<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"      1959 CHEVROLET CORVETTE      SPECIFICATIONS      List price     $4017       Curb weight     3020       Test weight     3370       Distribution, %     53/47       Dimensions, length     178       Width     72.8       Height     51       Wheelbase     102       Tread, f and r     57/59       Tire size     6.70-15       Brake lining area     121.5       Steering, lock to lock     3.2       Turn radius, ft.     37       Engine type     V-8 cyl, ohv       Bore &amp;amp;amp; stroke     3.875 x 3       Displacement, cu in     283       Displacement, cc     4639       Compression ratio     10.5       Bhp @ 6200     290 @ 6200       Equivalent mph     122       Torque, lb-ft     290 @ 4400       Equivalent mph     86.5      GEAR RATIOS      0/d (n.a.), overall       4th (1.00)     4.11       3rd (1.31)     5.38       2nd (1.66)     6.82       1st (2.20)     9.04      CALCULATED DATA      Lb/hp (test wt)     11.62       Cu ft/ton mile     148.6       Mph/1000 rph (4th)     19.6       Engine revs/mile     3050       Piston travel, ft/mile     1525       Equivalent mph     98.4       R&amp;amp;amp;T wear index     46.5      PERFORMANCE      Top speed (6500), mph     128       best timed run     n.a.       3rd (6500)     98       2nd (6500)     77       1st (6500)     58      FUEL CONSUMPTION      Normal range, mpg     11/17      ACCELERATION      0-30 mph, sec     3.1       0-40 mph     4.2       0-50 mph     5.1       0-60 mph     6.6       0-70 mph     7.5       0-80 mph     10.0       0-90 mph     12.2       0-100 mph     15.5       Standing 1/4 mile     14.5       speed at end, mph     96      TAPLEY DATA      4th, lb/ton @ mph     360 @ 75       3rd     475 @ 70       2nd     575 @ 55       1st     off scale       Total drag at 60 mph, lb     135      SPEEDOMETER ERROR      Indicated     actual       30 mph     29.1       40 mph     38.3       50 mph     47.4       60 mph     57.0       70 mph     67.3       80 mph     76.5       90 mph     86.2       100 mph     96.0       is now entering the sixth year of production on its famous and highly respected . Since its introduction as the 1954 model, the car has changed so much that it is hard to think of it as the same make.   Body configuration and general styling were the same for the 1954-55 models and for the 1956 and 57&amp;#039;s. Now the 1959 version shares the body used on the 1958 Corvette.   The 1954 model was rather prosaic and had little to offer with the exception of being different from the other U.S.-built cars. Powered by a 6-cylinder engine that was essentially the same as the one introduced in the 1937 Chevrolet, the Corvette offered neither performance nor exceptional appearance. In 1955 the fiberglass-bodied car started to come alive when Chevrolet&amp;#039;s new V-8 engine was offered as an option.   In 1957 the performance potential was given a real boost when fuel injection and a 4-speed, all-synchromesh transmission were made available. A heavy-duty suspension kit (developed at the request of competition-minded enthusiasts) included stiffer springs, dampers and improved brakes. These were all retained for 1958, and the commercial artists inflicted quad headlights and fake hood louvers on the only production sports car built in the U.S.   The new car will not necessarily make owners of the 1958 Corvette rush out to buy a new one, but a few worthwhile changes have been made.   Looks, while not the most important factor to consider, are certainly the first thing noticed about any car. The appearance of the 1959 Corvette has been improved by the simple expedient of removing the phony hood louvers and the two useless chrome bars from the deck lid.   Inside, the most significant change, and one of the only two that are noticeable, is in the seats. These have been redesigned and are among the most comfortable seats in any car, sports or otherwise. They quite adequately do the job of holding driver and passenger comfortably in place during all but the most violent action. We do feel, though, that safety belts would be desirable if much hard driving is to be done.   The second obvious change in the interior is the addition of a fiberglass package tray under the passenger&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;grab rail.&amp;quot; This tray serves in the usual glove compartment capacity as a catch-all for odd bits of useless detritus and in this case (if the top is down), leaves, dust and possibly rain water.   This package tray is the first item that should be removed from a Corvette, as this badly placed receptacle also presents a safety hazard to the passenger&amp;#039;s knees. The second item to be removed would be the grab rail itself: the thinly padded bar would probably do more harm than good in most cases.   