Prior to WWII, the American and European automotive markets were separate things in ways that we have difficulty even imagining today. But the war had Americans paying more attention to Europe for a number of reasons, including automotive ones, and by the early Fifties, Chevrolet felt the need to build a sports car to compete directly with the Europeans. This had never been done before, and when the Corvette entered production, it was unique among American cars.

But the Corvette was special for more reasons than that. It was also the first production car ever made with a fully fiberglass underpan and body. It was smaller than the European competition, but with a 150-horsepower triple-carburetted inline-six engine, it was also faster. Just 300 units were built in 1953, the first year of production, and this one is number 274. All 300 units from this year were identical, with Polo White paint and Sportsman Red interiors, and this one has kept this original color scheme following a restoration. It will be going up for auction in March.