Head light stone guards
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,194
Likes: 27
From: Monroe Twp, NJ
Head light stone guards
Was the headlight stone guards on 53-55 Corvettes a copied idea from another vehicle since most main highways and roads in America were paved by 1953? To my knowledge no other car built in America came with them.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 9,016
Likes: 331
From: Southeast Missouri
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,194
Likes: 27
From: Monroe Twp, NJ
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 2,097
Likes: 99
From: Boston MA
The wire mesh headlight stone guards were copied from the British sports cars at the time. Chevrolet wanted to make the car look "sporty." What the car lacked in some areas, Chevrolet wanted to compensate for in others.
Sports car people at the time were a very clubby bunch. MG Mitten, Morris Motors, string backed gloves, scully caps, side curtains, wind wings, trunk racks, chronometers, etc. The Corvette was hurting in that department with an automatic transmission.
Sports car people at the time were a very clubby bunch. MG Mitten, Morris Motors, string backed gloves, scully caps, side curtains, wind wings, trunk racks, chronometers, etc. The Corvette was hurting in that department with an automatic transmission.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,606
Likes: 210
From: Nevada City Ca.
2015 C1 of Year
Mine are new complete units out of a box NOS and as you can see they follow the body line ( Bulging) all repro's I've seen are near flat looking. Rare I ever see correct ones on restored Corvettes.
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The XK-120 Jag was a slightly larger copy of the 1938 BMW 328, the best pre-war European sports car. The Jag front end is slightly fatter, with a single oval grille instead of the BMW's two. The side profile and rear view are very similar too, even the rear fender skirts!
The Jag was the fastest production car in the world in 1950, so Chevy copied the chassis layout and driving position. Both the Jag and the 'Vette are uncomfortable, making you sit almost flat on the floor with legs straight out and the steering wheel too close to your chest.
I think the '53-'55 Corvette styling is closer to the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR racing cars, which debuted around 1952.
The Jag was the fastest production car in the world in 1950, so Chevy copied the chassis layout and driving position. Both the Jag and the 'Vette are uncomfortable, making you sit almost flat on the floor with legs straight out and the steering wheel too close to your chest.
I think the '53-'55 Corvette styling is closer to the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR racing cars, which debuted around 1952.
