Cool video. I love all Corvettes, so this program was special to me. I am an ordinary, middle class Joe, and have never owned Vette. But an American sports car? Who's not going to love that? Please hang in there and keep the videos coming. You do good work!
The very first show I saw of your Jay, you were covering an old truck, and that made me subscribe. Nobody covers the everyday driver of way back. So keep them coming.
There was an early 50's Studebaker that reminded me of a Fleet submarine that you saw at the opening of the TV series "The Silent Service". Look at the grill nose and headlights.
With a bullet nose.. i’ve been looking for one to do on this channel I heard they get up to 32 miles to the gallon on the highway with a flat head six i’m not sure off the top of my head which one but one of those years the dashboard curves and it looks awesome.. I haven’t seen one yet this year I would’ve asked the person hey can I do that car for my CZcams car channel.. I’ve been looking for a lot of Studebaker’s Studebaker is a really cool super underrated car company
A few years ago, I worked a Leake Auto Auction in Dallas, through the Classic Chassis Car Club. I got to drive a Polo White w/Sportsman Red Interior '54 onto the stage turntable and back down the auction ramp. I'm 6 feet 180lbs with long arms, legs, and size 14-Medium feet. The steering wheel felt like it was almost resting in my lap and I noticed that the top of my head was taller than the windshield frame. No sun visors so you'd better be wearing glasses or shades on the road. No exterior door handle so no way to secure the car from theft. That means a disabling alarm and a CLUB. Leaky side curtains instead of roll up windows. Yet give me a '54 Pennant 💙 with tan interior 6 cylinder, or the same color '55 w/V8 and I'd be in heaven. Aftermarket tinted, auxiliary, plexiglass hardtops are available for them. It would be just like driving a Motorama Dream Car. I ❤️ cars and own a '96 Collectors Edition Corvette Convertible with the auxiliary removable hardtop. Her name is Dreama because I dreamed of owning a Corvette since I was a little boy. If I can't look at a car without a stupid grin and thoughts of a road trip, I'm hooked and willing to put up with a few inconveniences just for the experience. You've got a wonderful non snobbish channel and I'm enjoying my subscription. 👍🏾
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the 54 corvette.. believe it or not I’ve been called a snob which I find very funny because I’m not into snobby car makes like Mercedes bmw Land Rover.. I absolutely love the lost forgotten off the beaten path classic cars from brands that don’t exist anymore. =) welcome to the channel
Just discovered your channel today. I really enjoy your enthusiasm. It was the Lincoln Continental Mark series video that popped up and grabbed me first. I really like this Corvette, but if I'd lived in the 1950s, I would've tried to stuff at least a 3-speed manual in it. Folks back then... and now ... preferred boring automatics. They would've sold even fewer if these had only manual gearboxes. It's amazing that people back then could have cars that didn't need door locks or even door handles. Anyway...I'm gonna work my way through all your other videos now. Aloha!
Welcome to the channel i’m so glad you dig it =) I saw a really cool car today it should be up hopefully either tonight or tomorrow we almost did 100 episodes so far I have a really cool episode plan for the hundredth episode it’s just getting all the parts and pieces together to make it happen it’s going to be a totally different episode did the mini documentaries still very call still car Oriented but I’ve been planning this for a while
My all rime favorite car is one i bought by chance. I moved from wisconsin to florida in 1985. I found for sale a 1965 Buick skylark 2 door hardtop. I bought and used this car for my every day driver.
Cool car, looks good in the pennant blue, although when I picture this model in my head it's always in white. I always liked the '58-'62 models best. I appreciate those as well as this model in the scope of style, but would probably not feel that comfortable in riding in any of them, they just seem way too confining. If I had lived in that time in the early '60s and could afford an expensive sports car, I probably would choose the two-door Mercedes of that era, they look like they would be more comfortable, but maybe not.
Long time ago I was in a 55 Goldwing Mercedes that is honestly the hardest car from the 1950s to get into this vette is a real close second it’s not comfortable to be 100% honest I shot the Thunderbirds video right after I shot this video same day.. that’s when I had the idea which show how to get in these cars which I should’ve went back and did it with a Corvette but I didn’t because I ran out of time, as well as storage space. I have a few more cars in the pipeline so to speak but as soon as those cars are over moving forward I’m gonna show how to get into every single car because that’s the perception that nobody else shows
It makes you wonder why the baby birds (55-57) sold way more than the Corvettes. Chevy was late to the party with REAL power when in 55 you could get a 265 cubed V-8, and that was an option! the 235 was still the standard. The Corvette logo on the side had an oversize "V" to denote the V-8 powerplant.
