back an assembled long-block com-
plete with the infamous Duntov 30-30
cam. Murkijanian took the engine build
from there, bolting on an N.O.S. 1965
Corvette intake manifold topped by an
1850 Holley carburetor. If you haven’t
picked up on it by now, Murkijanian
was going for a mid-year Corvette vibe
in the engine bay. He continued by
adding a ’67 Corvette air cleaner and
mid-year valve covers. Then, 2 1/2-
inch ram’s-horn manifolds were hung
on the side of the small-block, sending
exhaust gases out back through a 2 1/2-
inch ceramic-coated system and a set of
turbo mufflers.
Behind the 327, Murkijanian opted
for a manually shifted transmission
because his intentions were to drive
and enjoy the Corvette. More specifi-
cally, the manual trans he bolted up was
a four-speed Super T-10 operated by a
Hurst shifter.
Surrounding the classic white-ball
Hurst is a mostly stock interior, just like
Murkijanian wanted. Astute viewers
will notice, though, that a design feature
from those early Corvettes is missing:
the speaker hump on the passenger
side of the dash. He also fitted a radio
delete plate and upgraded the stock dials
with a set from Classic Instruments.
The steering column is original, but the
wheel was swapped out for a leather-
wrapped 1957 model. Elegance Auto
Interiors in Upland, California, took
care of all the upholstery, covering the
stock seats, door cards, and modified
dash panel in red leather. Murkijanian
then strung everything together with
a completely new wiring harness from
Rebel Wire.
After 10 long years of perfecting the
1954 Corvette, Murkijanian finally
completed the car. Without even
attempting to win anything, he took
the C1 Corvette to the Grand National
Roadster Show in Pomona, California,
and placed first in his class, then at
Goodguys Del Mar the car made the
Top 10. Other than those few shows,
Murkijanian really didn’t drive the carall that much. “My intention was to
build it and enjoy it but it came out too
nice,” he told us, going so far as to say
he was, “paranoid about driving it.” So it
was no surprise then, that Stevens’ offer
at the So-Cal Speed Shop event only
took Murkijanian a few minutes
to decide on. He was ready to let the
car move on, and he himself move on
to cars he wasn’t quite so intimidated
to drive.
As for Stevens, we asked him what he
enjoyed most about his ownership of the
’54 Corvette over the past few years. His
answer? “Looking at it. I really haven’t
driven it all that much.” Before you
jump out of your armchair to write us
(or leave a comment on Facebook) tell-
ing us what a shame it is the car doesn’t
get driven often, just remember you are
more than welcome to do whatever you
would like with your own Corvette.
We h e r e a t Vette are more than happy
to see a work of art like Stevens’ 1954
Corvette maintain its perfection for
years to come. VETTEAs for Stevens,
we asked him what he
enjoyed most about his
ownership of the ’54
Corvette over the past
few years. His answer?
“Looking at it. I really
haven’t driven it
all that much.”VETTEWEB.COM 29