1953 – Corvette Concept Car Debuts at GM Motorama, NYC

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by Scott Teeters as written for Vette Vues
January 17, 1953 – Happy Birthday, Corvette! Chevrolet’s concept car, the Corvette, makes its debut at the GM Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City

Dateline February 2016: While it is not generally known exactly when Harley Earl first sketched, perhaps on a napkin, his idea of an American Sportscar, built by Chevrolet – we do know when the Corvette made its grand debut to the automotive world. January 17, 1953 should be considered the Corvette’s birthday.

The car’s shape and design was as elegant as anything from Europe and far, far removed from anything else offered from Detroit. Do a Google image search for any car from Detroit in 1953 and compare it to the 1953 Motorama Corvette. Getting the car to perform on the same level as its good looks was a bit of a challenge. Considering where we are today, it’s been an amazing ride.