There’s more room in a 55 bird bird steering wheels in a weird position in the vette. Oh man you just gave me a stellar idea I’m going back to JK actually I’m about to leave now I can do it this versus that episode with the Corvette versus the Thunderbird but the sun they have a 56 Thunderbird there but it’s being worked on.. Both cars are hard to get into but I think the Corvette is worse than the Thunderbird and the seating position isn’t comfortable at all and where the steering wheel is it’s almost in your chest.. I think the Corvette was more money didn’t have exterior doorhandles or rollup windows and in the very beginning they weren’t received really well.. Chevy made a new factory in St. Louis Missouri I had this in my notes but I couldn’t find a place after the fact of editing I couldn’t find a good place to put it so I just left it out I will hit it when I do the 53 as a comparison number production video.. anyway Chevy thought the demand would be 10,000 units a year, they made 300 in 53, 3046 in 54 which was more than 10 times the amount and 53 but only a third of what they wanted to produce. I’ve never been in a Jaguar XK 120 but I would probably take that car over the vette and thunderbird The XK120 is down right sexy Sidenote I really really want to do a Nash Healy.. they are overlooked underrated car that should have been on the underrated episode.
@@What.its.like. With the BelAir you have a choice of either manual transmission which was standard or you could pay extra for the automatic transmission. But with the Corvette you had only one transmission and you had to pay extra for it. I agree that it was crazy. Did they later on correct that issue? And if so, when? I tried to look up the one button or knob that you couldn’t identify but I couldn’t find it. It might have been for the windshield wipers and washers. Just a guess. 🤔btw. Scotty Kilmer had a video where he said that the Corvette plant in Kentucky is having trouble getting qualified workers to build the Corvettes. This video is just a couple days old.
I watch Scotty Kilmer he has a lot click bait titles.. I don’t know why they didnt show that dash board in an add. Chevy had some beautiful ads around that time. That usually lay everything out with this car doesn’t but I would have to agree one of those switches have to be the wipers and their vacuum operated
I always liked Corvettes. They are just to "low" and hard to get in for me (most models) 1954 was an interesting year. Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea came out that year & Disneyland was under construction the same year to open in '55. Both the film & park used Fiberglass. Disneyland also used aluminum in its construction especially in Tomorrowland. While aluminum had been out for a while fiber was still new. The 76 foot tall display rocket would creak and groin as it expanded and contracted in the California sun. Autopia cars kinda looked like Corvettes too (1971 versions)
@@What.its.like. You know, many adult-sized people fit nicely and comfortably in an MGA. An average sized guy like me had no problems getting in and out of the MGA. A 6-foot + friend of mine loved them and restored a bunch of them in the '70's. Oh, the windshields in sports cars had long been called windscreens. Because of their design, they directed wind up and over the car, ensuring that even a tall person wouldn't normally get bugs in the teeth.
To be fair it’s not my favorite car either I think they’re fastly overrated for what they are.. and all of the shortcomings and problems that they had I would take the Jaguar XK 120 over this in a heartbeat and I’ve never been in one of those I’ve seen many of them and they’re one of the most gorgeous cars in the 1950s 50s Alfa looks nice too
That knob to the left of the steering column is for the choke, thus the "C" in the center of the knob. I imagine that the knob or the cable can twist/rotate, which would explain why the "C" is backwards in this video.
Thank you so much, I still can’t get over the fact that they don’t have anything explaining the dashboard anywhere.. it’s sort of like the jaguar XKE I went to a Facebook Jaguar group and ask them what the different buttons did.. and the answers I got where, those are for the smoke screen, ejection seats, cloak all those answers.
Hey Jay, the early Corvette is a true icon but like the early Thunderbird it's not that comfortable!!! This particular Corvette is spectacular!!! It looks like a brand new car!!! Thanks for sharing another informative video!!! 👍👍
Yeah that one looks super sweet they have a 2021 C7 stingray that I really want to do for the channel it’s been there the whole time that I’ve shot videos at John Kufleitner‘s Place bigger taxi one I thought it would be cool to do a contrast video between the C1 and the C7 =)
I was thinking the same thing when I was trying to get in the car this car is designed by Harley Earl and I think earl was a big guy and he fit in the car somehow
My biggest gripe with the early Corvette as well with the early Thunderbird is you sacrifice everything to have that sports car image the Thunderbird 5556 isn’t comfortable driving with the top on if you’re tall the 54 Corvette would be impossible to get in with the top on if you’re over 6 foot tall.. also the door does not open up that far on the Corvette so if you’re a little bit bigger in your midsection you’re not getting in unless you shoehorn yourself in the car the biggest gripe I have is that $100,000 car that you have to make a lot of compromises for and they wasn’t perfect from the factory they leak from what I read from the factory so you’re paying $100,000 cost.. for a car that isn’t comfortable to drive is it very fast the best sports car that I’ve ever been in from the 50s was the Studebaker golden hawk that is the car that I would pick.. I really wanna drive one I wanna know what it’s like because I’ve driven a Thunderbird I haven’t driven a Corvette I don’t really wanna drive the Corvette.
