Turquoise, turquoise, and more turquoise! The 1959 Corvette was the only Corvette ever produced with a soft top available in the color turquoise. Only 217 such soft tops were sold, making this version incredibly rare amidst a field of 9,670 1959 Corvettes. GM removed the hood louvers and trunk spears in 1959, but added the T-handled shifter to the four-speed, enabling a reverse lockout.

Black interior was first offered in 1959, and while 2,062 cars shipped with black, red interior was still the most popular, with 5,124 models equipped with red carpet and seating. 1,594 cars were painted Tuxedo Black. Roman Red was a close second, and was applied to 1,542 cars. The third most-ordered color in ’59 was the gorgeous shade of blue named “Frost Blue”.

The base model of the 1959 Corvette remained equipped with a 283ci carbureted engine which sent 230 horsepower to the rear wheels through a 3-speed manual transmission. The base price was $3,875, but the option sheet and list of performance enhancements was long. Today, an average 1959 Corvette sells for around $46,000.