The Unfortunate 1958 Corvette Facelift

Not all facelifts are disappointing, though back in the 1950s American stylists had a rule-of-thumb that the initial design was the most "pure" and its facelifts were usually aesthetically less satisfying.

In my case, a particularly disappointing facelift was that of the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette.  As this Wikipedia entry mentions regarding what now is called the C1 Corvette, 1956 Corvettes received a new body with such amenities as rollup windows.  I liked the design, and still do.  Corvettes for 1957 were essentially identical so far as styling is concerned.

The came the 1958 facelift.  Its most distinctive feature was the addition of the now-de rigueur quad headlights.  That, along with some other details, ruined the design so far as I was (and am) concerned.  The car's feeling changed from comparatively lithe to wide and sluggish ... not a good thing for a sports car.  On the other hand, the '58s outsold the 1956 and '57 models, perhaps due to mechanical improvements.  Or maybe because of the facelift: General Motors cars were quite garish that model year, making the Corvette's design acceptable for potential buyers.

Corvette wheelbase was constant at 103 inches (2600 mm) over the period.  But length grew from 168 inches (4300 mm) in 1956-57 to 177.2 in. (4500 mm) for 1958, and width increased from 70.5 in. (1790 mm) to 72.8 in. (1850 mm).

For each viewpoint in the Gallery below, a 1956 Corvette is shown first, followed by an image of a 1958 model.  Photos are mostly via Mecum Auctions, but two are of cars advertised for sale.

Gallery

The 1956 design preserved the character of the original Corvette design, including the grille, fenderline curves, and windshield.  New details were the conventionally-mounted headlights and the concave side panel (that added interest).

The major change in the '58 facelift was the front end.  Its appearance is heavy and busy.

The front shown head-on.  Those dark side features and the grille outline merge to a broad, flattened-oval  shape.  This creates added visual width.  Also, their shapes are very close to the headlight assemblies and the sculpting aft of them.  The result is two small-zones of visual confusion.

The cars are nearly the same when viewed from the side.  The '58 had a wraparound rear bumper and what appears to be a fake air outlet in the forward area of the concave feature.

The 1958 car's rear sports a bolder, more functional bumper along with non-functional chrome strips on the trunk.