John Wayne was given the first Corvette to be in private hands by Chevrolet. The special Corvette camshafts were given the designation "Duntov" for the name of the man considered the father of the Corvette, Zora Arkus Duntov. Duntov camshafts followed the Corvette well into it's history. This 'brand" of camshaft was a favorite of hotrodders for decades. The original Corvette was pretty lackluster with it's regular 1953 Chevy suspension and hampered by the Powerglide automatic. The Nash-Healey was a much better car and a better value(plus a true sports car). How could anyone go wrong having the car that Clark Kent/Superman drove(the car on the show was actually his car). Sure beats the Lois Lane Nash convertible he was also seen driving. A word on the original Jaguar XK 120/140/150. The numbers were an indication of the car(s) top speed. These were also a better car and value as they were the crowned epitome of a sports car. Thanks for another great video.
Yeah I was gonna add that part in there but I wanted to make sure I was correct before it said it about the XK 120 XK 140 XK 150 topSpeed I love the design of those they’re absolutely gorgeous I’ve never been in one I’ve seen a bunch of them but it’s been a while to be honest I never saw a hardtop or the coupe model I should say Nash Healy should have been on the list underrated 50s cars but I didn’t want that list to become a Nash/amc list Thank you again for sharing all that information I really appreciate it =)
There is a white knob between the seats, which I assume is the gear selector. Other than that, another stellar review! Being a six-footer myself, I appreciate your commentary on ingress, egress, seat position, and steering wheel clearance, as well as the likelihood of losing your head should disaster befall you on a joyride. It's a beautiful, albeit impractical and uncomfortable piece of automotive history. Thanks for taking us along to the Ali Baba's Cave of Wonders that is Kufleitner's!
Darn it I totally forgot to show the shifter I knew I was forgetting something thank you so much for pointing that out there’s lots of different videos and edit everything on an iPad Pro but when it gets uploaded to the iPad Pro they’re not in order so then you have to go find them, that’s one of my favorite things to show is the different perceptions or perspectives that no one else shows... =)
I wonder if your mystery knob on the driver's side might be a 'hand throttle' which is basically predecessor to cruise control it was quite popular at times. Most early cars had them(cars that were capable of being hand cranked), I don't know when the last vehicles offered them but Ford Broncos had it as a option in the early 70's with the 302 engine.
I love the hand throttle feature. I can’t believe nothing was really labeled and couldn’t find a diagram Which is weird because a lot of 50s cars had Illustrations of what buttons did what
@@What.its.like. I like the idea of a hand throttle also I grew up around tractors and they kinda always made sense to me, I wonder if the lack of marking the controls was there version of 'European sleak design '
Hint: You're a bigger guy - 1955 Department of Agriculture study had the highest average height, 69.6 inches 0r 5'8" so about 1/2 the population was under 5'8"
The 1954 Corvette is not appealing to me. Because I'm a tall person. If, only it was built for everyone? That Corvette is a beautiful car. Although, I've got the same problem with purchasing clothing.
Answering: What is the lever next to the headlight switch? The knob is marked with a "C." That means, Choke. Manual Choke. I'm curious as to what is the Counter displayed in the Tach for. It looks like an odometer but that's in the speedometer. I'm wondering if it counts Engine Hours. Something interesting, is the formation in the white metal trim above the door saddle pockets. It appears that a light bulb would be embedded there to shine into the pockets. The interior of this car is definitely sized for small people. I was surprised at how jammed-in you were, Jay. And it looked like your knees would have to be very bent to work the pedals. I don't know why there were complaints about the power, unless they came a few years later when the '55 V-8 Corvette hit the market. While I don't know what the axel ratio is on the '53s, from what I'm seeing and compared to the curb weight, this had to be a snappy little car. And particularly so given the regular '53 Chevy's weighed more and had the same engine with a single carb. My parents had a '53 Chevy 210 two-door when I was a little kid and I know that moved along OK because my dad wouldn't put up with poky cars. Another consideration is the overall low power output for the majority of cars back then. Cars with V-8 engines were uncommon in the price range of the '53 Corvette. The only ones I'm thinking of would be the V-8 Fords, Oldsmobile, and the Hemi cars from Chrysler, all of them heavier cars. Bear in mind the Ford V-8s were about 100 HP, and here's the '53 Corvette with 150 HP. As well, other than the Jaguar, the European cars were 4-cylinder and known for superior handling, not power. So, I just don't see how the Corvette could be a disappointment even worth mentioning. Thanks for the coverage here, Jay. Good job. I've never seen the compartment for the convertible top, and I didn't know about the rather wild looking expansion tank for the radiator.
