A legendary American sports car, the Corvette was actually envisioned because of the foreign sports cars of the era. Harley Earl, the General Motors’ chief stylist, visited a Watkins Glen sports car race in 1951 and became immediately impressed with the foreign sports cars. After having such an emotional draw on the sports cars he witnessed, he decided to create the All-American sports car: the Corvette.
In 1952, the first prototype was built. With a fiberglass exterior and balsa wood floors, the Corvette had increased speed over its competitors, due largely because of its lightweight fabrication. The car was beginning to take shape, but still was nameless. Finally, a member of the General Motor’s Public Relations department suggested “Corvette”. The name came from a class of British Royal Navy Warships of the same name. The name is synonymous with strength, speed, and maneuverability in Britain. Now, years later, the Corvette name holds the same symbolism on this side of the Atlantic. Read the rest of this entry »
