prototypes
What’s a prototype?
1951 How it all began
1952 Corvette EX-122
1954 Corvette Corvair Motorama showcar
1954 Corvette Hardtop Motorama Showcar
1954 Corvette Nomad Motorama Showcar
1955 Corvette Biscayne Show Car
1956 Harlow Curtis SR-2 Lookalike
1956 Corvette Impala Show Car
1956 Corvette SR-2 Sebring Racer
1952 EX-122 Concept Car
1957 Q Corvette
1957 Corvette SS Show Car
1957 Corvette SS XP-64
1958 XP-700
1959 Stingray Racer XP-87
1959 Corvette Stingray
1961 Corvette Mako Shark XP-755
1962 C2 Prototype XP-720
1962 Four Seat Stingray Corvette XP-720 2+2
1963 Corvette Rondine Pininfarina Coupe
1963 Corvette Grand Sport
1963 Wedge Corvette Split Windshield
1964 World’s Fair Styling Study
1964 Clay model for '66 update
1964 Grand Sport GS-II(b)
1964 CERV II
1964 Pontiac Banshee XP-833
1964 Corvette XP-819 Rear Engine
1965 Corvette Mako Shark XP-830
1966 Mid Engine Styling Proposal
1967 Astro I
1968 Corvette Astro-Vette
1968 Astro II-XP-880 mid engine
1969 Astro III
1969 Manta Ray
1969 Mid Engine XP-882
1970 Scirocco Showcar
1970 Corvette XP-882
1973 Corvette 2 rotor XP-897-GT
1973 Reynolds XP-895
1973 Corvette 4 rotor XP-882
Aerovette
1973 Corvette XP-898
1974 Mulsanne Showcar
1976 Corvette XP-882
1979 Turbo Corvette
1978 Corvette Astro-Vette
1980 Turbo Corvette
1982 4th Generation Concepts
1984 Bertone Ramarro
1985 Corvette Indy
1986 GTP Corvette
1987 Corvette Geneve
1989 Corvette DR-1
1989 Corvette ZR-2
1990 Corvette Conan ZR-12 V12
1990 CERV III
1990 Bertone Nivola
1991 ZR-1 Snake Skinner
1992 Stingray III
2001 Corvette Tiger Shark
2003 Corvette Italdesign Moray
2009 Sideswipe

1954 Corvette Hardtop Motorama Showcar


Besides a normal convertible model, the 1954 Chevrolet Corvette line-up also featured a hardtop, actually a Convertible Coupe. It was one of the Corvette based Motorama dream cars shown in 1954 and was a version fitted with a removable hardtop. The Advertising Brochure said the following: “The Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Coupe - The sports car gains new all weather utility in this new experimental model. The removable top of the same glass fiber plastic construction as the body itself may be left behind in the garage on warm and sunny days.”

The hardtop feature would not become available until 1956. It took General Motors and Chevrolet three years to figure out that the consumer wanted roll up windows, outside door handles and door locks.

In addition to a regular production version, which was still a showstopper in its own right, Chevrolet unveiled three more Corvette prototypes that would more than hint at future product offerings. From front to rear you see the Corvette, the Corvette Hardtop, the Corvette Corvair and the Corvette Nomad. From the last three, only the Motorama Experimental Show Cars were made. How many? No one really knows.

As one might expect, the "Corvette Quartet" had a definite familial resemblance, though each had its own specific personality. All four cars featured the same front end design, with its toothy grille, mesh-grilled headlamps and pontoon-like front fenders. Likewise, the rear quarter contours were the same, right down to the single round taillamps and the chrome streak-like bumpers.

Additionally, all four variations were powered by the production Corvette 235-cu.in. straight-six with three side-draft carburetors. It was rated at 150hp and was backed by Chevy's familiar Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission.


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