It wouldn’t be a fun car to drive for somebody as tall as me that’s for sure.. Thank you so much for all of that added information I really appreciate it =) I still think it’s these Corvettes are super overrated for what they are.. six figures for car you can barely fit in I wanna do a Nash Healy pretty bad I wanna see what that’s like I honestly didn’t see the C on the control if I did I would know that that was for the choke. It was my fault I didn’t look at it close enough
@@What.its.like. Thanks, Jay. I sat in a Nash-Healy a few years back. It's bigger inside than the '53 Corvette. It had a bench seat too. I'm small boned so I wasn't paying attention to whether big/tall people could fit in OK.
MY FIRST CORVETTE WAS A C1 1962 IN CANDY APPLE RED AND BLACK INTERIOR WHITE TOP . .IT HAD THE DUNTOV 327 CU IN 340 HP VERSION OF THE NEW 327 WITH 4 SPEED POSI-TRACTION TRACTION MASTERS. IT TOOK 4 MONTHS TO BE MADE FROM AUG. TO DEC 1ST OF 1961 TO DELIVERY. THE PAINT JOB WAS HORRIBLE AS WAS THE FIBERGLASS BODY WORK .IT HAS SO MANY RIPPLES AND OVER SPRAY IT WAS TERRIBLE IT WAS MADE IN THE ST LOUIS CHEVY PLANT. ITS ENGINE TORQUE WAS SO STRONG OT WOULD STAY IN GEAR ON FULL THROTTLE . I REPLACE THE TINY PLASTIC SHIFT KNOB WITH A HEAVY CHROME BALL WEIGHT A LB. THAT WORKED .I ALSO HAD A 1863 COUPE NO ONE LIKED AND I SOLD IT AND BOUGHT THE ROADSTER AND BY THE WAY WE CALLED THE SOFT-TOP A ROADSTER SO EVERYONE CAN SHUT UP ABOUT IT. YOU ALSO BECAME A MEMBER THE CORVETTE CLUB OF AMERICA WITH THE PURCHASE .
It might be that’s a high dollar car.. I do video work for jkgalleria if I get the chance to drive it I’ll make it into a short... video and post on the Facebook group.. they were going to sell that car it’s so nice the owner decided to keep that one
@@What.its.like. When I was a teenager I was at the Chevy dealership where my dad worked as a mechanic, and at the time they had a Corvette in the showroom. I tried to sit in it and I almost needed a shoehorn to get in and out of the car. And as a teenager I wasn’t very big. The corvette was a later model than the one featured in this video. I think it was the Stingray that was made in the 60s.
It’s so much easier to get into the stingray sits down low this car the steering wheel sits down low in reference to the sea there isn’t a whole Lotta room to get in the door doesn’t like to stay open on either side and it doesn’t open up wide enough it’s very MG in a lot of regards
It’s a tight car if the top was on it I don’t think it would be possible to get in it’s tighter than a 55 or 56 Thunderbird the seat sits lower in the Thunderbird though.. The worst 1950s car that I’ve ever been in 1955 Goldwing Mercedes the car is by far the hardest part to get in and out of this is a really close second.. so far 55-56 thunderbird is third
Funky sports car things about it.
Also just a bit funky with the design engineering.
Slow Down, The Beatles.
You got that song =) tried to sing it without sounded to much like Lennon lol
@@What.its.like.
😂😂😂😂
Yeah, you did good.
Cool video. I love all Corvettes, so this program was special to me. I am an ordinary, middle class Joe, and have never owned Vette. But an American sports car? Who's not going to love that? Please hang in there and keep the videos coming. You do good work!
Thank you I plan on it here for the long haul.. =) we are just getting started what cars would you like to see featured
The very first show I saw of your Jay, you were covering an old truck, and that made me subscribe. Nobody covers the everyday driver of way back. So keep them coming.
Plan on hitting them all so many cool cars outside the usual. So many lost in the shuffle classic cars glad you dig the channel
There was an early 50's Studebaker that reminded me of a Fleet submarine that you saw at the opening of the TV series "The Silent Service".
Look at the grill nose and headlights.
What was the year and model of studebaker?
@@What.its.like. 1950 - 1951 Studebaker Champion
With a bullet nose.. i’ve been looking for one to do on this channel I heard they get up to 32 miles to the gallon on the highway with a flat head six i’m not sure off the top of my head which one but one of those years the dashboard curves and it looks awesome.. I haven’t seen one yet this year I would’ve asked the person hey can I do that car for my CZcams car channel.. I’ve been looking for a lot of Studebaker’s Studebaker is a really cool super underrated car company
A few years ago, I worked a Leake Auto Auction in Dallas, through the Classic Chassis Car Club. I got to drive a Polo White w/Sportsman Red Interior '54 onto the stage turntable and back down the auction ramp. I'm 6 feet 180lbs with long arms, legs, and size 14-Medium feet.
