The 1957 model Corvette was a near-twin visually to 1956. Engine displacement increased to 283 cu in (4.6 L), fuel injection became optional, and a 4-speed manual transmission was available after April 9, 1957. Fuel injection first saw regular use on a gasoline engine two years prior on the Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwing". Although the Corvette's GM-Rochester injection used a constant flow system, as opposed to the diesel style nozzle metering system of the Mercedes', the Corvette's engine nevertheless produced about 290 hp. This was underrated by Chevrolet's advertising agency for the 283 hp 283 small-block V8 one hp per in slogan, making it one of the first mass-produced engines in history to reach 1 hp/in. Pushed toward high-performance and racing, principally by Zora Arkus-Duntov who had raced in Europe, 1957 Corvettes could be ordered ready-to-race with special options. Fuel injection was in short supply and 1,040 Corvettes with this option were sold.
This car, Chassis # E57S104701, was born on June 19th, 1957. The furthest back the record scan be found is that the car was purchased in Polock, South Dakota by a Robert Streeter and then by Steve Bartling. Steve brought the car to Tucson, AZ in the late 1990’s. A Gary Grammond bought the car (then white with red cove) from Steve in 2001. Mike Grammond, had bene looking for an arctic blue 1957 after he saw one on the Duntov display at 2006 NCRS Nationals in San Antonio, TX. His cousin, Thomas Kurmisca was doing some work on Gary’s car and noticed some blue color under a hinge. They started removing other parts and found out it was an original arctic blue solid cove car. Mike then purchased the car from his father Gary in 2008 and began restoration work. After going to a few NCRS events, he realized that there was a lot to learn from the higher level judges about properly restoring a Corvette to the NCRS Duntov standards. They went straight to a regional meet in Albuquerque, NM for their first stop in 2010. It scored a Top Flight there. They has chapter judge it a week later in Tucson and they wanted to run it though mostly as learning vehicle for our local judges. It also scored a Top Flight there. The next step was to prepare the car for the dreaded PV test. We first took it through the Tucson regional in March 2012. We had a few tweaks that were needed that ended up having the car not pass. One was having the driver’s door not closing easily enough. Another was the spare tire making the board sit too high since it wasn’t an original OEM tire. The next PV we took the car to was Seaside, OR, later that year. It was cold and raining in OR which exposed a few other minor issues such as the wiper motor switch not working due to the hood being a little too closed and having cold start issues. This resulted in another failed PV.
They went through the car again before brought it to the Bowling Green, KY regional in April, 2013 and after it arrived from a long trailer ride. The morning of the PV was cool, clear and perfect conditions for a PV. The car performed flawlessly and didn’t miss a beat. It finally passed the elusive PV test! The car was at this point qualified to bring to the nationals in Hampton, VA in July 2013 for the final Top Flight and Duntov qualification. They had a minor issue with a cold start on the OP test in the morning, but did very well in the floor judging two days later. We received zero deductions on paint which is very difficult to do in the C1 classes. The car easily won a Top Flight award and scored well over 97.1% which also won the Duntov award. They learned a lot over the years what an original factory delivered 1957 Corvette should be and saw and judges many high quality 1957 Corvettes in that time. Their goal was to build the best one they could, with the knowledge gained through this process. It is virtually impossible to achieve a 100% at a NCRS National due to many factors, the Judges opinion being the most prominent. But, we feel this 1957 Corvette is the finest example of an absolute factory delivered car in 1957. Literally every single nut and bolt was selected to be correct for the this car. This car is a Multi-level NCRS Award winner, NCRS Top Flight Award at 98.4%, NCRS Performance Verification, NCRS Duntov Mark of Excellence Award 98.8%.
This very special and stunning example may well be the finest 1957 Corvette in the country. If you are looking for a perfect, turn-key, 1957 Corvette with a Duntov award, you will not find a nicer car anywhere.