Unique Aftermarket Corvette Key Blank From the 1950s

We found this unusual aftermarket Corvette key blank, a switchblade style not popularized until decades later.

Even though you probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it, your Corvette’s key is one of its most important parts. It’s the one piece of your Corvette that is totally unique, and it’s the only part that you carry with you all day long.

We found this unique aftermarket ignition Corvette key blank on Craigslist in Erie, Pennsylvania. It got us thinking about our Corvette’s keys more than we ever have before.

Folding switchblade-style keyfobs were all the race on sports cars and luxury cars in the early 2000s. When electronic keyfobs and push-button ignitions took over, the key remained, but it was less accessible inside the key body for emergency use only.

For years, the Corvette used an ignition key that was more or less identical to other GM vehicles. It reminded owners like us of the car’s humble origins, in spite of its world-class performance. Very symbolic, if you think about it.

GM builds everything. They aren’t often thought of as a sports car maker the way, say, Porsche and Ferrari are. And yet, here they are, with an honest-to-goodness sports car, that uses the same key as your mother-in-law’s Malibu.

Still, a nice key is something special to behold. It’s one of the things you get when you spend tens of thousands of dollars more on one of Corvette’s European competitors.

You might think that the switchblade key was invented this century, but you’d be wrong. The key seen here dates back to the 1950s, shortly after the birth of the Corvette. We’re just as shocked as you are.

Clearly, some aftermarket manufacturer thought that a special car like the Corvette deserved a unique key. The design on the key shows a silhouette of a 1953 to 1955 car, so this key came early in the car’s lifespan. This one for sale has remained uncut for over 60 years.

Corvette Keys Through the Years

Incidentally, the Corvette has never had a switchblade key from the factory. Like most American cars, the Corvette used separate keys for the ignition and door lock. Like all GMs, the ignition key used a rectangular head, while the door key used an oval head.

An electronic passive keyless entry (PKE) fob was added in 1993, and was the first GM vehicle to do so. This setup would remain through the rest of the C4’s production run, and through the C5’s entire run as well.

The C6 Corvette debuted for 2005 with a rectangular plastic key fob and a push-button ignition. The C7 Corvette retained this setup. The fob was shared with some Cadillac models.

The 2020 C8 Corvette debuts with a new, more elaborate key fob design with a whopping seven buttons. The design is shared with the new Cadillac CT5, and will likely spread throughout the rest of the Cadillac lineup.

GM has never given the Corvette its own unique key. Back in the 1950s, though, somebody did. We’re glad that we stumbled upon it, and that their creation wasn’t lost like so many sets of keys over the years.

Photos: Craigslist

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