The 1959 Chevy Corvette featured here is a beautiful Corvette classic. The Chevrolet Corvette is an icon of American automotive history. and was conceived as early as 1951 as a model to compete against the European imports.
The Corvette debuted in January 1953 at the GM Motorama. Based on it’s overwhelming acceptance at the Motorama it didn’t take GM long at all to put the new model into production.
The 1959 Corvette was a first generation C1 model. The first generation ran from late in the 1953 model year through 1962.
The Fiberglass Corvette
Harley Earl, General Motor’s designer and recognized as the Father of the Corvette, opted to use fiberglass instead of the traditional sheet metal to build the body of the Chevy Corvette. His reasons were that the material was lightweight, rust proof, and that fiberglass was economical because it did away with the expense of large sheet metal stamping dies. It is also a fact that fiberglass is stronger than steel and aluminum. On the downside, fiberglass can be damaged more easily than steel and aluminum.
1959 Corvette Styling
The Chevrolet Corvette went through a significant styling change for the 1958 model year. There were several exterior changes which included numerous chrome accents, hood louvers, dual headlights, twin trunk spears and side scoops. As regards to the 58 Corvette interior, seat belts became standard equipment along with a new instrument cluster that put the tachometer directly in front of the driver.
The 1959 Corvette had few styling changes from 1958. The false louvers were gone from the hood and the trunk “spears” were gone. This gave the car a cleaner look. Instrument panel changes was the use of convex glass which diminished glare. Mechanically, there were no changes between the 1958 and 1959 Corvettes with one exception. Rear-trailing radius rods were added that produced a slightly softer ride.
Corvette’s first generation run lasted nine years. During this span the Chevy Corvette became a legitimate competitor to the sports cars coming from Europe.
1959 Chevy Corvette Specifications
The 1959 Corvette had two 283-cubic-inch V-8’s available. One with a four barrel carburetor delivering 230 HP and the other fuel injected with 250 HP.
Performance was excellent. The quarter mile could be made just under 15 seconds and the Zero to 60 time was less than eight seconds.
Transmissions available were a three and four speed manual and a two speed Powerglide automatic.
Brakes were four wheel hydraulic drums.
Dimensions for the 1959 Corvette included a 102.0 inch wheelbase, 177.2 inch overall length, 72.8 inch width. Curb weight is estimated at 3,050 lbs.
The 1959 Chevrolet Corvette was available in several colors which included Tuxedo Black, Classic Cream, Frost Blue, Crown Sapphire, Roman Red, Snowcrest White, and Inca Silver. There also were optional two tone colors.
1959 Chevy Corvette production totaled 9,670 vehicles. All were convertibles. This was about 500 more units than in 1958. For the 1960 model year production was 10,210 vehicles. Base price was $3,875. All 1959 Corvettes were produced at GM’s St. Louis plant.
Related Auto Museum Online articles are found on the links below..
Reference material for this article includes..GM Heritage Center…Corvette-America’s Star Spangled Sports Car: 1953-1982 by Karl Ludvigsen…Corvette: Images & Stories About America’s Great Sports Car by Harvey Goldstein.
The 1959 Chevy Corvette Collector Cars
Pick any first generation Chevy Corvette and all of them are valuable collector cars. With that being said, several generations of the classic Corvette are popular with collectors. Some more than others depending on the collector.
The quad headlight set up makes the 1959 Corvette different from Pre 1958 models during the first generation.
Current asking and auction sale prices for 1959 Corvettes in excellent condition with originality are easily in the six figure range. You’ll most likely find them in a range of from $120,000-$150,000. It’s interesting to note that a few of the 1959 Corvettes sold for up to one million dollars at auction. That particular 59 Corvette had a 6.2 liter LT1 V8 putting out 460 HP.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)
