Incredible Restomod 1954 Corvette Features LS3 Power

With modern V8 power, four-wheel disc brakes, and air conditioning, this is a far cry from the original.

The earliest Corvettes — 1953 through 1955 — are most often seen in painstakingly restored, museum-quality condition. At this point, each one is a bona fide collector’s item and an important piece of Corvette history.

It’s not often that we see these cars modified. When they pop up, we take notice. This gorgeous 1954 Corvette, offered for sale by Garage Kept Motors in Grand Rapids, Michigan, caught our attention and made us do a double-take.

The beautiful cherry red metallic paint was the first thing to catch our eye. That’s certainly not a standard color, and the polished American Racing Torq Thrust-style wheels are also a far cry from the original steel wheels.

Behind those wheels, you’ll see disc brakes at all four corners, with drilled and slotted rotors. It’s painfully obvious at this point that this is not your everyday, ordinary 1954 Corvette — if there even is such a thing as an “everyday, ordinary 1954 Corvette.”

Under the narrow fiberglass hood is where things get really interesting. There, you’ll find a 6.2 liter LS3 V8, good for over 400 horsepower in stock trim. As you know, this engine comes in crate form, in a few variants. It’s entirely possible that this classic Corvette is making closer to 500 horsepower.

The LS3 sends those ponies through a Tremec five-speed manual transmission. That’s a far cry from the 150 horsepower Blue Fame inline-six and Powerglide automatic found in most 1954 Corvettes.

Corvettes were originally designed to compete with simple, stripped-down European roadsters. Early Corvettes like this didn’t have actual side windows. Owners simply snapped clear plastic side curtains in place with the top. It offers some degree of weather protection, but not much.

Despite that fact, this Corvette also has air conditioning. It’s clear that the builders thought of everything when they created this custom Corvette. In fact, the car sits on top of a brand new, mandrel-bent frame from Street Shop. Given the massive power of the new LS3, that extra rigidity is a very good thing.

Photos: Garage Kept Motors

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