaguar 4-speed, and the 6-cylinder overhead-valve Chevrolet engine wasn’t in the same class as the overhead-cam Jaguar unit. I won’t even try to compare the suspensions. Needless to say, the handling and performance left a lot to be desired by an enthusiast.