Chevrolet Corvette
(General Motors)
Corvette Facts
The Chevrolet Corvette is the first sports car built by an American car manufacturer. It was first manufactured by Chevrolet in 1953.
The outer body of the Corvette is made from fiberglass.
The revolutionary designer Harvey Earl, who headed GM’s Special Projects team during the postwar era, takes much of the credit for the Corvette. He convinced General Motors management that the company needed to build a two-seat sports car.
The prototype version of the Corvette was code named "Opel."
The first Corvette, the 1953 Corvette, was first shown to the public at that year's Motorama car show.
There have been six generations of the Corvette.
An optional fuel injection system was added to the Corvette in 1957.
Four-wheel disc brakes were added to the Corvette in 1965.
The original Corvette emblem included an American flag. GM eliminated this design, as using the flag for commercial purposes was risky from a PR perspective.
The Corvette is currently built at a General Motors assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. (The National Corvette Museum is also located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.)
