Chevrolet Corvette (1957)

Almost shelved in 1955, the Corvette fortunately had the Chevrolet sedan come to it rescue which gave it a new lease of life thanks to the new small-block V8 engine. At first it came in 265ci (4.5 liters) form, though had grown to 283ci (4.6 liters) by 1957. This put it among the best-selling models that year, and while the motor was powerful, the best option was the Zora Arkus Duntov-inspired 'Ramjet' fuel injection. This was expensive, and just 1,040 were sold, but it did make the '57 Corvette the quickest sportscar in the world, with an almost unheard of 0-60mph (0 96 km/h) time that neither Ford nor the big cats from Jaguar could come anywhere close to. The suspension was basic, and on the whietwall-equipped skinny bias ply tyres, the car demanded driver attention, though for straight line speed the Corvette was king.

Chevrolet Corvette (1957) Specifications