The steering wheel felt like it was almost resting in my lap and I noticed that the top of my head was taller than the windshield frame. No sun visors so you'd better be wearing glasses or shades on the road. No exterior door handle so no way to secure the car from theft. That means a disabling alarm and a CLUB. Leaky side curtains instead of roll up windows.
Yet give me a '54 Pennant 💙 with tan interior 6 cylinder, or the same color '55 w/V8 and I'd be in heaven. Aftermarket tinted, auxiliary, plexiglass hardtops are available for them. It would be just like driving a Motorama Dream Car.
I ❤️ cars and own a '96 Collectors Edition Corvette Convertible with the auxiliary removable hardtop. Her name is Dreama because I dreamed of owning a Corvette since I was a little boy.
If I can't look at a car without a stupid grin and thoughts of a road trip, I'm hooked and willing to put up with a few inconveniences just for the experience.
You've got a wonderful non snobbish channel and I'm enjoying my subscription. 👍🏾
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the 54 corvette.. believe it or not I’ve been called a snob which I find very funny because I’m not into snobby car makes like Mercedes bmw Land Rover.. I absolutely love the lost forgotten off the beaten path classic cars from brands that don’t exist anymore.
=) welcome to the channel
Just discovered your channel today. I really enjoy your enthusiasm. It was the Lincoln Continental Mark series video that popped up and grabbed me first. I really like this Corvette, but if I'd lived in the 1950s, I would've tried to stuff at least a 3-speed manual in it. Folks back then... and now ... preferred boring automatics. They would've sold even fewer if these had only manual gearboxes. It's amazing that people back then could have cars that didn't need door locks or even door handles. Anyway...I'm gonna work my way through all your other videos now. Aloha!
Welcome to the channel i’m so glad you dig it =) I saw a really cool car today it should be up hopefully either tonight or tomorrow we almost did 100 episodes so far I have a really cool episode plan for the hundredth episode it’s just getting all the parts and pieces together to make it happen it’s going to be a totally different episode did the mini documentaries still very call still car Oriented but I’ve been planning this for a while
@@What.its.like. All right! Looking forward to seeing your next automobile of interest (AOI? 😆)!
Nice Corvette
they actually had two Chevy Corvettes they had a polo white one which sold and then they have this one.
I like the looks of the 1953-1954.
My all rime favorite car is one i bought by chance. I moved from wisconsin to florida in 1985. I found for sale a 1965 Buick skylark 2 door hardtop. I bought and used this car for my every day driver.
That’s awesome do you still have the car =)
For years wanted a Vet, then finally sat in one, couldn't set up straight, now have to come up with some other dream car
I’m interested to see what a kaiser darrin and Nash Healy is like
Nicely done.
Cool car, looks good in the pennant blue, although when I picture this model in my head it's always in white. I always liked the '58-'62 models best. I appreciate those as well as this model in the scope of style, but would probably not feel that comfortable in riding in any of them, they just seem way too confining. If I had lived in that time in the early '60s and could afford an expensive sports car, I probably would choose the two-door Mercedes of that era, they look like they would be more comfortable, but maybe not.
Long time ago I was in a 55 Goldwing Mercedes that is honestly the hardest car from the 1950s to get into this vette is a real close second it’s not comfortable to be 100% honest I shot the Thunderbirds video right after I shot this video same day.. that’s when I had the idea which show how to get in these cars which I should’ve went back and did it with a Corvette but I didn’t because I ran out of time, as well as storage space. I have a few more cars in the pipeline so to speak but as soon as those cars are over moving forward I’m gonna show how to get into every single car because that’s the perception that nobody else shows
It makes you wonder why the baby birds (55-57) sold way more than the Corvettes. Chevy was late to the party with REAL power when in 55 you could get a 265 cubed V-8, and that was an option! the 235 was still the standard. The Corvette logo on the side had an oversize "V" to denote the V-8 powerplant.
There’s more room in a 55 bird bird steering wheels in a weird position in the vette. Oh man you just gave me a stellar idea I’m going back to JK actually I’m about to leave now I can do it this versus that episode with the Corvette versus the Thunderbird but the sun they have a 56 Thunderbird there but it’s being worked on..
