Corvette History 
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Profile
Rock and Roll was catching on in America in 1957, with songs like “All Shook Up,” “Party Doll,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Little Darlin’” zooming to the top of the Hit Parade. Corvette sales – as well as performance—were zooming, too. Zora Arkus-Duntov was off on a mission to transform the “‘Vette” into something more than a car that looked like Captain Video’s boulevard cruiser.
In a short span of time, Chevrolet’s two-seat dream machine had become a true sports car. Six cylinders under the hood was already a thing of the past. Six rockin’ and rollin’ V-8s were on the list for ‘57. The small-block was bored out to 283 cubic inches and offered ratings from 185 to 283 hp. That last number was considered quite magical in 1957 – 1 H.P. per cubic inch! “Chevy puts the purr in performance,” the ad copywriters of the era proclaimed.
The Corvette’s appearance and style were improving as well. Seven colors were available: Onyx Black, Polo White, Aztec Copper, Arctic Blue, Cascade Green, Venetian Red and Silver. White, Silver and Beige were optional color choices for the elliptical side cove. Dual exhausts were added to the standard equipment list. All “’Vettes” also had a 3-spoke competition-style steering wheel, an outside rearview mirror and a tachometer. The lock-nut-style rear view mirror required a wrench to adjust it, but didn’t jiggle around at speed. .
Chevrolet had been watching Ford’s attempts to use the T-Bird as an “image car” to help sell standard Fords. So Chevrolet advertisements this year showed scenes such as a Seafoam Green Corvette parked outside a garage shared with a red Bel Air Sports Coupe. Corvette sales increased 82 percent by the end of the year and the Vette image helped sell other models, too.
Making headlines in the buff books was the top-of-the-heap 283-cid 283-hp fuel-injected V-8. Its continuous-flow fuel-injection system was a team effort involving Zora Arkus-Duntov, John Dolza and General Motor’s Rochester Division. Only 1,040 Corvettes were fuel-injected, but the “fuelie’s” reputation on roads and racetracks was one reason for the sizeable gain in overall sales. The 283-hp Corvette could go from 0-to-60 mph in 5.7 seconds and from 0-to-100 mph in 16.8 seconds. It had a top speed of 132 mph.
The base 185-hp engine, available only with Powerglide transmission, had hydraulic lifters and a two-barrel carburetor. The next option was a 283 with 9.5:1 compression, dual exhausts and a four-barrel carburetor that produced 220 hp at 4800 rpm and 300 foot-pounds of rotational power at 3000 rpm. Adding dual Carter WCFB four-barrels created a 245-hp version that’s very streetable and popular with collectors today. A second dual-carb “Super-Turbo-Fire” V-8 with a special Duntov–designed cam generated 270 hp at 6000 rpm.
There were actually two “Ram-Jet” fuel-injected engine, both 283-based. The first, with a 9.5:1 compression ratio, generated 250 hp at 5000 rpm and 305 foot-pounds of torque at 3800 rpm. The second had a 10.5:1 compression ratio and did the 1-H.P. per cubic inch trick. Rated torque was 290 at 4400. A race-oriented close-ratio four-speed manual all-synchromesh transmission with floor-mounted gear shifter was added to the options list after May.
Another important option was a competition suspension package RPO 684 which included heavy-duty springs, shocks and roll bars, 16.3:1 quick-ratio steering, a Positraction differential, special brake cooling equipment and Cerametallic brake linings. Dick Thompson and Gaston Audrey won the 12-hour Sebring race in Corvettes and Thompson took the SCCA B-production championship for the second year in a row.
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'57 VETTE FACTS
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VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
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Corvettes for 1957 were numbered E57S100001 to E57S106339. The first symbol E = Corvette. The second and third symbols 57=1957. The fourth symbol S=St. Louis, Mo., assembly plant. The last six symbols were digits representing the sequential production number.
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ENGINE
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Type: V8
Bore and stroke: 3.875 x 3.00 in.
Bore and stroke: 4.00 x 3.48 in.
Displacement: 283 cid
Brake hp: 185 at 5600 rpm
Induction: Carter or Rochester 2-bbl
Options:
283-cid/220-hp w3/4-bbl.carb
283-cid/245-hp w/two 4-bbl carbs
283-cid/250-hp w/Ram Jet fuel injection
283-cid/245-hp w/two 4bbl carbs
283-cid/283-hp w/Ram Jet fuel injection
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VITAL STATS
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Original Price: $3,465
Production: 6,339
Wheelbase: 102 in.
Length: 168 in.
Tires: 6.70 x 15
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COOL STUFF
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• About the time the '57 Corvettes were ready to come to market, in September of 1956, Larry Shinoda first went to work for General Motors. Larry would later play a big and important role in Corvette design.
• It is hard to tell a 1956 Corvette from a 1957 Corvette, but the new inside rear view mirror that adjusts with a thumbscrew is the giveaway. A wrench is required to loosen the locknut.
• A Corvette color used for the last time in 1957 was the original Polo White hue
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