The Michigan city that hosted the Corvette’s first 1953 assembly site was Flint.
Chevrolet assembled the first production Corvettes at its plant in Flint, Michigan, in 1953. The inaugural run was deliberately small: just 300 Polo White convertibles were built, each with a red interior and a black canvas top. These cars established the Corvette as Chevrolet’s new two-seat sports car.
The first Corvettes used fiberglass body panels, an unusual choice that helped reduce weight and allowed Chevrolet to create complex shapes without investing in conventional steel stamping dies. They were powered by a six-cylinder engine paired with an automatic transmission, unlike the V8-powered Corvettes that soon became better known.
Production moved from Flint to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1954 model year. That relocation is a frequent source of confusion because St. Louis handled Corvette assembly for many subsequent years. Corvette manufacturing later moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1981, where production has continued for later generations.