Chevrolet produced the Chevrolet Corvette, first shown publicly in 1953.
The Corvette debuted at the General Motors Motorama show in New York City in January 1953. Its first generation, known as the C1, had a fiberglass body and a six-cylinder engine, making it a distinctive American sports car from the beginning.
Production began in Flint, Michigan, in June 1953. The earliest cars were Polo White convertibles with red interiors, and only 300 were built for the 1953 model year.
The Corvette name is often associated with Chevrolet’s later V8-powered performance cars, but the original model launched with Chevrolet’s Blue Flame inline-six. The V8 arrived for the 1955 model year, helping establish the performance identity the model retains today.