Corvette Motorsports History Showcased In New Petersen Museum Exhibit

Since its introduction in 1953, the Chevy Corvette has been the go-to sports vehicle in America

Following World War II, American GIs returning from the European Theater

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love with the compact, agile coupes and roadsters that were unmatched by anything

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produced domestically. Although there were other sportier American options,

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such as the Cord 812 Supercharged Sportsman, the Dutch Darrin-designed Kaiser Darrin,

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none of them possessed what we would now consider a competitive advantage.

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Harley J. Earl, the man behind the Art and Color Section of General Motors, saw that Americans

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were purchasing and competing in those lightweight, swift European vehicles.

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According to author Karl Ludvigsen, "in the late fall of 1951, Earl started thinking

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seriously about a low-priced sporty car." The Chevy Corvette was going to be that fast vehicle.

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The timing of a vehicle targeted at individuals with discretionary money couldn't have been better,

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Thanks to a strong American economy. The fiberglass-bodied Chevy Corvette,

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