Was the 1957 Corvette fuel injected?
Yes. The 1957 Chevrolet Corvette offered a factory-installed mechanical fuel-injection option on the 283-cubic-inch V8, delivering up to about 270 horsepower — making it one of the first production US cars to use fuel injection.
How it worked and why it mattered
The system, known as Rochester mechanical fuel injection (often called Ramjet), used a cam-driven pump, a fuel distributor, and individual injectors placed near the intake valves. Unlike the carbureted setups of the era, the Rochester unit meters fuel based on engine speed and load, delivering a precise amount of fuel to each cylinder. When paired with the 283 V8, the injection option increased horsepower to around 270 hp, improving top-end performance, especially at higher RPMs.
Design specifics
Because it was a mechanical, not electronic, system, it required careful setup and maintenance. It also demanded premium fuel and a more complex maintenance routine. The option added several hundred dollars to the price of a Corvette at that time, making it accessible primarily to buyers seeking maximum performance.
Production reality and rarity
Fuel injection was offered as a factory option in 1957, and only a fraction of Corvettes were equipped with it. Estimates commonly place the number of 1957 Corvettes with the Ramjet injection in the low thousands, with sources varying on the exact figure. The relative rarity helps explain the high value of surviving FI-equipped cars among collectors today.
Historical significance and collector impact
The 1957 Corvette with fuel injection is widely recognized as a milestone in American automotive engineering. It marked one of the first attempts to bring fuel injection to a production car in the United States, predating widespread electronic injection adoption by decades. Today, FI Corvettes are prized by collectors for their performance heritage and technical rarity.
Summary
Conclusion: Yes, the 1957 Corvette offered a factory-installed Rochester mechanical fuel injection option on the 283 V8, producing up to about 270 hp. It was rare, influential, and now highly collectible.