Both cars are hard to get into but I think the Corvette is worse than the Thunderbird and the seating position isn’t comfortable at all and where the steering wheel is it’s almost in your chest.. I think the Corvette was more money didn’t have exterior doorhandles or rollup windows and in the very beginning they weren’t received really well.. Chevy made a new factory in St. Louis Missouri I had this in my notes but I couldn’t find a place after the fact of editing I couldn’t find a good place to put it so I just left it out I will hit it when I do the 53 as a comparison number production video.. anyway Chevy thought the demand would be 10,000 units a year, they made 300 in 53, 3046 in 54 which was more than 10 times the amount and 53 but only a third of what they wanted to produce.
I’ve never been in a Jaguar XK 120 but I would probably take that car over the vette and thunderbird The XK120 is down right sexy
Sidenote I really really want to do a Nash Healy.. they are overlooked underrated car that should have been on the underrated episode.
The 1953-54 BelAir cars with Powerglide had these Blue Flame engines. If I remember correctly.
Yeah and one had to pay for the transmission.. $178 option.. that’s crazy
@@What.its.like. With the BelAir you have a choice of either manual transmission which was standard or you could pay extra for the automatic transmission. But with the Corvette you had only one transmission and you had to pay extra for it. I agree that it was crazy. Did they later on correct that issue? And if so, when? I tried to look up the one button or knob that you couldn’t identify but I couldn’t find it. It might have been for the windshield wipers and washers. Just a guess. 🤔btw. Scotty Kilmer had a video where he said that the Corvette plant in Kentucky is having trouble getting qualified workers to build the Corvettes. This video is just a couple days old.
I watch Scotty Kilmer he has a lot click bait titles.. I don’t know why they didnt show that dash board in an add. Chevy had some beautiful ads around that time. That usually lay everything out with this car doesn’t but I would have to agree one of those switches have to be the wipers and their vacuum operated
Did you like the Duke of Earl part that’s me singing it =)
Blue flame inline 6cyl with three one bbl carburetor 1Y Carters.
I always liked Corvettes. They are just to "low" and hard to get in for me (most models) 1954 was an interesting year. Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea came out that year & Disneyland was under construction the same year to open in '55. Both the film & park used Fiberglass. Disneyland also used aluminum in its construction especially in Tomorrowland. While aluminum had been out for a while fiber was still new. The 76 foot tall display rocket would creak and groin as it expanded and contracted in the California sun. Autopia cars kinda looked like Corvettes too (1971 versions)
Low an understatement on sits in the car low not as low as a MGA but still low
@@What.its.like. You know, many adult-sized people fit nicely and comfortably in an MGA. An average sized guy like me had no problems getting in and out of the MGA. A 6-foot + friend of mine loved them and restored a bunch of them in the '70's.
Oh, the windshields in sports cars had long been called windscreens. Because of their design, they directed wind up and over the car, ensuring that even a tall person wouldn't normally get bugs in the teeth.
Not my favorite car ... but as always, I very much enjoy your humor and information -Your reviews are fun to watch ... regardless of the car Thanks
To be fair it’s not my favorite car either I think they’re fastly overrated for what they are.. and all of the shortcomings and problems that they had I would take the Jaguar XK 120 over this in a heartbeat and I’ve never been in one of those I’ve seen many of them and they’re one of the most gorgeous cars in the 1950s 50s Alfa looks nice too
That knob to the left of the steering column is for the choke, thus the "C" in the center of the knob. I imagine that the knob or the cable can twist/rotate, which would explain why the "C" is backwards in this video.
Thank you so much, I still can’t get over the fact that they don’t have anything explaining the dashboard anywhere.. it’s sort of like the jaguar XKE I went to a Facebook Jaguar group and ask them what the different buttons did.. and the answers I got where, those are for the smoke screen, ejection seats, cloak all those answers.
Hey Jay, the early Corvette is a true icon but like the early Thunderbird it's not that comfortable!!!
This particular Corvette is spectacular!!! It looks like a brand new car!!! Thanks for sharing another informative video!!! 👍👍
Yeah that one looks super sweet they have a 2021 C7 stingray that I really want to do for the channel it’s been there the whole time that I’ve shot videos at John Kufleitner‘s Place bigger taxi one I thought it would be cool to do a contrast video between the C1 and the C7 =)
Love the headlamps, engine, dashboard & those sexy dual exhaust pipes. Wonder if people were THAT MUCH shorter in 1954?
I was thinking the same thing when I was trying to get in the car this car is designed by Harley Earl and I think earl was a big guy and he fit in the car somehow
John Wayne was given one and couldn't fit in it.
@@wil7228 WHOA! Probably Roy Campanella, Gary Cooper and Charles DeGaulle wouldn't fit either.
