How many 1953 Corvettes were produced?

Chevrolet produced 300 Corvettes in 1953.

That tiny total represents the Corvette’s first production year and remains the lowest annual production figure in the model’s history. The cars were assembled largely by hand in Flint, Michigan, on a makeshift line inside an old truck plant. Production began on June 30, 1953, after the Corvette had attracted attention as a Motorama show car.

The limited run reflected the project’s experimental character. Each car used a fiberglass-reinforced-plastic body, a relatively new manufacturing approach that required careful hand work. The 1953 Corvette was offered only as an open two-seat roadster and used a 150-hp Blue Flame inline-six with a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission.

Chevrolet prepared a larger facility in St. Louis for the 1954 model year, when production rose dramatically to 3,640 cars. Even so, early Corvettes faced criticism for leaks, fit-and-finish problems, and performance that lagged behind some European sports cars. More than 200 of the original 300 cars are believed to survive, making the 1953 Corvette one of the most collectible American cars.