12-15-09:

David K. Elie purchased 1953 Corvette #276 in July 1957. David purchased the car from Wiseman's Auto Brokers in Seattle, paying $1800 for the car plus $76 more in taxes . David owned 1953 #276 from 1957 to 2007. Mr. Elie drove the car everywhere - including many ski trips. The car currently existed much as it did in the late 60s to early 70s.

David was a Corvette enthusiast, and took many pictures of his 1953 Corvette. David also saved a fair amount of documents and memorabilia related to the car. David's wife very generously gave me the history related to the car. Thus, 1953 #276 has a well-documented history. A history that will hopefully remain with the car well into the future.

This might be the highest mileage 1953 Corvette. David told Corvette News that #276 had 270,000 miles on it as of July1969. I believe the car currently has about 320,000 miles on it. The car is still a reliable driver - I have put about 2600 miles on the #276 in the last 6 months.

The car is very original in many respects. While the original drivetrain is long gone, the interior is very original (in terms of paint, seats, panels, knobs and gauges). The body appears to be unhit, and the frame is in terrific condition.

David Elie upgraded the car for performance in many respects - the car has a 261 block engine that generates about 190hp. The engine is mated to a Corvette 4 speed transmission. Very fun to drive. And to make driving enjoyable, the car has a 4 track tape player that plays thru the original Woonderbar radio and speaker.

To see the complete history of 53 #276: http://www.earlycorvettes.com/linda/my53.html