My biggest gripe with the early Corvette as well with the early Thunderbird is you sacrifice everything to have that sports car image the Thunderbird 5556 isn’t comfortable driving with the top on if you’re tall the 54 Corvette would be impossible to get in with the top on if you’re over 6 foot tall.. also the door does not open up that far on the Corvette so if you’re a little bit bigger in your midsection you’re not getting in unless you shoehorn yourself in the car the biggest gripe I have is that $100,000 car that you have to make a lot of compromises for and they wasn’t perfect from the factory they leak from what I read from the factory so you’re paying $100,000 cost.. for a car that isn’t comfortable to drive is it very fast the best sports car that I’ve ever been in from the 50s was the Studebaker golden hawk that is the car that I would pick.. I really wanna drive one I wanna know what it’s like because I’ve driven a Thunderbird I haven’t driven a Corvette I don’t really wanna drive the Corvette.
@@What.its.like. You're right on the Golden Hawk. Distant cousins had one when I was in first grade & fell in love with them at that time.
John Wayne was given the first Corvette to be in private hands by Chevrolet. The special Corvette camshafts were given the designation "Duntov" for the name of the man considered the father of the Corvette, Zora Arkus Duntov. Duntov camshafts followed the Corvette well into it's history. This 'brand" of camshaft was a favorite of hotrodders for decades.
The original Corvette was pretty lackluster with it's regular 1953 Chevy suspension and hampered by the Powerglide automatic.
The Nash-Healey was a much better car and a better value(plus a true sports car). How could anyone go wrong having the car that Clark Kent/Superman drove(the car on the show was actually his car). Sure beats the Lois Lane Nash convertible he was also seen driving.
A word on the original Jaguar XK 120/140/150. The numbers were an indication of the car(s) top speed. These were also a better car and value as they were the crowned epitome of a sports car.
Thanks for another great video.
Yeah I was gonna add that part in there but I wanted to make sure I was correct before it said it about the XK 120 XK 140 XK 150 topSpeed I love the design of those they’re absolutely gorgeous I’ve never been in one I’ve seen a bunch of them but it’s been a while to be honest I never saw a hardtop or the coupe model I should say
Nash Healy should have been on the list underrated 50s cars but I didn’t want that list to become a Nash/amc list
Thank you again for sharing all that information I really appreciate it =)
There is a white knob between the seats, which I assume is the gear selector. Other than that, another stellar review! Being a six-footer myself, I appreciate your commentary on ingress, egress, seat position, and steering wheel clearance, as well as the likelihood of losing your head should disaster befall you on a joyride. It's a beautiful, albeit impractical and uncomfortable piece of automotive history. Thanks for taking us along to the Ali Baba's Cave of Wonders that is Kufleitner's!
Darn it I totally forgot to show the shifter I knew I was forgetting something thank you so much for pointing that out there’s lots of different videos and edit everything on an iPad Pro but when it gets uploaded to the iPad Pro they’re not in order so then you have to go find them, that’s one of my favorite things to show is the different perceptions or perspectives that no one else shows... =)
killer!
The "C" makes me think it could be the choke
Yes thank you for that =)
I wonder if your mystery knob on the driver's side might be a 'hand throttle' which is basically predecessor to cruise control it was quite popular at times. Most early cars had them(cars that were capable of being hand cranked), I don't know when the last vehicles offered them but Ford Broncos had it as a option in the early 70's with the 302 engine.
I love the hand throttle feature. I can’t believe nothing was really labeled and couldn’t find a diagram Which is weird because a lot of 50s cars had Illustrations of what buttons did what
@@What.its.like. I like the idea of a hand throttle also I grew up around tractors and they kinda always made sense to me, I wonder if the lack of marking the controls was there version of 'European sleak design '
Hint: You're a bigger guy - 1955 Department of Agriculture study had the highest average height, 69.6 inches 0r 5'8" so about 1/2 the population was under 5'8"
Yeah I know people were smaller than totally agree
@@What.its.like. , 👍
You skipped one big thing, the transmission shifter.
I might do a comparison video with this car I will not skip the shift for the second time =)
The 1954 Corvette is not appealing to me. Because I'm a tall person. If, only it was built for everyone? That Corvette is a beautiful car. Although, I've got the same problem with purchasing clothing.
I have the same problem trying to find dress shirts I have really long arms in a long torso so I totally know where you’re coming from
Answering: What is the lever next to the headlight switch? The knob is marked with a "C." That means, Choke. Manual Choke.
I'm curious as to what is the Counter displayed in the Tach for. It looks like an odometer but that's in the speedometer. I'm wondering if it counts Engine Hours.
Something interesting, is the formation in the white metal trim above the door saddle pockets. It appears that a light bulb would be embedded there to shine into the pockets.
The interior of this car is definitely sized for small people. I was surprised at how jammed-in you were, Jay. And it looked like your knees would have to be very bent to work the pedals.
