The secret project that created the first Corvette prototype was code-named Project Opel. The name referred to Opel, General Motors’ German division, rather than to a Corvette feature or racing program.
In late 1951, GM styling chief Harley Earl and his Special Projects team began developing an affordable American two-seat sports car. Returning servicemen had brought enthusiasm for European sports cars such as MGs, Jaguars, and Alfa Romeos, while American buyers had few moderately priced alternatives.
Project Opel produced the hand-built EX-122 pre-production Corvette prototype. It was shown publicly at the General Motors Motorama at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria on January 17, 1953. The show car generated enough interest for Chevrolet to move rapidly toward production.
Project Opel is often confused with later Corvette code names and concepts, including Project XP-720, the C2 design program, and the Mako Shark show cars. Those belong to later chapters of Corvette history, not the creation of the original 1953 model.