1953 Corvette VIN 001 - Q&A with Corey Peterson 

WOW! Thank you for all your hard work and research. My Dad worked at the Fisher Body plant in Grand Rapids, MI as a tool and die maker. He was able to get tickets to the GM Motorama when it came to town in 1953. I was in the third grade and saw the Motorama Corvette. That is when I fell in love. I was able to buy a C2 when I turned 21 and a few more later models when we became empty nesters. I have switched to an older Cadillac Eldorado now as I am too arthritic to get out of a Corvette. I can still fall into one but my left knee cannot support me any more on an exit attempt.

I saw this car at the Mountain America Expo Center's Auto Rama on April-5-2024, It was a lot of fun to get up close to and look at.🇺🇲🙂

Kinda hard to believe that it's taken all these years to discover this is the first, if indeed it is.

When I’m asked how old I am I reply that I was made when the first corvette was made. My claim to fame! Thanks for the video

So darn cool! Kudos to Corey and his sleuth work!🇺🇸

i have an ad from june 1953 in Country Gentleman magazine of GM show circuit cars , my favourite is the Corvette. I was 9 years old and saved that magazine all these years. long story....

True American treasure ! Thanks for posting this video.

It’s hard for me to believe that Chevrolet would let the first Vette to be sold . But then again, I doubt they ever thought the brand would ever be produced more than 10 years.

How could you not know this was number one all these years?

OMG, if this is actually number one, Lord what a find!!! Congrats!

I was an early NCRS member and, with my ‘54, participated (in 1966/7) in possibly the first competitive showing of C1s at the Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan as a member of the Vintage Chevrolet Club. I knew and regularly communicated with one of the founding NCRS members (Sam Folz). If they might be of any interest I have snapshots (that I was unable to attach here) of the seven ‘53-‘55 Corvettes that were registered. I know Sam’s early ‘53 was at least one of them.

It's a well known fact that the first Corvettes were destroyed. VIN#001 VIN #002 do "not" exist. Here is an article from 5 years ago. In 1953, a total of 300 Corvettes were produced. The first Corvette came off the assembly line on June 30, 1953. The first two were destroyed as they were engineering test cars. This is still the rarest of all model year production Corvettes. It is estimated that less than two hundred 1953 Corvettes still exist. The earliest Corvettes were produced in Flint, Mi.

Such a wow moment. This history ❤

Some years ago Corvette #003 was auctioned off, and it was represented at the time that #001 and #002 were scrapped by Chevrolet. That left #003 as being the lowest serial numbered unit, and it was sold to a Corvette collected in that fashion.

If you want the low down on the car we need to have a way to contact each other besides here. My Grandfather was the first owner. He was the reginal Mgr for Chevrolet Motor Division for the eastern half of the US, Corneilius Glock. At this moment I am looking at a GM photo of him sitting in it with a GM sir num on the back of the photo. You guys got one thing right...Ohio. I am busy tomorrow but will check back on Friday. Funny story I'd think you'd like about the car. Thanks for your time, Paul Glock

There was a story around when I was a kid that Mr. Springs bought the first Corvette at the Waldorf show. He owned Springs Cotton Mills and lived in Lancaster, South Carolina. I was born and raised in Lancaster so I heard this story probably in the mid sixties. That story solidly plants the car in South Carolina when new. This guy's reference to a 'South Carolina owner' ties in with what I was told way back then.

What a find !

001- UNREAL

Don't really like the Loud Speaker sitting on a Priceless Corvette like that. Why????

The #3 car is in Vancouver washington.the man that own,s the car his name is Fred .

A few cars slipped the crusher, ending up at Morlan's body shop in Holly Michigan. Long ago memories, very hush hush. Lots of folks from our area worked at the Proving Grounds. This could have been one of those escapees. GM mysteries, big company, lots of slippage.

Questions about the frame are relevant, who would change a frame? Why? Still lots of questions about this car.

Ask John Neas about verifying documentation of early Vettes...

Fred and his brother bought it in Hawaii and had it shipped to the states after his brother passed .

does he also own the first pair of new balance 608's?

He lives on the corner of Helena and Idaho on the north west corner thanks.

My rich neighbor bought a new 1953 Corvette and had a hitch installed and hauled his 1 horse trailer around Western Pa and Northern Wva to the race tracks. His name was Morgan, and he complained that he had to keep the top down because it was too low for his 10 gallon cowboy hat.

Looks like a glorified crossley... With its 6 cylinder engine pretty funky

Did that car come out of Amarillo Texas? I heard 30+ years ago that the 001 car was there near downtown Amarillo.

Where is this talk taking place

I thought 003 was the oldest Corvette known.

So, what was the original exterior (and interior) color of this 001 vette?

on all the other known cars, where are the serial numbers at, this might be a good place to start looking for numbers on this car.

Old vettes drive like a worn out pickup

I would put back the way it came off the assembly line . All that stuff they did to it after the fact is not the car . I would keep the parts though and those part will stay with the car .

Where is the John Wayne car?

please paint it

OO stands for "OOH My God" 😐😐

How much do you want for it? What do you think it's worth?

So are we talking that this is the Corvette that is featured in this First Corvette Being Build 1953 video? It starts out with what I guess are engineers inspecting the license plate part, maybe talking about how best to improve it. It also show a flat floor, which would correspond to the floor being cut out and lowered 3/4 of an inch. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Oxyy8_K03w0.html

The bad thing is that someone attached a huge speaker on the back of that car. Shame on them!!

I thought NASCAR owner Rick Hendrick owned the first Corvette?

Needs paint

Why do you let it look so dirty?

I worked at a dealership where a pristine example of that car sat 5’ from my office door . While certainly a piece of history , those cars were really a weak entry into that market and the sales reflected it . To big, poor handling , underpowered , expensive and lousy build . Like when GM tried to enter the small car market with chevette

Not going to the bank yet…where’s Chevrolet today??

james freeman youtube channel

HEADLIGHT COVERS HAVE SERIAL NUMBER ON THEM. IM SURE U CHECKED THERE BUT DID U? RAISE IT OFF THE FRAME AND CLEAR THIS UP.

So scripted. So fishy.

Wow this bull shit

I'm calling bs I don't think it's #1

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The 1953 corvette was on display in my hometown and nobody thought it was anything special. Still isn't. Beloved by us all but ugly as hell. Sorry...

It's a fake!! The first (2) 1953 were destroyed!!

Bs

So if this corvette , you call 001. It’s a Frankenstein of a 1953? Corvette. The number is a number you came up with. On 6/30/1953 a car, maybe part of this car, came off the assembly line. Cool maybe, number 001. Or not maybe.

I'll give you 5 Gretzky rookie cards a Shoeless Joe World Series worn jersey a Babe Ruth home rum bat and 50 packs of unopened Tang from the Apollo 13 mission

LOOK UNDER THE DASH, BACK OF INSTERMENTS, DATE CODES OR NUMBERS ETC.

LOOKS LIKE ITS VIN NUMBER 10, MISSTAMPED AS 01