I don't know why there were complaints about the power, unless they came a few years later when the '55 V-8 Corvette hit the market. While I don't know what the axel ratio is on the '53s, from what I'm seeing and compared to the curb weight, this had to be a snappy little car. And particularly so given the regular '53 Chevy's weighed more and had the same engine with a single carb. My parents had a '53 Chevy 210 two-door when I was a little kid and I know that moved along OK because my dad wouldn't put up with poky cars. Another consideration is the overall low power output for the majority of cars back then. Cars with V-8 engines were uncommon in the price range of the '53 Corvette. The only ones I'm thinking of would be the V-8 Fords, Oldsmobile, and the Hemi cars from Chrysler, all of them heavier cars. Bear in mind the Ford V-8s were about 100 HP, and here's the '53 Corvette with 150 HP. As well, other than the Jaguar, the European cars were 4-cylinder and known for superior handling, not power. So, I just don't see how the Corvette could be a disappointment even worth mentioning.
Thanks for the coverage here, Jay. Good job. I've never seen the compartment for the convertible top, and I didn't know about the rather wild looking expansion tank for the radiator.
It wouldn’t be a fun car to drive for somebody as tall as me that’s for sure..
Thank you so much for all of that added information I really appreciate it =)
I still think it’s these Corvettes are super overrated for what they are.. six figures for car you can barely fit in I wanna do a Nash Healy pretty bad I wanna see what that’s like
I honestly didn’t see the C on the control if I did I would know that that was for the choke. It was my fault I didn’t look at it close enough
@@What.its.like. Thanks, Jay. I sat in a Nash-Healy a few years back. It's bigger inside than the '53 Corvette. It had a bench seat too. I'm small boned so I wasn't paying attention to whether big/tall people could fit in OK.
i BELIEVE THAT ZORA ARKUS DUNTOV IS THE REAL FATHER OF THE CORVETTE
They both are Harley earl designed it tho
MY FIRST CORVETTE WAS A C1 1962 IN CANDY APPLE RED AND BLACK INTERIOR WHITE TOP . .IT HAD THE DUNTOV 327 CU IN 340 HP VERSION OF THE NEW 327 WITH 4 SPEED POSI-TRACTION TRACTION MASTERS. IT TOOK 4 MONTHS TO BE MADE FROM AUG. TO DEC 1ST OF 1961 TO DELIVERY. THE PAINT JOB WAS HORRIBLE AS WAS THE FIBERGLASS BODY WORK .IT HAS SO MANY RIPPLES AND OVER SPRAY IT WAS TERRIBLE IT WAS MADE IN THE ST LOUIS CHEVY PLANT. ITS ENGINE TORQUE WAS SO STRONG OT WOULD STAY IN GEAR ON FULL THROTTLE . I REPLACE THE TINY PLASTIC SHIFT KNOB WITH A HEAVY CHROME BALL WEIGHT A LB. THAT WORKED .I ALSO HAD A 1863 COUPE NO ONE LIKED AND I SOLD IT AND BOUGHT THE ROADSTER AND BY THE WAY WE CALLED THE SOFT-TOP A ROADSTER SO EVERYONE CAN SHUT UP ABOUT IT. YOU ALSO BECAME A MEMBER THE CORVETTE CLUB OF AMERICA WITH THE PURCHASE .
Great story thank you so much for sharing and adding the information as well =)
Driving the Vette wasn't an option?
It might be that’s a high dollar car.. I do video work for jkgalleria if I get the chance to drive it I’ll make it into a short... video and post on the Facebook group.. they were going to sell that car it’s so nice the owner decided to keep that one
Lmao ! You make that car look like a clown car !
Crazy thing is is I’m not even that really big of a guy.. that’s how small this car is inside
@@What.its.like. When I was a teenager I was at the Chevy dealership where my dad worked as a mechanic, and at the time they had a Corvette in the showroom. I tried to sit in it and I almost needed a shoehorn to get in and out of the car. And as a teenager I wasn’t very big. The corvette was a later model than the one featured in this video. I think it was the Stingray that was made in the 60s.
It’s so much easier to get into the stingray sits down low this car the steering wheel sits down low in reference to the sea there isn’t a whole Lotta room to get in the door doesn’t like to stay open on either side and it doesn’t open up wide enough it’s very MG in a lot of regards
@@What.its.like. As much difficulty I had getting into the Stingray, I probably would have even more trying to get into the car in the video.
It’s a tight car if the top was on it I don’t think it would be possible to get in it’s tighter than a 55 or 56 Thunderbird the seat sits lower in the Thunderbird though..
The worst 1950s car that I’ve ever been in 1955 Goldwing Mercedes the car is by far the hardest part to get in and out of this is a really close second.. so far 55-56 thunderbird is third