Everything You Should Know About The Corvette Blue Flame Six Engine

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The Blue Flame-powered Corvette is an overseas section from nan model's history, and 1 that immoderate enthusiasts would astir apt for illustration to ignore, arsenic for decades it wasn't celebrated successful nan measurement that it is today. However, nan inline-six is very overmuch of paramount value to nan Corvette's creation story. Not to mention, how nan Corvette has evolved complete nan past 60 years, truthful so cannot simply beryllium brushed aside.

Despite only being offered for a fewer short years, location is an atrocious batch to study astir nan Blue Flame Corvette if you genuinely want to cognize everything, and truthful we've tried to condense arsenic overmuch of it arsenic we tin here. From unsocial tweaks required to move nan inline-six into a existent sports car engine, to values today, capacity specs of nan engine, and why it was yet made redundant. This portion explores nan creation, production, and demise of nan now incredibly sought aft and respected Blue Flame engine-powered C1 Corvettes.

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It mightiness look unusual to deliberation that Chevrolet launched nan Corvette pinch an inline-six, erstwhile a V8 exemplary would travel truthful soon after. However, revisiting nan timeline, it does make sense. For starters, nan Motorama Corvette displayed successful 1953 had garnered truthful overmuch excitement from nan nationalist that it was considered amended to motorboat nan car instantly alternatively than hold for a V8 to beryllium developed. Plus, astatine nan time, nan Jaguar XK120 was the fastest street-legal car to beryllium had anyplace successful nan world, and that sported a basking six too. So why would Chevy fig they had to re-invent nan instrumentality — surely an inline-six would beryllium conscionable arsenic successful successful its creation too?

Many different celebrated sports cars astatine nan clip were still making do pinch conscionable 4 cylinders, arsenic seen pinch nan MGA, and Triumph's TR2. A six-cylinder motor wasn't conscionable a 'make-do' action for Chevrolet, it was nan favored prime for sports cars astatine nan time. Pairing this pinch a lightweight fiberglass assemblage would person provided nan Corvette pinch capable capacity to return connected nan very best. So location really would person been nary logic arsenic to why Chevrolet would person turned distant from this action for its sparkling caller sports car successful nan early '50s.

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Upon launch, nan Blue Flame would guidelines retired arsenic nan only action disposable to buyers of all-new Chevy Corvettes successful 1953, paired pinch a soft two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. It was powerful, modern, and nan point looked cooler than thing other successful showrooms astatine nan time. Things progressed quickly for America's glistening caller star, though, arsenic nan presence of a small-block V8 upset nan Blue Flame pome cart somewhat for nan 1955 exemplary year. 

The V8 didn't instantly switch nan lesser-powered Blue Flame, but alternatively was poised arsenic an action alongside it. Due to nan fame of nan much powerful small-block, which powered nan mostly of nan 700 C1s produced for nan '55 exemplary year, Chevrolet made nan determination to driblet nan Blue Flame inline-six for nan 1956 model. In fact, of those 700, 693 were purchased pinch nan small-block nether nan hood, truthful it's safe to presume that this V8 was nan patient favorite pinch buyers of nan Corvette.

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The Corvette's Blue Flame motor was derived from a 235ci motor that was already successful usage passim overmuch of Chevrolet's scope astatine nan time. Although pinch an output of conscionable 115 horsepower, immoderate tweaks were needed successful bid to guarantee it was Corvette-ready. For reference, nan aforementioned XK120 — which was erstwhile nan fastest car successful nan world — was kicking retired 160 horsepower astatine nan time, and truthful Chevy needed to find a adjacent fewer horses earlier they were fresh to compete.

Changes to nan 235ci motor included aluminum pistons, a higher compression ratio of 8.0:1, a caller camshaft, and 3 horizontally mounted Carter carburetors, which utilized bullet-shaped aerial cleaners. Those carbs were mounted to an aluminum intake, and substance was fed via a mechanical double-action pump. The result? 150 horses — not overmuch by today's standards — but much than capable to do business backmost successful '53.

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A sleek body, affordable asking price, and a well-developed inline-six motor that could rival nan likes of Jaguar — why did nan Blue Flame-powered Corvette find itself redundant truthful quickly? The 265ci small-block V8 introduced successful 1954 did nan trick, arsenic this proudly boasted a overmuch much breathtaking output of 195 horsepower — almost a 33% summation supra and beyond what nan Blue Flame offered.

The preamble of said small-block V8 besides saw nan preamble of a three-speed manual transmission too. Whereas, nan Blue Flame models had only ever been offered pinch nan two-speed Powerglide automatic. The car wasn't needfully seen arsenic a bad thing, arsenic automatic transmissions were very overmuch cutting separator and very desired astatine nan time, but it became evident that driving enthusiasts still enjoyed nan action and power of a manual 'box. 

With a smaller output and nary action to statement nan gears for yourself, nan penning was connected nan wall for Chevy's Blue Flame really alternatively quickly. What's more, successful hindsight it's clear to spot nan Corvette was rushed into production, and those early iterations are considered by immoderate to beryllium alongside the worst sports cars ever made. The fitting of a bully ol' fashioned V8 helped to correct these wrongs, and nan Corvette hasn't looked backmost since.

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The Blue Flame motor is an absorbing section of nan Corvette's history, and a unsocial 1 too, being nan only six-cylinder motor to person ever featured nether nan hood of one. That's what made nan Blue Flame truthful special. Sure, location person agelong been rumors that a V6 Corvette whitethorn travel to nan table, and successful today's world of electrification and downsizing, possibly we are only a procreation distant from a hybridized six cylinder, appearing nether nan hood. 

However, arsenic it presently stands, if you'd for illustration to get down nan instrumentality of a six-cylinder Corvette, an early C1 is your only choice, and getting clasp of 1 isn't each that easy. Hagerty pegs a good-condition illustration astatine $186,000, which is capable to get clasp of immoderate C8 Corvette iteration, including nan 233-MPH ZR1. However, if it's a show-winner that takes your fancy, hole to practically double that budget, pinch Hagerty suggesting a $340,000 fund for specified an example.