Next up in our Countdown to Monterey series is this 1953 Corvette Roadster from the estate of noted collector John O’Quinn. O’Quinn died in a traffic accident and RM Auctions has been charged with liquidating much of his collection which includes several unique and rare Corvettes. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a quality first year Corvette at an auction, but RM Auctions is sure to have a winner with Lot #239, this stunning 1953 Corvette Roadster #199.

It was fifty-seven years ago today that the first Corvettes rolled off a temporary assembly line in Flint, Michigan and into the hearts and dreams of Americans. By the end of the year, 300 of the Polo White with Sportsman Red interior Corvettes were produced making Corvette the first mass-production car to use body panels made from fiberglass.

Fifty-six years ago today, the very first production Corvettes were completed and rolled off a temporary assembly line at Chevrolet's Customer Delivery Center in Flint, Michigan. All the Corvettes were hand-built and for the first time in a mass produced vehicle, a revolutionary material called fiberglass was used instead of steel to make the body panels.

It was Fifty-seven years ago today that thousands of Americans gathered at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City to catch a glimpse of Chevrolet's new two-seater sports car. The EX-122 concept was such an instant hit with the public that GM rushed into production the revolutionary fiberglass-bodied car. Six months later, the first Corvette was completed at a makeshift assembly plant in Flint, Michigan.

A matched set of Corvettes were sold this weekend by RM Auctions. Included in the set were a 1953 Corvette, a 2003 50th Anniversary Corvette and a commemorative 1953 Corvette Pedal Car. What makes this package unique is the serial numbers for each of the three cars was #39. The Corvettes were sold to Proteam Corvette for $390,500.

1953 Corvettes continue to fetch big money at collector car auctions around the country. Over the weekend, a 1953 Corvette hit the auction block at Hilton Head's Concourse d'Elegance and sold for $440,000, a figure that ties the high price set earlier this year for the first year mark at the McMullen auction in Detroit.

Fifty-six years ago on January 17, 1953 the American public was introduced to the Chevrolet Corvette concept car at the largest car show of the time, General Motors' Motorama. Held at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the show attracted over 45,000 people on opening day.

The original body from the #002 Corvette may have been located. Many modifications and oddities about the early Corvette body appear to be consistent with records showing that body #002 served as a test car for production Corvettes

A 1953 Corvette that was part of the McMullen Collection was auctioned on Saturday for an astounding $440,000 which includes the 10% buyers commission. The Bloomington Gold certified car was chassis number 157 out of 300. The price was much higher than the $125,000-$175,000 estimate listed on RM Auction's website.