January 17, 2024 – Corvette

It was on this day in 1953 that Chevrolet debuted the first Corvette as a concept car at the General Motors Motorama auto show in New York City. Before this, European automakers dominated the sports car market. GM named the car after the small maneuverable Corvette warship.
The first production Corvette was completed at GMs Flint, Michigan plant on June 30, 1953. The original Corvette used fiberglass bodywork and its reinforcement was placed by hand. 300 hand-built Corvettes were produced that year, with a starting price tag of $3,500 (just over $40,000 today).
Trying to give the Corvette an air of exclusivity, GM first marketed the car to invite-only VIP customers. The results of this effort weren’t great and only a portion of the cars produced that year were sold. Sales were so bad over the next few years that there was talk within GM of discontinuing the line altogether. But in 1955, 3 new competitors hit the market – the Ford Thunderbird, Studebaker Speedster, and Chrysler C-300. Not wanting to look like a failure, GM continued producing Corvettes and added performance enhancements like a V8 engine and 3-speed manual transmission. This turned it into a credible performer.
The Corvette was prominently featured in the early 60’s TV show Route 66, which made it synonymous with freedom and adventure. By 1977, the 500,000 Corvette was built.  The 1-millionth Corvette rolled off the assembly line in 1992. The Corvette has the record for the longest-running continuously produced passenger car. It’s also the only 2-seat sports car produced by a major American automaker. Originally manufactured in Flint, Michigan, the Corvette has been produced in Bowling Green, Kentucky since 1981.
The most expensive Corvette ever sold at auction was a 1967 Corvette L88 Coupe, which sold for $3.85 million in 2014. Learn more here.