Rare Car Archive

Makes › Chevrolet United States › Corvette › C1 · Generation · 1953–1962

Chevrolet Corvette C1

9 rare versions and 9 documented colour variants of the Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1953–1962). The rarest documented: Corvette Vignale coupe (1 Built).

Chevrolet Corvette C1
Photo: Charles
9Rare versions
9Colour variants
1953–1962Years

Why this page

The Corvette C1 as a whole was built in large numbers, so it is not a rare car in itself and has no car page of its own. This page collects what is rare about it: the versions, engine and option packages built in small numbers – each with its own page and full history when it is a car collectors look for by name – and the factory colours with a documented production count, which are rows in a table, not cars of their own. Body styles of one version (coupé, convertible, hardtop) are rows of that version's production table.

Rare versions of the Corvette C1

Every documented rare year and version. Each has its own page with production figures, specifications, history and individual chassis.

YearPhotoRare versionBuiltRarity
1953 1953 Corvette 300 Very Rare
1954 Corvette (1954) 3,640 Rare
1955 1955 Corvette 7 Very Rare
1957 Corvette SS (XP-64) 2 Ultra Rare
1957–1961 Corvette fuel injection "Fuelie" (1957–1961) 182 Very Rare
— Corvette Super Sport (1957 show car) Not yet verified —
1959–1960 Corvette Scaglietti coupe 3 Ultra Rare
1961 Corvette Vignale coupe 1 One-off
— Corvette (C1 and C2) (Route 66 hero cars) Not yet verified —

Rare factory options of the Corvette C1 6

Factory options ordered by only a few buyers, with the number of cars that had them. An option is a row in this table, not a car of its own; each count says what it counts and where it comes from.

YearCodeOptionCars with it
1956RPO 449 Special high-lift camshaft1,2 1111
1957RPO 684 Heavy-duty racing suspension3 1444
1958RPO 684 Heavy-duty racing suspension4,3,5 Unknown
1959RPO 684 Heavy-duty brakes and suspension6,7 1426
1960RPO 687 Heavy-duty brakes and special steering8,9,10 1198
1962RPO 488 24-gallon fuel tank11 6511

Factory colours of the Corvette C1 9

Factory colours with a documented production count. A colour is a row in this table, never a car of its own; each count says what it counts and where it comes from.

YearColourCodeVersionBuilt
1956 Cascade Green1 — Corvette 2901
1956 Arctic Blue1 — Corvette 3901
1957 Inca Silver12 — Corvette 6512
1958 Inca Silver4 — Corvette 1934
1958 Panama Yellow4 — Corvette 4554
1959 Classic Cream6 — Corvette 2236
1960 Cascade Green8 — Corvette 1408
1960 Tasco Turquoise8 — Corvette 6358
1961 Sateen Silver13 — Corvette 74713

Sources

Sources of the colour figures on this page. Each car has its own sources on its page.

  1. 1
    1956 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors – CorvSport Level C
    • 111 1956 Corvettes with RPO 449 Special High-Lift Camshaft
    • 290 1956 Corvettes painted Cascade Green (CorvSport colour table)
    • 390 1956 Corvettes painted Arctic Blue (CorvSport colour table)
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  2. 2
    C1 Corvette research hub (1953-1962) Level B CorvSport
    • 240 with the Duntov cam
    • his high-lift camshaft, the Duntov cam, went into the 1956
    • Duntov took a 1956 to 150.583 mph on the sand at Daytona
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  3. 3
    Corvette Action Center – 1957 Corvette Production Numbers & Options Level C
    • 51 RPO 684 installations
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  4. 4
    1958 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors – CorvSport Level C
    • 144 1958 Corvettes with RPO 684
    • 193 1958 Corvettes painted Inca Silver (CorvSport colour table)
    • 455 1958 Corvettes painted Panama Yellow (CorvSport colour table)
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  5. 5
    C1 Corvette research hub (1953-1962) Level B CorvSport
    • RPO 684 put heavy-duty brakes and suspension on a car built to race
    • Duntov saw to it that the parts they needed
    • RPO 684 put heavy-duty brakes and suspension
    • fuelies rising to 290 (1958–59)
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  6. 6
    1959 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors – CorvSport Level C
    • 142 1959 Corvettes with RPO 684
    • 223 1959 Corvettes painted Classic Cream (CorvSport colour table)
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  7. 7
    C1 Corvette research hub (1953-1962) Level B CorvSport
    • RPO 684 put heavy-duty brakes and suspension on a car built to race
    • Duntov saw to it that the parts they needed
    • RPO 684 put heavy-duty brakes and suspension
    • the 684 brakes, the four-speed and the Positraction
    • fuelies rising to 290 (1958–59)
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  8. 8
    1960 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors – CorvSport Level C
    • 119 1960 Corvettes with RPO 687
    • 140 1960 Corvettes painted Cascade Green (CorvSport colour table)
    • 635 1960 Corvettes painted Tasco Turquoise (CorvSport colour table)
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  9. 9
    1962 Chevrolet Corvette 'Fuel-Injected', Arizona 2024, Lot 154 Level C RM Sotheby's
    • the so-called "big brake" option, RPO 687
    • one of 246 1962 models built with competition-style brakes
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  10. 10
    C1 Corvette research hub (1953-1962) Level B CorvSport
    • the 684 brakes, the four-speed and the Positraction
    • No. 3 car of John Fitch and Bob Grossman won the GT class
    • 315 (1960–61)
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  11. 11
    1962 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors – CorvSport Level C
    • 65 1962 Corvettes with RPO 488 24-gallon fuel tank
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  12. 12
    1957 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors – CorvSport Level C
    • 65 1957 Corvettes painted Inca Silver
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  13. 13
    1961 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors – CorvSport Level C
    • 747 1961 Corvettes painted Sateen Silver (CorvSport colour table)
    Accessed 2026-11-12