Back in 1983 Prince came out with the song "Little Red Corvette", I was an instant fan of the song! So stroll on back with me and see how that little corvette got started, and of course I dated a guy with a red one at the time so my best friend Denise, drove me nuts singing that song to me. So let's stroll back to 1951...greaser hairstyles allowed!
The Corvette is unique in automotive history. No other car has ever achieved 57 years (and counting) of production, and no other car has come close to the romantic reputation of Chevrolet's powerful two-seat sports car. The first Corvette rolled out of the Chevrolet factory in Flint, Michigan on June 30, 1953. The most recent Corvette was built today in the dedicated Corvette manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In between those two cars, about 1.5 million Corvettes have been made in America and sold around the world.
The Corvette was invented in 1951 by GM designer Harley Earl, who was inspired by the great European sports cars of the day and wanted to create an American sports car that could compete and win at the race track. The name "Corvette" was borrowed from a line of small, fast navy ships used in World War II.
Just 300 Corvettes were made in 1953. Each of these first-year Corvettes was a white roadster with red interior. The Corvette was made with fiberglass bodywork for light weight, but the first cars were produced with a comparatively weak 150 horsepower 6-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission. The result was more of a cruising car than a racing-inspired sports car.
Vroooom vrooom!
