FIRST PRODUCTION CAR WITH A GLASSFIBRE BODY

The wave of European sports cars turning up on American shores in the years following World War Two presented General Motors with a problem – it had little that could compete. The corporation’s head of styling, the renowned Harley Earl, was convinced that the USA needed its own two-seater sports machine. Thus was born the Corvette. Because the need for speed was vital – for both performance and production – the 1953 EX-122 show car was constructed out of glassfibre reinforced plastic – then a relatively new material for… well, anything really. GM planned to build production versions out of steel, but the public liked the idea of plastic, and reassurance from the GRP industry convinced GM to drop the idea of metal. While initially not a success, the 1955 introduction of a V8 engine turned the Corvette into an allAmerican hero. And one that continues to eschew steel for its shell to this day.

ENGINE 3849cc/6-cyl/OHV POWER 155bhp@4200rpm TORQUE 223lb ft@2400rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 107mph 0-60MPH 11.0sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 11-17mpg TRANSMISSION RWD, two-speed auto ENGINE OIL Castrol Classic XL30 5.5 litres GEARBOX OIL Castrol Classic TQF 4.7 litres