We were fortunate, through the efforts of Steve Mason, to be able to use the facilities of Riverside Raceway to conduct the Corvette test. Frank Milne of Harry Mann Chevrolet (who furnished the test car) accompanied our test crew to the site and assisted in assembling the data.   The first item on the check list, and one on which all results would hinge, was speedometer error. The mile-long straight at Riverside has a measured quarter and half mile which made this check simple and quick to perform. After taking the readings in 10-mile increments from 30 to 100 mile per hour we discovered the error to be about average for most cars tested, with the maximum error of 4 mph indicated at 100 mph.   Tapley readings, as can be seen in the data panel, were somewhat lower than those obtained with a similarly equipped 1957 Corvette (Road &amp;amp;amp; Track, (August 1957). The subsequent acceleration tests indicated the newer car to be somewhat slower getting off the starting line, but the figures improved as the upper speed ranges were reached. This could be explained by the additional weight of the 1959 model and by the newness of the car (it had less than 500 miles on the odometer) when we took it out for the test.   Starts were brisk but made with very little wheelspin, due to the efforts of the Positraction rear end, causing the engine to bog down just off the line. The first 20 yards were not very impressive as the engine struggled to overcome the lack of low-speed torque.   This is not to imply that the Corvette does not have torque. It does, but with a combination of peak torque at 4400 revolutions per minute and peak horsepower at 6200 rpm, it does have a lag before the engine really gets to work. This initial hesitation can be seen on the acceleration graph.   The 4-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox is still one of the smoothest-working units it has been our pleasure to use. (It is now optional on all Chevrolet V-8&amp;#039;s.) The lever is placed at just the right location for driver convenience, and shifts, either up or down, can be made quickly and easily at any speed within engine limits. The main factor to consider in downshifting is the possibility of over-revving the engine in the process.   A new feature this year is a positive lock-out for reverse gear. This simple pull handle on the gearshift lever can be actuated by the first two fingers of the right hand as it rests on the shift knob.   Weight distribution of the car had shown 53% of the weight to be on the front wheels with one person in the car, but in spite of the nose-heavy attitude there was a marked tendency to oversteer. It was found with a little practice that a drift, once set up, could be maintained with little effort by dextrous manipulation of the throttle and steering wheel. The abundance of horsepower at the driver&amp;#039;s command and adequately quick steering helped somewhat, too.   The test car was equipped with the optional suspension (stiffer springs and dampers) which contributed to the ability to negotiate curves at maximum speed. Also installed on the car as part of the suspension kit was the racing brake set-up which includes Cerametalix lining, finned drums and air ducts for additional cooling. The brakes proved completely satisfactory during the test, with no fade being evident, and brought the car down from high speed in a straight line on every application.   The Cerametalix lining is not as effective when cold as it is when hot, and after the test was completed the lining squeaked when the brakes were applied. In spite of these minor annoyances, the brake kit is to be recommended for anyone contemplating fast driving with a Corvette and is an absolute necessity for competition work.   Driving this course at high speeds also confirmed our earlier opinion of one definite advantage of fuel injection. It is claimed by many Corvette enthusiasts that a Corvette equipped with dual 4-barrel carburetors will outperform the FI model at the upper end. This may or may not be true, but the fuel injection has it all over carburetors for throttle response and lack of sensitivity to motion. There is no flooding or starving on hard cornering with fuel injection.   Taking everything into consideration, the Corvette is a pretty good car. It probably has more performance per dollar than anything you could buy and parts are obtainable without sending to Italy, Germany or England.   The changes to the car in the last six model years are not so great as we think will come about in 1960. We predict that this will be the year of the big changes for Corvette, and most of them for the better. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/reviews/a9779/1959-chevrolet-corvette/>