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101 Cars: Chevrolet Corvette
America's Sports Car
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SPEED Staff  |  Posted August 25, 2008   Charlotte, North Carolina
The Chevrolet fuel injection was continuous flow, with fuel sprayed into the intake based on factor including airflow and throttle opening. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson.com)

The Corvette was rescued from a footnote of disaster in General Motors history by demanding a V-8 engine and a manual transmission to replace the Blue Flame six and two-speed Powerglide automatic. But that was just the beginning. Beefier suspension and hotter V-8s, as well as scrapping the size altogether, quickly transformed a Eurosports wannabe into a genuine American sports car.

Power would be the red, white, and the blue of the Corvette, and nothing in 1957 waved the flag like the fuel-injected 283-cubic-inch V-8. The same engine was available with dual four-barrel carburetors, but the fuelie topped the lot with 283 horsepower for an unprecedented 1 horsepower per cubic inch. The Chevrolet fuel injection was continuous flow, with fuel sprayed into the intake based on factor including airflow and throttle opening. Fuel injection, however, was considerably more expensive than the V-8 with dual quads, which was almost as fast. That, along with the lack of dealer mechanics prepared to handle the mysterious contrivance, worked against fuel injection. Yet fuelie engines stayed in the Corvette arsenal through 1965. Was FI a Corvette footnote? Maybe, but a fast footnote.

Specifications
Engine: Fuel-injected 283-ci OHV V-8
Horsepower: 283
0–60 mph: 6.0 seconds
Top Speed: 132 miles per hour
Price New: $3,176 base price, plus $484.20 for fuel injection
Value Now: $70,000
1957 Corvette Photos



Claim to Fame

CLAIM TO FAME: First production engine to make 1 horsepower per cubic inch.


Soundtrack

SOUNDTRACK: "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" by Jerry Lee Lewis


Perfect Passenger

PERFECT PASSENGER: Zora Arkus-Duntov, who officially became chief engineer of Corvette in 1957


Behind the Wheel

BEHIND THE WHEEL: Contact the Corvette Club of America


Did You Know?

DID YOU KNOW: Corvette sales almost doubled in 1957, from 3,467 for 1956 to 6,339


The Perfect Drive

THE PERFECT DRIVE: To Sebring in Florida



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