A styling prototype of the original Chevrolet Corvette is seeing the light of day for the first time since disappearing in the 1950s.
In a YouTube video, Jerry Heasley takes us through the history and restoration of S.O. 2151, a prototype C1 Corvette that was used to present different design features to executives at GM.
The prototype is actually two cars, and started life as EX-129, a yellow car that traveled the Motorama tour with other Corvette prototypes such as the Nomad and Corvair. In 1954, the body was modified by stylists at GM, and given the name S.O. 2151. S.O. stands for Shop Order, which was an internal designation that GM used for engineering prototypes that would be used for future design proposals.
The car features unique touches that would later make their way to production Corvettes, such as the exhaust pipes through the rear panels, and the side gills that would eventually show up on the 1965 C2 Corvette. However, several features such as the “Corvair” style rear trunk, 55 Bel Air grille, and non-functional hood scoop would be left on the cutting room floor.
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The left and right sides of the prototype were actually different to give the executives a choice over which styling elements they preferred. On the left side, the gills were chrome, while on the right they were painted. The headlights also featured different covers, and the “Corvette” script was higher up on the door on the passenger’s side vs the driver’s side.
After GM was finished with it, S.O. 2151 disappeared from public view and wasn’t seen again until 1975, when it came up for sale in the classified section of Hemmings Motor News. It was purchased by a man named George Campbell, but was shunted around for a few years until 2015 when he took it to Billy Jay to have it restored.
The first 15 Corvettes featured a one-piece fiberglass body, but that was replaced with a two-piece body after they were found to crack on the rear quarter panel. S.O. 2151 still has its original one-piece body, which was important in authenticating it.
Jay carefully removed every piece from the car and was able to reuse most of the original parts. Although Jay was more of a Ford guy, his excellent workmanship and attention to detail made him the perfect man for the job.
Any original piece that was missing had to be fabricated from scratch, including the hood scoop, side vents, and the rear grille which featured hundreds of small Chevrolet “bowties”. The restoration took about 5 years to complete, starting in 2015 and ending in 2020.
