1955 Corvette C1, sports car (roadster), first of the Corvette model-year's V-8s, three speed manual transmission, fuel injection, 283 horsepower, it was a zippy car. The powerglide transmission shifted smoothly. The engine rumbled at idle and roared under acceleration. But it had a solid rear axle, bounced a bit on smooth roads and more on rough roads, and handled a little stiff on cornering. Many, many drivers overhandled theirs and wound up wrecking them. I've seen several early model-year Corvettes at car shows, in people's garages, listened, looked, asked, but never drove one. I have driven a Trans Am and a Thunderbird, the muscle car versions, though, and several other muscle car makes with state-of-the-art anti-torsion and sway bars for better handling in cornering situations. The '55 Corvette wasn't well-known for its cornering at higher speeds, but otherwise okay in the sports-car department. I associate the '55 with Malibu Barbie, basically, a flashy car for a flashy, chic chick. It wasn't meant to be a drag racer roadster, more of a statement of conspicuous consumption than a way of life.

The oldest car I've driven regularly was an Oldsmobile 1963 F-85 Cutlass with a 225 horsepower V-6, three speed column shifter manual powerglide transmission. It was a sporty little compact that cornered well. It didn't rumble or roar, had a blocky body, and was about as popular as a modern-day station wagon.

Yes, the '55 Corvette did have a radiator. The original Volkswagens didn't have radiators, but almost every other make and model auto had and has one.
 

Satate, I tried the email you sent me, and my browser says its not a valid email address. I tried it like a website, and that doesn't work either. Would you take another look and see if what I have is right?
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvair
 

would say it sounded powerful, shifts crisply with a manual transmission, as it was a sports car. I would say it had a true V-8 rumble, and one could say it was “guttural” as some people like to describe V-8 muscle cars. But is was NOT a huge engine like later Corvettes or “ muscle cars” The Corvette from the first year (1953 to today ) has a fiberglass body, not steel. So it can never rust out! But the main reason would have been to make the car lighter for faster speeds and better handling. Comparedt o other US cars in the 50s, the Corvette probably the best handling using the best technology available at the time in the US auto industry.

The long description here does mention 2 types of transmissions…a manual 3 speed stickshift (most prevalent in early Corvettes) and an automatic transmission for those who wanted a sports car (U.S. Chevy sports car !!!) but wanted easy driving on city streets. Also, one sat very LOW in the car…like a true sports car. It was Chevrolet trying to get the part of the sports car market by selling a small, flashy, youthful, no-backseat car that was not truly as good as a European sports car. This is because they had to make a simple sports car that would appeal to a larger group of American consumers …ya gotta sell ‘em, ya know…and more than just a few hundred! So, the Corvette was about looks and appeal, not prize-winning performance. It was a status symbol, an expensive little toy. Very popular and desired, though.

A lot of the 50s Corvettes were two-toned cars on the exteriors (2 colors) ….like many other 50s cars. Had real chrome, too! Bumpers, some trim.

When I was in college, I worked for a research team funded by the Department of Transportation to investigate automobile accidents (I was with the automobile team, there was also an accident site team and a medical/psychological team), and I remember a fiberglass car (a corvair, I think) with rips in the body. Looked really weird to me.
 

I believe that until 1963 all Corvettes left the factory as roadsters, there were no coupes. This means your car must be a convertible. Because it is so low it will be difficult to get in and out when the top is up. This means that your character cannot have mobility difficulties (e.g. be elderly or have war wounds). Any tall character would be inconvenienced by riding in this car with the top up. If your character chauffers John Wayne on a rainy day he should expect complaints.

The Corvair was not the only air-cooled American car. America had air-cooled cars going back to the 1800s, including the popular 1902 - 1934 Franklin marque made in Syracuse.

The Corvair also has a steel, not fiberglass, body. Kathleen, perhaps you were thinking of a Studebaker Avanti?
 

I'm talking about the Chevy 1955 Corvette Roadster. Convertible, Gypsy Red.
 

Because 1955 is before 1963 your Corvette *must* be a convertible (or "roadster" in cargeek speak). I was posting to emphasize this. As a writer you will get more chances for scene descriptions and dialog tags by always remembering that the car is a ragtop than you will from its pedigree.

I've never owned a Corvette but I have owned a convertible. Any time it was outside the garage I became obsessed with weather forecasts. And the slightest trace of unpredicted precipitation could make me unreasonably angry.

Now if only someone needed an expert on stainless steel, gullwing sports cars . . .

[This message has been edited by Doc Brown (edited November 07, 2008).]