Corvette, Legend or Myth & Zora’s Marque of Excellence, Vol IV
A Factual History, The “First Two” Corvettes
by Kenneth W. Kayser
“The five Corvettes under discussion embody a whopping sixteen different car number and name designations.”
The photo on the book’s cover, familiar to many, likely isn’t what it seems or has been touted to be. Ken Kayser has used GM’s own files and retained paperwork to establish that fact in the early pages of this book’s second chapter.
From that attention-grabber that the photos of the “roll-off of those first two Corvettes” isn’t what it seems, Kayser uses the next seven chapters to meticulously describe what transpired with those earliest 1953 Corvette test cars. Documenting and describing each iteration that the opening quote refers to can and does get complicated before Kayser reaches the next to last chapter. It opens with, “Who could have imagined the ‘First Two’ 1953 Corvette test cars . . . would both find their way out of the Chevrolet Motor Division, and age graciously to become septuagenarians.”
These documents and drawings all relate to Corvette planning and pre-production process.
Kayser acknowledges that the existence or non-existence of 1953 Corvettes “#001 and 002 is “an explosive and controversial subject,” adding “Corvette lore is much like religion!” Further he writes “I’ve mixed plausible conjecture in between the various known documented facts.” He concludes with a note to any Corvette enthusiast interested in reading his findings: “You, the reader, are entitled to all the known facts, not just a few with someone else’s interpretation or opinion. So, you be the judge and you decide.”
To date (this being the earliest days of 2026), Kayser has written and self-published at least five books each titled Corvette Legend Or Myth & Zora’s Marque of Excellence. They differ one from another by their subtitles.
- Volume I – The “Real Story” of the 1953 Corvette & Zora’s Passion (2018)
- Volume II – Zora’s Fabulous “Mid-Ship” Corvette History (2019)
- Volume III – The History of Zora’s “Ramjet” Fuel Injection (2019)
- Volume IV – A Factual History, The “First Two” Corvettes (2025)
- Volume V – The Single Most Important Production Corvette in History (2025)
These documents record results of a 750-mile test drive of a pre-production Corvette.
Kayser has also written and published another Corvette title, The History of GM’s Ramjet Fuel Injection on the Chevrolet V-8 and it’s [sic] Corvette Racing Pedigree (2007 & 2021) and one Buick title, Buick’s “Flint Flyers” Skylark & Gran Sport History; From GM’s ’53 Motorama Skylark Dream Car to the ’87 Turbocharged GNX (2021). All are published by Kayser’s Tachometer Publishing LLC.
Therein lies the source of some difficulty and/or confusion.
By all accounts Kenneth William Kayser was a fine career GM engine engineer. Since retiring there’s little doubt his passion for engines and Corvettes hasn’t dimmed. Nor has his access to internal GM documents. And most certainly Ken Kayser’s enthusiasm for Corvette hasn’t dimmed. In fact he keeps ferreting out new information and recording it in books he self-publishes.
The paper tag (lower right) was saved by Zora in his files. All docs relate to an engine swap that installed a V-8 in one of the Corvettes.
As fine an engineer and as knowledgeable regarding Corvette as Kayser is, that skill and clarity hasn’t quite extended to his book publishing at least insofar as the website(s) from which to purchase copies of his books. Over the years Kayser has had at least two, possibly three, websites none of which he says are currently viable though they still pop up when a search engine is asked. With the two most recent books the only way to purchase is by going to eBay.com and then keying in two words in this order into the search box: Zora Kayser. Even then be careful to read carefully what appears on your screen for the books aren’t in any logical order.
Kayser feels his having been a career-long GM insider—from the day he passed his SAT and was admitted to GMI to retiring from GM four-plus decades later—has aided his ability to source information and documents. Thus, he uses GM’s documents and photos found in archives and files at its Tech Center and its Heritage Center Archives, such as those seen here. Other docs and images were sourced from Kettering University and the Flint Journal. Most all of the scanned 574 images are reproduced large enough to enable you read them for yourself.
Copyright 2026 Helen V Hutchings (speedreaders.info)
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